Hi Every one,
Nigeria is a hidden tourist destination but the only problem we have is that our political leaders concentrated more on looting the crude oil money and think less of promoting and advertising our God -given tourism potentials. But in my own little way,i will continue to showcase these hidden tourists' haven. You are most welcome to Nigeria,just let me know when you are coming over here!! Enjoy this "Garden of Eden" Called Obudu Cattle Ranch!!


Encounter with heaven in Nigeria
By Ken Ugbechie
THE governor of Cross River State, Senator Liyel Imoke, likes to describe his state particularly its capital, Calabar, as the closest place that compares to heaven. Imoke's comparison derives strongly from the enchanting flora that signpost the landscape of the state. But much more, his claim is ossified by the allure of nature that assails you as you move towards the North-eastern part of the state. Destination: Obudu Cattle Ranch, the native home of the Becheve people whose strength and character are epitomised by their stocky frame, broad shoulder and hospitable spirit. The ranch is a piece of marvel and it lucidly depicts the majesty and glory of creation. Any visitor would wonder at the beauty of this special patch of earth that barbs the Cameroon Mountain. Surreal, serene and tranquil, it sits on a plateau that hangs at over 5000 feet above sea level and spread over rolling grassland and montane forests.

Last weekend, I had the rare opportunity of spending a night at the ranch. About two or more dozens of journalists were ferried into the ranch in cable cars over a distance of 11 kilometres from the foot of one of the many mountains that embroider the horizon. It was an adrenaline pumping exercise to find oneself and five others (each cable car takes only six persons and there are about 36 of such cars in the ranch) in the belly of a glass-walled cable car gliding slowly with the aid of a cable rolling over an 11-kilometre track propped up in the air by masts jutting out of the undulating terrain. Journalists are adventurers and die-hard risk-takers. But it was obvious that we met more than our match in the cable car experience which at a distance of 11 kilometres is reputed to be the longest in Africa.

Journalists can also be terrified. Save for James Akpandem, the editor of Daily Independent, who has explored this part of the country countless times, the rest of us were as scared as frightened rabbits in a warren. The Obudu episode dwarfs my experience at the Table Mountains in Cape Town, South Africa. The fright, however, ceases as soon as you berth on the surface of the plateau. It is another world, another planet. In fact, it is heaven's gate. The governor's media aide, Patrick Ugbe, had earlier described the ranch as the place where earth meets heaven. It may well be. First you are elevated to an altitude that makes the rest of humanity look like a community of ants. You are suspended in the ionosphere except that here there are exotic buildings housing hotels, restaurants, gyms and spars, shops and sporting facilities for your pleasure. There is also a Presidential resort complete with a Presidential suite tailored after the Camp David of the United States. Here again, you are not in want of peace. You are insulated from the banditry and savagery that beset those on the surface of the earth. The air is fresh and distilled.

Temperature is temperate hovering between four and 10 degrees Celcius between June and September and 26 to 32 degrees from November to January. Obudu is better than any part of Europe in winter and far exceeds the glory of the industrialised West in summer. It is where modernity and nature co-exist. Founded as a cattle ranch in 1949 by an expatriate rancher, its wide-ranging ranges have over the years guaranteed it as home to wild life. And you wonder why Nigerians still go to Europe for holiday. It is probably so because not many people are aware of the transformation that has taken place at the ranch. It was a tourism destination at a point especially during the Second Republic but it soon fell into the hands of the military. For the two or more decades that the military held sway, the ranch was badly managed.

Hope was rekindled in 1999 when Governor Donald Duke in partnership with the management of the resort decided to upgrade it to a world class status. The incumbent governor says he will consolidate the previous efforts to make Cross River State the preferred tourism destination. It is very possible and earnings from tourism may in the coming years outstrip the state's allocation from the Federation Account. The World Tourism Organisation (WTO) has predicted a bright future for countries that develop their tourism potential. Aside creating jobs and contributing to tax revenues, tourism has become a major foreign exchange earner in global economy. In 2002 alone, 715 million tourists traveled round the world generating $472 billion in earnings. In 2020, WTO predicts 1.6 billion international tourists moving round the world and spending more than $2 trillion annually or $5 billion daily.

This is the future of tourism. It is a future of hope and harvest. It is heart-warming that the government of Cross River State is keying into this future by embarking and consolidating on ambitious projects namely the Tinapa Resort comprising 54 line shops, 243-room hotel, casino, eight cinema screens among others; the Calabar Marina Resort which boasts of the heart-rending slave museum and the various craft markets strewn across the state.

In the global tourism matrix, Nigeria's Cross River State looks well primed to slice off a good chunk of the spoils. Imoke says he is already thinking along that line. He wants to achieve this by providing the people with the relevant amenities that would empower them to tap into the tourism potential of the state. The Partnership Opportunities for Women Empowerment Realisation (POWER), a Millennium Development Goal initiative founded and supervised by his wife, Obioma, also seeks to empower the women to take advantage of the economies of scale created by the tourism industry.

Truly, Cross River State is a fitting and reassuring epigraph to the vision of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua to diversify and deepen the revenue base of the nation while growing the economy to make Nigeria one of the global top 20 economies in the world by 2020.

But more importantly, those who zoom off to Europe to spend foreign exchange in the name of holiday should think Cross River State . From Calabar, the first capital city of Nigeria replete with historic and ancient landmarks to Obudu where as a colleague said, the Garden of Eden still exits, there is something to cheer and to celebrate about Nigeria.

Top this with the legendary hospitality of the Calabar woman, the seductive dance of the Leboku maiden and the serenading songs of the cultural troupes then you would realise why Imoke likens his state to heaven and why you should 'spoil' yourself a little in this magical state.