DECONSTRUCTION OF MALICIOUS VIDEO BY PORTRAIT PETERSON: COMMISSIONER FOR EDUCATION SETS THE RECORD STRAIGHT
THE FALSE ALLEGATIONS AND THE FACTS
It has come to my attention as the Honourable Commissioner for Education that a certain individual, styling himself as Portrait Peterson, has published a short video on his Facebook page containing grave allegations concerning the administration of education in Cross River State, and specifically impugning on my conduct as the Commissioner for Education and the Governor of Cross River State. Let it be recorded from the outset that this video, upon its face, bears no Iota of credibility. It is a self-produced monologue, unverified, unsupported by any documentary or testimonial evidence, and evidently designed for maximum emotional impact with minimum factual foundation. In a proper world, it would be ignored with the contempt it deserves.
However, I am mindful of the political trajectory and reality of our times: in the age of viral misinformation, silence is often misconstrued as acquiescence, and falsehoods unchallenged acquire, through repetition alone, the dangerous patina of truth. I therefore exercise this undoubted right of reply – not because the publisher deserves a response, but because the public deserves the truth. This refutation is issued solely to set the record straight, to educate the citizenry on the actual architecture of educational governance, and to expose the reckless, malicious, and self-serving motives underlying the video publication.
Portrait Peterson on video, is not driven by any genuine concern for the children of Cross River State. It is a calculated attempt to manufacture political capital from the currency of public outrage, to generate ephemeral relevance through the demolition of reputations, and to harvest engagement from the fertile soil of ignorance. There is nothing substantive in his critique – only the hollow echo of a man shouting into a camera, hoping to be heard.
THE PUBLISHER’S MALICE, RECKLESSNESS, AND NEGLIGENCE – A LEGAL CHARACTERISATION
From a legal perspective, the publisher’s video exhibits all the hallmarks of malice, recklessness, and negligent disregard for truth.
Malice: Portrait Peterson admits, within his own video, that he has never communicated with me – neither by telephone, nor by physical meeting, nor by any intermediary. He has not visited the Ministry. He has not requested documents under the Freedom of Information Act. He has not attended any education sector briefing. He has made no effort whatsoever to verify his claims. Yet he proceeds to publish definitive allegations of failure, incompetence, and inaction. This is malice in its clearest form: the deliberate publication of injurious falsehoods without regard for their truth or falsity.
Recklessness: The publisher makes sweeping pronouncements about the state of schools, about approvals allegedly withheld by the Governor from the me, about a system allegedly in “rot.” He does so without any apparent understanding of the constitutional and administrative framework within which education governance operates. He confuses ministerial mandate with gubernatorial approval. He ignores entirely the statutory role of SUBEB. He makes no mention of the matching grant model or counterpart funding. This is not ignorance – it is reckless disregard for the complexity of the subject matter upon which he presumes to opine. For the record we have accessed all our matching grants for the past 3 years.
Negligence: A reasonable person, before publishing allegations capable of damaging the reputation of a public officer, would undertake basic verification steps. He would consult publicly available records. He would seek comment from the relevant authorities. He would examine the statutory framework. The publisher did none of these things. His failure to exercise even the most rudimentary due diligence constitutes gross negligence.
The cumulative effect of malice, recklessness, and negligence is a publication that has no claim to protected expression. It is not fair comment – for fair comment requires a factual basis. It is not legitimate criticism – for criticism requires engagement with the substance of governance. It is, quite simply, defamation dressed in the costume of activism. The publisher is entitled to his opinion, but he is not entitled to his own facts.
THE ALLEGED “APPROVAL” – GOVERNOR TO COMMISSIONER – AND THE PUBLISHER’S FABRICATED NARRATIVE
The publisher makes a specific claim that requires direct and unequivocal refutation. He alleges that the Governor has not given “approval” to the me for implementation in the education sector. He further alleges, by implication or by purported sourcing, that I complained about this alleged lack of approval to some of his colleagues.
Let me state, categorically and without any qualification whatsoever, that both allegations are entirely and demonstrably false.
