FOCUS ON CROSS RIVERS STATE CULTURE AND TOURISM
FOCUS ON CROSS RIVERS STATE CULTURE AND TOURISM
Cross River State is a coastal state in South South Nigeria, named after the Cross River, which passes through the state. Located in the Niger Delta, Cross River State occupies 20,156 square kilometers. It shares boundaries with Benue State to the north, Ebonyi and Abia States to the west, to the east by Cameroon Republic and to the south by Akwa-Ibom and the Atlantic Ocean.
The South-South State was created on May 27, 1967 from the former Eastern Region, Nigeria by the General Yakubu Gowon regime. Its name was changed to Cross River State in the 1976 state creation exercise by the then General Murtala Mohammed regime from South Eastern State. [2]:222 The present day Akwa Ibom State was excised from it in the state creation exercise of September 1987 by the then regime of General Ibrahim Babangida. Its capital is Calabar. Its major towns are Akamkpa, Biase, Calabar South, Ikom, Obubra, Odukpani, Ogoja, Ugep, Obudu, Obanliku, Akpabuyo, Ofutop, Iso-bendghe, and Boji
The state has been previously governed by many governors and administrators including Udoakaha J. Esuene, Paul Omu, Tunde Elegbede, Clement Isong, Donald Etiebet, Daniel Archibong, Ibim Princewill, Ernest Atta, Clement Ebri, Ibrahim Kefas, Gregory Agboneni, Umar Faoruk Ahmed, Christopher Osondu, Donald Duke and Liyel Imoke. The Current Governor is Ben Ayade, who came into power on the 29th of May, 2015
From the soaring plateaus of the mountain tops of Obanliku to the Rain forests of Afi, from the Waterfalls of Agbokim and Kwa to the spiralling ox-bow Calabar River which provides sights and images of the Tinapa Business Resort, Calabar Marina, Calabar Residency Museum and the Calabar Slave Park along its course, there is always a thrilling adventure awaiting the eco-tourist visiting Cross River State.
Other tourist attractions are the Ikom Monoliths (a series of volcanic-stone monoliths of unknown age), the Mary Slessor Tomb, Calabar Drill Monkey Sanctuary, Cross River National Park, Afi Mountain walkway canopy, Kwa falls, Agbokim waterfalls, Tinapa Business Resort and the annual Calabar Carnival that takes place during the Christmas period.
Cross River State can be accessed by air through the Margaret Ekpo International Airport at Calabar. There are daily flights to Calabar from Lagos and Abuja serviced by airlines such as Virgin Nigeria, Arik Airlines and Aero Contractors. Aero Contractors also have flights to the Bebi airstrip at Obanliku for trips to the Obanliku Mountain Resort.
Calabar, the capital of Cross River State, is now the leading tourism city of Nigeria.
Visitors from different parts of Nigeria come to the city in large numbers all year around.
Cross River State is a coastal state in South South Nigeria, named after the Cross River, which passes through the state. Located in the Niger Delta, Cross River State occupies 20,156 square kilometers. It shares boundaries with Benue State to the north, Ebonyi and Abia States to the west, to the east by Cameroon Republic and to the south by Akwa-Ibom and the Atlantic Ocean.
