Between 1999 to 2015, Obudu Ranch Resort was the hotbed of tourism destination in Cross River State nay Nigeria. Tourists within and outside the country were trooping in their numbers to visit the alluring, green, cold and serene site. The resort had world class facilities like cable car, state-of-the-art hotels, relaxation centres, international events halls, amongst others which were always of interest to tourists.
The resort played host to several important personalities including Presidents, Governors, Ministers, Senators from Nigeria and abroad. Top leaders from even European and other continents would prefer to visit the resort for holidays than travel to places like Dubai in United Arab Emirates, Paris in France, or other places.
Annually, the resort was hosting an international racing event, the Obudu Mountain Race which was well recognized and added to the International Athlethics Federation (IAF) annual calendar. Internationally recognized Athletes were coming from across the world to participate in the event.
Beyond the fact that these activities placed the state and country in the spotlight for rapid development, they also boosted serious economic activities. The small and medium scale enterprises which drives economy of any nation benefited greatly from this activity and influx of tourists.
The hospitality industry at the time in the entire state blossomed at the time as hotels were always, usually fully booked. Some tourists would prefer to travel to Calabar to see the beautiful city then will take a trip to Ikom to enjoy the beautiful site of the Agbokim Waterfall and finally to the Ranch. The functionality of the Ranch resort directly or indirectly had impacts on the other tourism destinations in the state which have also gone down the drain like the Ranch.
When Governor Ben Ayade took over power from Sen. Liyel Imoke as Governor in 2015, alot was expected from him being the first Governor from the Cross River North Senatorial District which housed the resort. In fact, Ayade is from Obudu local government which is a neighbouring and mother local government to Obanliku, the natural inhabitant of the resort.
Basking on that euphoria, Cross River Indigenes and tourists alike had expected that Ayade would build on what he inherited by making the resort better but unfortunately, such hopes have been dashed as the Governor abandoned the place to rot away in neglect.
The cable car and Bebi Airstrip which the Donald Duke administration had put in place to ease transportation of tourists, visitors and athletes to and from the resort stopped working few months after Ayade assumed office.
In the same vein, the Obudu Mountain Race that complemented activities at the ranch was discontinued on a very loquacious excuse that the state didn’t have the resources to continue with the event. Athletes who won prizes in the 2014 edition were denied their rewards. This was despite the fact that majority of the funds for the event was sourced from donors and organizations like DSTV, banks, etc.
The Governor stopped paying all the staff working in different units of the resorts on the excuse that they were not generating enough revenue from the resort to earn any pay. After several protests by staff to demand their payments yielded no results, they all abandoned the place.
For a resort that enjoyed 24/7 electricity pre-Ayade, power supply became almost nonexistent under him, as the generators are either faulty or not supplied diesel. All the facilities in the hotels that depended on electricity to function including television, cable networks, water heater, heater and other sophisticated facilities were all abandoned to waste away.
As people continue to direct criticism at the Governor for leaving Nigeria’s famous tourists site which many think if properly managed can generate huge revenue for the state to waste away, Ayade has surprisingly demonstrated that he had a plan, howbeit, unpopular.
As the general infrastructure is wasting away, Ayade is quietly working to convert the place to his personal estate. Just recently, he completed a multimillion naira mansion at the heart of the government controlled land which was earmarked for other developmental project that would have had far reaching economic impact on the people. The expensive building is connected to a private generator which the Governor travels with to and fro and it’s only power to supply steady electricity when he’s around. Other places including the hotels are in total darkness.
Aside this, the Governor is also secretly building a private milking factory up Ranch in another piece of land earmarked for something else according to the approved map of the resort. It is rumoured that he has started big livestock farming and is building the milking factory to complement it. While the initiative is good, people have continued to raise eyebrows why he allowed the ranch to rot away but quietly building a home and business for himself not even the state.
With the controversies that have surrounded him over his primitive love for landgrabbing, the locals are worried and threatening that they won’t seat and watch him convert a place he killed for personal use.
By Ebebe Pius.
Editorial
The position in this article as well as other opinion pieces do not reflect the official position of NEGROIDHAVEN
