Bassey Otu

Bassey Edet Otu (born 18 October 1959) is a Nigerian politician and the current governor of Cross River State Southern Nigeria. who served as a one time senator for Cross River South from 2011 to 2015, and a one time representative of Calabar Municipal/Odukpani constituency of Cross River State, in the House of Representatives from 2003 to 2011.

Background
Prince Bassey Edet Otu was born on 18 October 1959 to the family of Late Eld. & Mrs. Edet Okon Otu of Adiabo in Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River State. He grew up in his home city of Calabar and in Jos, Plateau State, where his father had been assigned to the mission of the Church of Scotland. He obtained a bachelor's degree in the Faculty of Social Sciences from the University of Calabar. Before entering politics, he was engaged in banking and then in the petroleum sector. He is also into farming.

House of Representatives (2003–2011)
Otu was elected a Member of House of Representatives in April 2003 to represent Calabar Municipality/Odukpani Federal Constituency and reelected in April 2007. Within this period (2003–2011), he was Chairman, House Committee on Petroleum (Upstream), Vice Chairman, House Committee on National Population and member of committees on Power, Ministry of Niger Delta, Inter-Parliamentary Relations, Inter-Intra Party Relations, Environment, Water Resources and Defense. In a 2007 interview, he said the ruling by an international court that the Bakassi peninsula belonged to Cameroon was wrong, but that the job now was to resettle displaced relatives of Nigerians and move on. Otu was Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream).

Senator
In 2011, Otu was elected as Senator representing Cross River Southern Senatorial District. On arrival in the Senate, he became the Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance and later Chairman, Senate Committee on Banking and other financial Institutions; he was also a member, Committee on Navy, Power, Petroleum and Water Resources and his believed to have great impact on the citi,

In 2018, Otu was appointed into the board of National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Following his inaugural speech in May 2023 Otu claims to have joined politics for the service of humanity