On Sunday, March 1, 2026, the Executive Governor of Cross River State, Bassey Otu, will receive the 2025 Silverbird Man of the Year Award at Eko Hotel and Suites during the 20th edition of the awards ceremony.
Fondly called the “Sweet Prince,” Otu’s emergence as SMOTY 2025 awardee reflects a leadership journey anchored on renewal, recalibration, and responsible governance. Since assuming office on May 29, 2023, he has pursued what he describes as a “Season of Sweetness”, a vision aimed at restoring confidence, rebuilding institutions, and reawakening economic potential.
With experience spanning the Senate and executive governance, Otu entered office with both political depth and grassroots connections. His early moves signalled intent: stabilising state finances, addressing salary and pension obligations, and laying the groundwork for investor confidence.
Tourism, the cultural heartbeat of Cross River, has regained strategic prominence. From renewed focus on the globally celebrated Calabar Carnival to strengthening eco-tourism assets, his administration has worked to reposition the state as Nigeria’s leisure capital once again.
Beyond tourism, Otu’s development drive extends to rural infrastructure, agricultural value chains, and industrial expansion. By encouraging partnerships in agro-processing and exploring maritime opportunities, his government is pushing to diversify revenue and stimulate inclusive growth. Food security, enterprise development, and community empowerment remain central pillars of his economic agenda.
Observers describe his leadership style as calm yet calculated — prioritising consultation, transparency, and institutional stability in a politically sensitive environment. It is a governance model that values order as much as ambition.
At SMOTY 2025, the recognition goes beyond ceremony. It affirms a governor whose administration seeks not just to manage a state, but to redefine its trajectory. For Cross River, it is a moment of national validation. For Prince Bassey Otu, it is another chapter in a mission to transform promise into prosperity — and sweetness into sustainable progress.
