Ray
Ugba Murphy one time chairman cross river state tourism board took to his
facebook page to lament the level of destruction done on the he described as
what used to be a major plank for the state-tourism.
Mr.
Murphy who said that he never knew the extent of damage meted on the tourism
sector of the state until his recent meeting with some tourism mogul in far
away Markurdi. He said meeting opened up facts to him that tourist are usually
discouraged from visiting tourist site in the state because of high rate of
insecurity in the state.
He
finally called on every right thinking cross riverian to chase out the ben
Ayade led government out of office in 2019 for
taking the state back ward in tourism.
His
post reads in full:
I didn't realise how badly Calabar's reputation as a
tourism destination had been destroyed until I got to Markurdi where I had a
trade growth meeting with some tourism practitioners.
One
of my colleagues told me point blank, that they no longer encourage or book
clients to either Calabar or to Obudu ranch. He told me that they actually
discourage people from going to CRS for safety and security reasons! These are
people who were block booking hotel rooms in the
past! And I was really really ashamed because I was once Tourism Board Chairman
of CRS and I know that tourism is a major plank of the CRS brand.
And
I couldn't argue otherwise because as lawyers say ipso facto, the facts speak
for themselves!
Every right thinking Cross Riverian should be ashamed
and angry about the fact some peoples' incompetence has destroyed a brand and a
reputation that existed since Lord Lugard! For me, there is no choice than to
chase them out in 2019 and rebuild!
One question that is yet to be answered is, who actually
began the destruction of tourism in the state, is this present government that
is just two years old or Liyel Imoke’s led administration which lasted eight years?
Ukorebi Esien
Blogs and Edits for TDN
0 comments: