Former Minister for Culture, Tourism and National Orientation, High Chief Edem Duke has assured Cross Riverians of bringing back the lost glory of the state’s tourism industry when elected as a Governor in 2019.
Chief Duke made this known to newsmen in Calabar penultimate Sunday shortly after declaring his intention to run for the post of Governor under the party of the All Progressives Congress, APC at Ikot Edem Odo ward in Akpabuyo local government area.
He said he’s working on a project called ‘Cross River State Renaissance 2020-2022’ – a period where he’ll galvanised in other to reactivate the tourism sector of the state.
The former Commissioner also stated that if elected the Governor of Cross River State in 2019, Obudu Mountain Resort (Obudu Ranch) will be receiving huge traffic as well as generating more revenue.
Chief Duke made this known to newsmen in Calabar on Sunday shortly after declaring his intention to run for the post of Governor under the party of the All Progressives Congress, APC at Ikot Edem Odo ward in Akpabuyo local government area.
He said he’s working on a project called ‘Cross River State Renaissance 2020-2022’ – a period where he’ll galvanised in other to reactivate the tourism sector of the state.
The former Commissioner also stated that if elected the Governor of Cross River State in 2019, Obudu Mountain Resort (Obudu Ranch) will be receiving huge traffic as well as generating more revenue.
“If I have the privilege, being first and foremost elected as the candidate of APC and elected in 2019 as the Governor of Cross River State, I do have in my head a strategic plan of a Cross River State Renaissance 2020-2022. This will be a period when I’ll galvanised all of my own creative competencies, draw on my experiences, draw on my global network in other to reactivate the Tourism sector in Cross River State. And I see this with a deep sense of passion, a huge sense of responsibility because I had a building block within the framework of Cross River Tourism in the last decade.”
He continued, “I formed the first private sector tourism group in Cross River State, called the Cross River State Tourism Development Initiative – I formed it in other to make people see that we have tangible and intangible assets and even what we would regard as intangible assets are those things that has been with us but we have taken them to the common place; but these are the kind of things that we can reinvent and unravel in other to restore that Paradise that we had always enjoyed.”
High Chief Edem Duke further said he was the first person to originate the idea of a tourism resort on the Bank of Cross River. “What is today Tinapa was to a large extent emplaced in a location where I had already started to develop for a Waterfront Resort, but I ceded it to Government because government indicated that it had a better plan. But when the vision and visioner are separated, it can only take an act of God for the project to materialised.”
Duke said he used 72hrs to set up the Marina Resort prior to Former Governor Donald Duke dying minutes in office. “Within 72hrs, I mobilised my own tangible and intangible resources and effected a full hospitality facility at the Marina Resort.”
For the Obudu Mountain Resort, Edem Duke said, “A few years ago, by a telephone call, I brought some of the big Investors from Dubai to come to the resort; It wasn’t my responsibility, I didn’t feel well seeing the state it was. These people came, saw it and said they are ready to come and invest here and that they don’t want a kobo from government; because already they owned game reserves, bush lodges, four star, five star facilities in East Africa. They said already, they bring in 50,000 tourists into Dubai every month, therefore, they can do something with the Obudu Mountain. They took some Officials from government to go and see so that they can believe. When those officials came back, I don’t know what happened thereafter.”
Pledging, the immediate past Minister said, “If the people of Cross River State make me the Governor in 2019, I want to guarantee you that in a very short time, not only will Obudu Mountain Resort be completely and fully reactivated – traffic will be generated into Obudu Ranch Resort, the Obudu Mountain Race will start again. Those are things that I can do with one eye closed.
“I want to work with people to transform the Agbokim Waterfalls, which is our own Victoria Falls in Nigeria, an unbelievable spectacle that is just lying there because of lack of vision.
“Does anybody talk about our Monoliths anymore? Nobody talks about our monoliths anymore. How many times has anybody heard about the Afi Mountain Resort and the endangered species of gorillas there?
“Calabar will come alive again. It will become beautiful, fascinating. I can turn around this State in an unbelievable manner and I am prepared to do it. But I want to do it as a member of a team that is willing to work, to sacrifice for the restoration of this paradise.”
Edem Duke also said the only constant thing in life is change, adding that, “Cross River State polity must graduate to a level of sophistry, where we look at our challenges, we look at the people who are equipped and who have the benefit of experience and most importantly, providence.
“With all these experiences, I believe I am fully prepared for the position of the Governor of Cross River State”, he said.
Source- Calabar Reporters
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