Vice President Kashim Shettima yesterday inaugurated two new Cross River State–owned Cally Air aircraft, praising Governor Bassey Otu for the initiative’s 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 on behalf of President Bola Tinubu, Shettima described the initiative as a strategic step toward economic growth, tourism promotion, and regional aviation leadership.

He praised 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. Shettima said: “Cross River is demonstrating what strong subnational leadership looks like.

The country needs more of this kind of vision.” Otu, in his remarks, traced the state’s economic strategy to the integration of three “engines” set in motion by his predecessors: tourism under Donald Duke, rural development under Senator Liyel Imoke, and industrialization under Professor Ben Ayade. He said: “My goal has been to fuse these into a robust, diversified economy that frees us from overdependence on FAAC allocations.”