First: There is no approval that the Governor has withheld from me. I have direct, unfettered, and immediate access to His Excellency, Governor Bassey Otu, on all matters – direct and incidental – that fall within my charge as Honourable Commissioner for Education. I do not approach the Governor by proxy. I do not communicate through intermediaries. I do not await the pleasure of aides or adjutants. When the business of the Ministry requires the Governor’s attention, I present it myself, in person, and receive his direction directly.
On no occasion – I repeat, on no occasion – have I sought any approval from the Governor on any matter within the Ministry’s mandate and have been refused. On no occasion has the Governor withheld his assent to any policy, programme, or proposal I have placed before him for the advancement of education in Cross River State.
Second: I have never – not once, not in any forum, not to any person – complained to any colleague about any alleged lack of approval from the Governor. This claim is a complete fabrication. I invite the publisher to name even one colleague to whom I am alleged to have made such a complaint. I invite him to produce any witness, any written communication, any verifiable evidence whatsoever.
The Governor does not require approval from any external authority to act within his constitutional mandate. He is the approving authority, not the supplicant. Any suggestion to the contrary is constitutional nonsense. And any suggestion that I am complaining about the Governor’s alleged withholding of approval is an insult to the cordial, productive, and mutually respectful relationship I enjoy with His Excellency.
THE FUNDAMENTAL ERROR – GOVERNOR’S APPROVALS VERSUS MINISTERIAL MANDATE
Beyond the specific falsehoods addressed above, the publisher’s video commits a grave analytical error of first principle: it conflates Governor’s approval with ministerial implementation. The Governor of Cross River State does not personally approve every desk, every chalkboard, every textbook, or every classroom repair. That is not how governance operates – not in Cross River State, not in Nigeria, and not in any functioning democracy anywhere in the world.
The Ministry of Education, under my leadership, is the formulator and driver of educational policy. Its statutory mandate includes the design of reforms, the setting of standards, the enforcement of compliance, the supervision of institutions, and the coordination of all educational agencies. The Governor’s role, by contrast, is to provided executive authority, budgetary sanction at the macro level, high-level political direction, and the overarching vision for the state.
To demand that the Governor personally “give approval” for granular implementation details is to misunderstand the architecture of state governance entirely. It is administratively absurd and constitutionally illiterate. The publisher has therefore attacked a phantom. No approval has been withheld because no approval was required at the level of specificity he imagines. The Ministry of Education has been discharging its mandate fully and lawfully, without any hindrance from the Governor’s office.
THE CONVENIENT IGNORANCE OF SUBEB’S ROLE AND THE RECORD OF COUNTERPART FUNDING
Perhaps the most glaring omission in the publisher’s video – and the most damning evidence of its recklessness – is any mention whatsoever of the State Universal Basic Education Board, known as SUBEB. This is not a minor oversight. It is a fatal flaw that renders his entire argument untenable as a matter of law and fact.
SUBEB, not the Governor and not the Commissioner for Education, is constitutionally and administratively responsible for construction, infrastructure, and basic education delivery at the primary school level. More critically, SUBEB operates on a state allocation and matching grants model with the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) at the federal level. For every naira the state government commits to basic education infrastructure, UBEC provides a corresponding amount that will be approved by UBEC before implementation using “Action Plan”.
Let me be absolutely clear, because this matter has been clouded by deliberate misinformation: Under His Excellency, Governor Bassey Otu, all counterpart funding obligations have been met. All matching grants have been accessed. The Governor has approved and released every required counterpart payment promptly and fully and implementation is on-going across the 18 LGAS based on Exco approvals as presented regularly by the Commissioner for Education.
This is not an opinion. This is a verifiable fact. The records of UBEC, the records of SUBEB, and the records of the Ministry of Finance and office of the Accountant General of the State can attest to this incontrovertible reality. The publisher, in his haste to manufacture outrage, did not bother to consult any of these records. He did not ask. He did not inquire. He published a video – and in publishing, he exposed his own negligence.