The South-South State was created on May 27, 1967 from the former Eastern Region, Nigeria by the General Yakubu Gowon regime. Its name was changed to Cross River State in the 1976 state creation exercise by the then General Murtala Mohammed regime from South Eastern State. [2]:222 The present day Akwa Ibom State was excised from it in the state creation exercise of September 1987 by the then regime of General Ibrahim Babangida. Its capital is Calabar. Its major towns are Akamkpa, Biase, Calabar South, Ikom, Obubra, Odukpani, Ogoja, Ugep, Obudu, Obanliku, Akpabuyo, Ofutop, Iso-bendghe, and Boji
The state has been previously governed by many governors and administrators including Udoakaha J. Esuene, Paul Omu, Tunde Elegbede, Clement Isong, Donald Etiebet, Daniel Archibong, Ibim Princewill, Ernest Atta, Clement Ebri, Ibrahim Kefas, Gregory Agboneni, Umar Faoruk Ahmed, Christopher Osondu, Donald Duke and Liyel Imoke. The Current Governor is Ben Ayade, who came into power on the 29th of May, 2015
Festivals
In line with the objectives of the former Governor of the state Mr. Donald Duke to mix business with pleasure, there are many festivals. These festivals bring in tourists from far and wide into the state to enjoy themselves and also do business in the state. These festivals include The Cross River State Christmas Festival,which promises to be an event that will rival any festival events in Africa, with over 30 days of endless fun, carnival, games, cultural display, art exhibition, pageant and music performance. This year's Christmas event and Carnival promise to be the best.- The Cross River State Christmas Festival – 1 December to 31 December annually
- The Cross River State Carnival Float – 26th and 27th December yearly
- The Yakurr Leboku Yam festival – 28 August annually
- The Calabar Boat Regata
- Obanliku New Yam Festival - last Saturday of August Every Year
Tourism in Cross River State
From the soaring plateaus of the mountain tops of Obanliku to the Rain forests of Afi, from the Waterfalls of Agbokim and Kwa to the spiralling ox-bow Calabar River which provides sights and images of the Tinapa Business Resort, Calabar Marina, Calabar Residency Museum and the Calabar Slave Park along its course, there is always a thrilling adventure awaiting the eco-tourist visiting Cross River State.
Other tourist attractions are the Ikom Monoliths (a series of volcanic-stone monoliths of unknown age), the Mary Slessor Tomb, Calabar Drill Monkey Sanctuary, Cross River National Park, Afi Mountain walkway canopy, Kwa falls, Agbokim waterfalls, Tinapa Business Resort and the annual Calabar Carnival that takes place during the Christmas period.
Cross River State can be accessed by air through the Margaret Ekpo International Airport at Calabar. There are daily flights to Calabar from Lagos and Abuja serviced by airlines such as Virgin Nigeria, Arik Airlines and Aero Contractors. Aero Contractors also have flights to the Bebi airstrip at Obanliku for trips to the Obanliku Mountain Resort.
Calabar, the capital of Cross River State, is now the leading tourism city of Nigeria.
Visitors from different parts of Nigeria come to the city in large numbers all year around.
Top 5 Destinations In Cross Rivers State
Cross River State in Nigeria boasts of one of the fascinating tourist centres in the country, and it is a great place to go for your next family vacation and also a place to retire due to the friendliness of the local people and the natural vistas of the state.
Cross River State was created out of the old South Eastern State of Nigeria in 1976 – and Akwa Ibom State was carved out of the state in 1987. With a population of 2.89 million according to a 2009 estimate, Cross River State covers a total of 20,156 sq km land area, and bordered to the west by Abia States, to be east by Cameron, to the south by Akwa Ibom and the Atlantic Ocean. The state is divided into eighteen local government areas which include Abi, Akamkpa, Akpabuyo, Bekwara, Biase, Boki, Calabar Municipal, Calabar-South, Etung, Ikom, Obanliku, Obubra, Obudu, Odukpani, Ogoja, Ugep-north, Yakurr, and Yala.
While there are hundreds of places to go in the state, the following are the top five destinations in Cross River State:
i. Obudu Mountain Resort
Located on Nigeria’s southeastern frontier, the Cross River landscape descends precipitously from the Oban Obudu rugged foothills (1000 2000m) of the Cameroun Mountains on the east, into the Cross River Plains (30m) to the west, and down to the Bight of Bonny coastal plains to the south, Coastal mangrove wetlands interlaced with creeks, virgin rainforest on the Oban Obudu hills, Montane parkland on the Obudu Plateau, and derived Savannah on the Cross River Plain, are all parts of the Cross River State vegetation and scenery.
ii. Agbokim Waterfalls
Located about 17 kilometres from the Ikom Local Government Area of the state, the Agbokim waterfall consists of seven streams cascading over a steep cliff, resulting in a seven-faced waterfall which levels out into the tropical rainforest. Surrounded by a lush greenery, steep hills, and valleys, the Agbokim waterfall is a captivating and alluring place to visit with family during a vacation to Cross River.
