Baskadia

By ANDRE EKENG INYANG

We remember the #ENDSARS carnage vividly, as the memories are still fresh and the wounds have not fully healed. We were among the hardest hit.

Major government facilities were damaged and rendered useless. One of our state's proudest achievements, the Tinapa Business Resort, was reduced to nothing. This resort housed one of the largest luxury hotels in the south-south region, featuring 272 en-suite rooms equipped with state-of-the-art technology designed to keep pace with future innovations.

Another significant edifice affected was the Calabar International Convention Center (CICC), which had a combined seating capacity of 20,000. The massive theatres, lobbies, and foyers, all built with a sophisticated modern cooling system managed by experts, were all brought down in a single day.

The government printing press, equipped with modern machines worth billions of Naira and poised to generate substantial revenue, was burnt to the ground. Banks, shops, stores, and houses were robbed, looted, and set ablaze.

Madness engulfed our town due to a perverse orientation, even our infectious disease center was looted, leading to the spread of dangerous and infectious diseases and viruses, many of which are still silently affecting our people.

Those who advocated for the said "protest," despite our warnings, could not escape its impact as numerous businesses and homes were heavily looted. Some of the affected individuals are still struggling to recover even after four years.

We’ve experienced our share of unguarded processions, and it is crucial for those of us who warned against the last protest to do so again.

Many may not realize the efforts our security agencies put in daily to protect us in an area fully surrounded by water and prone to attacks. Once there is a mass protest, the security crisis worsens because the manpower on the ground becomes overstretched, providing an opportunity for criminal elements to infiltrate and wreak havoc.

Those who instigate these protests never join the streets with you; they hide in the comfort of their homes, shielding their children while exposing you and your families to danger. They will always tell you that protest is your democratic right, but you should ask them to lead with their children in front. You do not have more rights than they do; they too should act on their rights if it is safe enough.

Cross River State, Calabar, is our home, and we must not allow any affliction to befall her again.

Andrea Ekeng Inyang