by Christian Ita
It was just a 30 minutes flight from the Margaret Ekpo International Airport in Calabar to the Bebi Airstrip in Obudu. But for the 30-man delegation from the State of Maryland, the United States of America, it seemed like eternity.
Led by the Secretary of State, John MC Donough, the Maryland delegation had arrived Cross River State three days earlier to cement the Sister State programme entered into by both states.
The historic Friendship Agreement was entered into by both states on July 23, 2012 in Annapolis, the capital of Maryland.
So before the short flight to Obudu, the Maryland delegation was given a tour of Calabar and taken to places like the Slave Trade Museum, Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort, Marina Resort, The Palace of King Eyo Honesty, Sure-foot American College, Destiny Child Centre and Obudu Ranch Resort.
The tour was an eye-full for them. At Tinapa for instance, they were pleasantly surprised by what they saw. Not in their wildest imagination had they expected to find such a complex in Nigeria. They were spellbound.
Indeed, the Deputy Secretary of State, Rajan Nata was so overwhelmed by Tinapa and the prospects it holds that he vowed to personally lead the efforts to market it in the US.
He also offered some marketing tips that should be adopted locally so that Tinapa can fly.
So, when the flight took off from Margaret Ekpo International Airport for the Bebi Airstrip, the delegation was eager to see Obudu, the crown jewel of the tourism offering of the state.
When the plane landed at the Bebi Airstrip, the delegation was driven to the foot of the Ranch from where they took the cable car to the resort.
At the Resort, they were given a grand tour of the facility including the Presidential Mansion built by the Senator Liyel Imoke administration.
Interestingly, in the Maryland delegation was a Nigerian, Mr. Sylvester Okereke. Okereke is the chairman of the Nigeria/Maryland Sister State Project. What he saw in Calabar and Obudu was too much for Okereke to bear and so he succumbed to emotions.
By Christian Ita
It was just a 30 minutes flight from the Margaret Ekpo International Airport in Calabar to the Bebi Airstrip in Obudu. But for the 30-man delegation from the State of Maryland, the United States of America, it seemed like eternity.
Led by the Secretary of State, John MC Donough, the Maryland delegation had arrived Cross River State three days earlier to cement the Sister State programme entered into by both states.
The historic Friendship Agreement was entered into by both states on July 23, 2012 in Annapolis, the capital of Maryland.
So before the short flight to Obudu, the Maryland delegation was given a tour of Calabar and taken to places like the Slave Trade Museum, Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort, Marina Resort, The Palace of King Eyo Honesty, Sure-foot American College, Destiny Child Centre and Obudu Ranch Resort.
The tour was an eye-full for them. At Tinapa for instance, they were pleasantly surprised by what they saw. Not in their wildest imagination had they expected to find such a complex in Nigeria. They were spellbound.
Indeed, the Deputy Secretary of State, Rajan Nata was so overwhelmed by Tinapa and the prospects it holds that he vowed to personally lead the efforts to market it in the US.
He also offered some marketing tips that should be adopted locally so that Tinapa can fly.
So, when the flight took off from Margaret Ekpo International Airport for the Bebi Airstrip, the delegation was eager to see Obudu, the crown jewel of the tourism offering of the state.
When the plane landed at the Bebi Airstrip, the delegation was driven to the foot of the Ranch from where they took the cable car to the resort.
At the Resort, they were given a grand tour of the facility including the Presidential Mansion built by the Senator Liyel Imoke administration.
Interestingly, in the Maryland delegation was a Nigerian, Mr. Sylvester Okereke. Okereke is the chairman of the Nigeria/Maryland Sister State Project. What he saw in Calabar and Obudu was too much for Okereke to bear and so he succumbed to emotions.
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