The Ministry of Education does not micromanage SUBEB and other parastatals under it, SUBEB has its own governing board, its own executive chairman, and its own statutory mandate. The Ministry provides policy direction and oversight, but it does not and cannot interfere in the day-to-day procurement and construction functions of SUBEB. Any suggestion that the Ministry or the Governor has “blocked” SUBEB’s work is not only false but demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of the separation of powers within the educational governance structure.
THE UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION AND ENTREPRENEUR – A MAJOR ACHIEVEMENT UNDER THE MINISTRY
The publisher’s video also omits any reference to one of the most significant educational achievements of this administration: the establishment and development of the University of Education and Entrepreneur, Cross River State.
This institution, which falls squarely under the supervisory mandate of the Ministry of Education, represents a paradigm shift in our state’s approach to tertiary education. It is designed to produce graduates who are not merely degree-holders but job creators – individuals equipped with both academic knowledge and entrepreneurial skills.
The University of Education and Entrepreneur is a direct response to the unemployment crisis that has plagued our nation. It is a forward-looking, innovative institution that has attracted attention from educational policymakers across Nigeria. Its establishment required extensive planning, stakeholder engagement, federal approvals, and sustained political will – all of which were provided by this administration.
To discuss the state of education in Cross River State without mentioning this flagship institution is to tell a deliberately incomplete story. The publisher’s silence on this matter is not accidental – it is strategic. Acknowledging this achievement would undermine the narrative of failure he seeks to construct. So he ignores it. This is not journalism. This is propaganda.
THE EVIDENTIARY RECORD OF MINISTERIAL ACTION – VERIFIABLE, DOCUMENTED, AND WITHIN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN
Let me present, for the public record, what the Ministry of Education has actually accomplished under my leadership – actions that required no additional “approval” from the Governor because they fall squarely within the ministry’s statutory mandate as policy formulator and driver. These achievements are not secret. They are not disputed. They are within the public domain, verifiable by any citizen with eyes to see and feet to walk.
First, Regulatory Reform: In September 2025, the Ministry unveiled comprehensive reforms requiring strict compliance with the school calendar, mandatory registration of all schools with the Corporate Affairs Commission, digitization of examination registration and results, introduction of Student Index Numbers for tracking academic progress, mandatory annual teacher training, and minimum teaching qualifications for all educators. These reforms are published on the Ministry’s official platforms and have been widely reported in the press.
Second, Enforcement Action: In October 2025, the Ministry’s task force conducted a sweeping enforcement exercise that resulted in the closure of many illegal schools of operating without valid registration or minimum standards across Calabar Municipality, Calabar South, Ikom, and Ogoja etc. I personally led this exercise. Photographs of the exercise are in the public domain. Video footage of the exercise is available. The schools remain closed. The proprietors of those schools can attest to the enforcement action. Any citizen may visit the locations and confirm.
Third, Financial Commitment to Access: In August 2023, His Excellency Governor Bassey Otu, acting on the Ministry’s recommendation and advocacy, approved the sponsorship of West African Examinations Council (WAEC) registration fees for indigenous Senior Secondary School Three students across Cross River State. This represents a direct financial intervention of Billions of naira. The beneficiaries are identifiable. The records are auditable. This is not a rumour – it is a fact.
Fourth, Stakeholder Engagement: In March 2026, I presided over the maiden education sectoral meeting convened to enhance quality assurance across all educational institutions in the state. The meeting addressed examination registration delays, warned against illegal charges by schools, and established a framework for continuous stakeholder collaboration. The minutes of that meeting are on record. The attendees – Vice-Chancellors, Rectors, Director Generals, Executive Chairmen of Boards, Education Secretaries, Principals, proprietors etc. – can confirm.
Fifth, University of Education and Entrepreneur: The Ministry has overseen the continued development of this flagship institution, ensuring that it receives the necessary policy support, regulatory oversight, and strategic direction to fulfil its mandate of producing entrepreneurial graduates. The university is operational. It is admitting students. Any citizen may visit the campus and inspect its facilities.
These are not the actions of a ministry paralysed by a lack of approval. are not the actions of a commissioner who has abandoned his duties. They are the actions of a ministry and a commissioner exercising their statutory mandate with vigour, transparency, and a relentless commitment to the improvement of education in Cross River State under Governor Bassey Edet Otu.
