Vice President Kashim Shettima yesterday inaugurated two new Cross River State–owned Cally Air aircraft, praising Governor Bassey Otu for the forward-looking investments in aviation and other critical sectors.
Speaking at the Margaret Ekpo International Airport in Calabar, where he represented President Bola Tinubu to inaugurate two newly acquired Cally Air aircraft, Shettima described the initiative as a strategic step towards economic growth, tourism promotion, and regional aviation leadership.
He praised Governor Bassey Otu’s vision, noting that Cross River’s efforts align with the federal government’s Renewed Hope Agenda in strengthening food security, energy security, and economic self-reliance.
“Cross River is demonstrating what strong subnational leadership looks like. The country needs more of this kind of vision,” Shettima said.
Otu, in his remarks, traced the state’s economic strategy to the integration of three “engines” set in motion by his predecessors as tourism under Donald Duke, rural development under Senator Liyel Imoke, and industrialisation under Professor Ben Ayade.
“My goal has been to fuse these into a robust, diversified economy that frees us from overdependence on FAAC allocations,” Otu explained.
Otu said the expansion of Cally Air from two to four aircraft, with three more planned, is a key plank of the state’s tourism policy and its ambition to create an aviation hub serving not just Nigeria but the entire Gulf of Guinea.
The event also formed part of the Vice President’s working visit to Cross River, which included stops at the state SME clinic and library.
With the commissioning of the two new aircraft, Cross River State is positioning itself as both a tourism powerhouse and a regional aviation gateway.
