By Jonathan Ugbal
Staff and villagers residing in the host community are working around the clock to reopen the only road leading to the Obudu Mountain Resort after two separate landslides struck within hours on Sunday, cutting off access to one of Nigeria’s most iconic tourist destinations.
The first landslide hit the winding 11.5km mountain road in the early hours of Sunday near the popular devils elbow and was quickly cleared by resort teams, the head of the facility, Sunday Michael told CrossRiverWatch via phone.
That relief was short-lived as a second slide buried the route again, near the same spot on Sunday evening, prompting an all-hand response from resort workers and residents of the host community.
“We cleared the first one in the morning. The second happened not too long ago, and we are working on it,” Mr Michael, said.
Despite being plagued by myriads of challenges before the current effort to restore it, the resort may not be as hard hit as the villagers whose livelihoods depend on the road for survival. Each closure means loss of income for families across the community.
A Recurring Phenomenon
This is not the first time the road has been hit by landslides. It is a recurring threat.
Data from the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency shows Cross River is among 12 states with “high susceptibility” to landslides due to steep terrain and heavy rainfall.
Infrastructure resilience is therefore critical to maintaining visitor confidence for the tourism sector in the State and Nigeria as a whole — which the World Travel and Tourism Council says contributed 3.6% to GDP in 2023.
When asked what the facility has planned differently from the past, he averred that; “we have planned to construct 100 gridiron walls. We have 25 existing already which is not enough for the 11.5 kilometers stretch. That is why we are working towards 100.”
Gridiron walls are retaining structures built from interlocking concrete, steel, or timber modules in a crisscross framework, then filled with gravel or crushed stone.
Unlike solid walls, the permeable grid design allows water to drain through, preventing dangerous hydrostatic pressure buildup that triggers landslides, according to Unlimited Drilling, a geotechnical solutions firm.
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