From: Diana Okon-Effiong, Calabar
Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross River State has said government officials will no longer be provided accommodation at the Obudu Mountain Resort in subsequent editions of Obudu Mountain Race. Imoke stated at an interactive session at the end of the ninth edition of Obudu Mountain Race 2013 and the fifth African Nations Mountain Running Championship.
He said the decision was imperative to enable tourists have access to the championship because the turnout has always been checked by the number of government officials who are accommodated within the resort.
“I do not mind getting accommodated at Obudu town or nearby Ogoja to enable tourists from within and outside the country be accommodated in the resor”, he said.
On the economic value of the championship, the governor explained that it has made tremendous social and economic impact and has created value for the young ones who participate while its greatest asset is the promotion of mountain race.
“It has promoted the country in view of the participation that come from other countries and the number of diplomats in attendance”, Imoke stated, adding that “it has branded the country in positive minds”.
According to him, “Sports bring us together as a people and as a nation and that is why we integrate it into tourism. Sports cannot be equated in Naira and Kobo. It has value and can be sponsored as it helps to promote the brand of the sponsors and as well supplement the effort of government but does not cover the cost of the event. The Under 17 national team, the Golden Eaglets, has created tremendous value to brand the nation and its economy, not just the selling of tickets, but its value is unquantifiable.”
He said like the Calabar Festival and Carnival Calabar, Sports brings people to the state and has impact on the local economy despite the fact that investment in sports development is long term.
Imoke stressed the need for continuity because those who participated yearn for it to be sustained in order to strengthen the championship. He also noted that proper kitting of the kids for children race is no challenge to government as runners prefer to run bare feet which they find convenient.
On the status of the Obudu Mountain Resort, the governor reasoned that like in East Africa, it should have been taken over by the federal government and classified a national heritage.
He said that a partnership with the federal government to provide good access road to the Obudu Mountain Resort could assist in addressing challenges like that of access road. He also disclosed that the state has expended N1.5 billion to install facilities at the Bebi Airstrip to enhance efficient air traffic with equipment only provided at Lagos and Abuja airports.
He added that although domestic traffic to the ranch has not hit its peak, United Nations and its agencies hold workshops regularly there.