iii. Tinapa Business & Leisure Resort
Located close to the Calabar River, Tinapa is a four-phased development promoted by the Cross River State Government, under a Private Public Partnership (PPP), and very close to Calabar Free Trade Zone. It is planned to be a business and leisure resort where you can engage in quality business, retail and wholesale trades, operate a product warehouse, as well as enjoy quality leisure and entertainments. It has an open exhibition area for trade exhibitions and other events, a movie production studio commonly referred to as “Studio Tinapa,” an entertainment strip that comprise a casino, an Eight-Screen Cinema, a children’s arcade, restaurants and a mini amphitheater, a night club and pubs.
iv. Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary
The Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary is a home to rare chimpanzees, endangered gorillas, and drill monkeys and listed as an Important Bird Area (IBA) for hosting and watching the largest migration of swallow roosts on the African continent. The mountain was then part of the Afi River Forest Reserve (383 sq km), a production forest reserve for which logging concessions had been issued.
v. Kwa Falls
The Kwa Falls is located in Anegeje village in Akamkpa LGA of Cross River State and an extension of the Kwa River. Its sparkling waters cascades down basement rocks situated at the Oban side of the Cross River National Park. There are 234 steps made to the Kwa Falls, and the waterfall flows into a canopy of the tropical rainforest and mangrove forest that is rich in Mahogany, Ebony, and Spruce trees in a fascinating landscape.
Cross River State was created out of the old South Eastern State of Nigeria in 1976 – and Akwa Ibom State was carved out of the state in 1987. With a population of 2.89 million according to a 2009 estimate, Cross River State covers a total of 20,156 sq km land area, and bordered to the west by Abia States, to be east by Cameron, to the south by Akwa Ibom and the Atlantic Ocean. The state is divided into eighteen local government areas which include Abi, Akamkpa, Akpabuyo, Bekwara, Biase, Boki, Calabar Municipal, Calabar-South, Etung, Ikom, Obanliku, Obubra, Obudu, Odukpani, Ogoja, Ugep-north, Yakurr, and Yala.
While there are hundreds of places to go in the state, the following are the top five destinations in Cross River State:
i. Obudu Mountain Resort
Located on Nigeria’s southeastern frontier, the Cross River landscape descends precipitously from the Oban Obudu rugged foothills (1000 2000m) of the Cameroun Mountains on the east, into the Cross River Plains (30m) to the west, and down to the Bight of Bonny coastal plains to the south, Coastal mangrove wetlands interlaced with creeks, virgin rainforest on the Oban Obudu hills, Montane parkland on the Obudu Plateau, and derived Savannah on the Cross River Plain, are all parts of the Cross River State vegetation and scenery.
ii. Agbokim Waterfalls
Located about 17 kilometres from the Ikom Local Government Area of the state, the Agbokim waterfall consists of seven streams cascading over a steep cliff, resulting in a seven-faced waterfall which levels out into the tropical rainforest. Surrounded by a lush greenery, steep hills, and valleys, the Agbokim waterfall is a captivating and alluring place to visit with family during a vacation to Cross River.
iii. Tinapa Business & Leisure Resort
Located close to the Calabar River, Tinapa is a four-phased development promoted by the Cross River State Government, under a Private Public Partnership (PPP), and very close to Calabar Free Trade Zone. It is planned to be a business and leisure resort where you can engage in quality business, retail and wholesale trades, operate a product warehouse, as well as enjoy quality leisure and entertainments. It has an open exhibition area for trade exhibitions and other events, a movie production studio commonly referred to as “Studio Tinapa,” an entertainment strip that comprise a casino, an Eight-Screen Cinema, a children’s arcade, restaurants and a mini amphitheater, a night club and pubs.
iv. Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary
The Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary is a home to rare chimpanzees, endangered gorillas, and drill monkeys and listed as an Important Bird Area (IBA) for hosting and watching the largest migration of swallow roosts on the African continent. The mountain was then part of the Afi River Forest Reserve (383 sq km), a production forest reserve for which logging concessions had been issued.
v. Kwa Falls
The Kwa Falls is located in Anegeje village in Akamkpa LGA of Cross River State and an extension of the Kwa River. Its sparkling waters cascades down basement rocks situated at the Oban side of the Cross River National Park. There are 234 steps made to the Kwa Falls, and the waterfall flows into a canopy of the tropical rainforest and mangrove forest that is rich in Mahogany, Ebony, and Spruce trees in a fascinating landscape.
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