I invite the publisher – and any member of the public – to verify each of these claims. Visit the schools that were closed. Speak to the beneficiaries of the WAEC sponsorship. Attend a sectoral meeting. Tour the University of Education and Entrepreneur, State Library etc. Watch the video footage of the enforcement exercise. The evidence is not hidden. It is not confidential. It is there, in plain sight, waiting for anyone genuinely interested in the truth.
THE TEMPORAL REALITY AND THE QUESTION OF BLAME
Schools in Cross River State did not fall into disrepair overnight, and they will not rise overnight. The infrastructure deficits that the publisher invokes are the product of decades of underfunding, systemic dysfunction, federal-level shortfalls, and accumulated neglect that long predates the Otu administration.
The question is not whether every school has been magically transformed in the period since this administration assumed office. That would be an unreasonable expectation, and any honest observer would acknowledge it. The question is whether this administration has initiated a coherent, sustainable trajectory of reform, and whether the structural impediments to progress are being systematically addressed.
On that question, the evidence is unambiguous: reforms have been initiated. Counterpart funding for SUBEB has been fully provided. The matching grants have been accessed. The University of Education and Entrepreneur has been established. Illegal schools have been closed. Standards are being enforced. The machinery of governance is in high motion.
CONCLUSION:
THE BURDEN REMAINS UNMET – A FINAL DISCLAIMER CONVINCING BEYOND REASONABLE DOUBT
Let me conclude with absolute clarity and without equivocation, soly that the public may be fully informed and no longer misled by the publisher’s reckless assertions. I intend to convince the public beyond reasonable doubt.
One: No approval has been sought from the Governor and denied. The entire premise of the publisher’s video – that the Governor has withheld approval from the Commissioner – is factually false. I have direct access to the Governor. I have never been refused audience. I have never had a reasonable request denied.
Two: I have never complained to any colleague about any alleged lack of approval from the Governor. This claim is a complete fabrication. The publisher cannot name a single colleague because no such complaint was ever made.
Three: All counterpart funding for SUBEB has been fully provided upon the approval of His Excellency, Governor Bassey Otu. All matching grants have been accessed. The state has met its financial obligations to UBEC in full. The records are open for inspection by any genuinely interested party, Intervention Project are on-going across the state.
Four: The Ministry of Education, under my leadership, has implemented significant reforms, enforced standards, closed illegal schools, and advocated successfully for financial support for over fourth four thousand indigenous students across the state. These are documented, verifiable achievements. Photographs exist. Video footage exists. Witnesses exist. Records exist.
Five: The University of Education and Entrepreneur stands as a monument to this administration’s commitment to innovative, entrepreneurial education – a fact conspicuously absent from the publisher’s video, and conspicuously revealing of his selective outrage. The Remodeled State Library is know to all.
Six: The publisher has never communicated with me, sought clarification from me, or made any attempt to verify his claims with the Ministry. His video is therefore not an informed critique but an uninformed diatribe – a product of malice, recklessness, and negligence.
I do not demand agreement with every policy decision I have made. I welcome robust debate on the future of education in Cross River State. But I will not allow falsehoods to stand unchallenged. I will not allow the hard work of dedicated public servants to be dismissed by those who have not done the minimal work of inquiry. And I will not permit the Governor, who has provided every approvals and every required counterpart funding to be maligned by baseless assertions. Critique without evidence is not criticism- it is defamation and, when it masquerade as activism, deserves neither respect nor refuge.
The public is hereby sensitised. The record is hereby set straight beyond reasonable doubt. The publisher’s video is hereby consigned to the category of matters unworthy of serious attention – but for this refutation, issued solely to prevent the silent corrosion of truth by the persistent drip of falsehood.
Governor Bassey Edet Otu’s Scorecard in Education Sector as published and presented on the 29th May, 2026 is based on all his approvals for the pass 3 years. This is ones again submitted and adopted.
Senator Professor Stephen A. Odey, Esq
Commissioner for Education, Cross River State Nigeria
Dated this 13th day of June, 2026