~Bluetooth:

for the first time,you are making sense here.[/b]donald is not a presidential figure.he might have won election as a governor but i doubt if he can win in the south-south talkless of in nigeria.most of the governors on the pdp platform are seeking their second tenure,therefore,they must deliver the available votes for their party.i see knowall trying to explain the flow of votes and i must say that as for now,individual candidacy will not work due to the current crop of greedy politicians in pdp.no matter how hard duke may try,[b]he's never going to get the presidency as an independent candidate because the pdp will never conduct a free and fair presidential election.

But you wicked sha o

Even if you conduct a free and fair election, an independent candidate will never be able to get the winning structure behind him for a presidential election . Dis country big o, I hope say una know?

[size=18pt]25 States strategy is possible[/size]

Fellow Nigerians,

Let us stop kidding ourselves about the potential leadership material in Nigeria. There are many worthy Nigerians who are capable of leading Nigeria. Donald Duke is one excellent example because he has been tried and trusted.

Many former governors still have their cases in EFCC but not Donald Duke.

Nigerians, like you and me, must say NO to the principle of SELECTION adopted by the PDP. Let the youths of today in Nigeria say NO to poverty and demand a democratically elected government. Unless Nigeria has a democracy without blemish, our suffering will not stop.

Nigerian people must aim to defend their right to vote in the next election in 2011. The Nigerian people must aim to put an end to ballot box thieves and malpractices.

Technology is a very good tool for evidence gathering to ensure a credible election in 2011. Every youth must aim to begin preparation for monitoring of the election in Nigeria to ensure a free and fair election.

The polling stations should contain video cameras and photgraphers. Youths must be ready to take the lead in their locality to ensure the mandate of the people is not stolen again. If the youths of the country are not ready to do anything, they should be ready to accept bad result.

The elderly in Nigeria should retire and go to their home:
- Buhari was born 1942
- IBB was born in 1941
- Obasanjo was born in 1937
- Shehu Shagari was born in 1925
- Abdulsalami Abubakar was born in 1942
and many others in the same age group

@sapeleguy

Why not highlight the very parts of the article that touch on his achievements. The thing to long abeg, no be exam. Abi na only Tinapa?

Read more about Donald Duke here:

http://www.africa-ata.org/ng_duke.htm

Facts:
- Tinapa Business Resort
- Obudu Resort and cable car tour
- Cleanliness of Calabar is best in Nigeria
- Pineapple production

whiteroses:

wow some people never quit, since i was a kid i've been hearing donald duke for this or that, who is he anyway he must be a focused dude 

You must be very young then

Please avoid adult threads like this one

beknown:

Fellow Nigerians,

Let us stop kidding ourselves about the potential leadership material in Nigeria. There are many worthy Nigerians who are capable of leading Nigeria. Donald Duke is one excellent example because he has been tried and trusted.

Many former governors still have their cases in EFCC but not Donald Duke.

Nigerians, like you and me, must say NO to the principle of SELECTION adopted by the PDP. Let the youths of today in Nigeria say NO to poverty and demand a democratically elected government. Unless Nigeria has a democracy without blemish, our suffering will not stop.

Nigerian people must aim to defend their right to vote in the next election in 2011. The Nigerian people must aim to put an end to ballot box thieves and malpractices.

Technology is a very good tool for evidence gathering to ensure a credible election in 2011. Every youth must aim to begin preparation for monitoring of the election in Nigeria to ensure a free and fair election.

The polling stations should contain video cameras and photgraphers. Youths must be ready to take the lead in their locality to ensure the mandate of the people is not stolen again. If the youths of the country are not ready to do anything, they should be ready to accept bad result.

The elderly in Nigeria should retire and go to their home:
- Buhari was born 1942
- IBB was born in 1941
- Obasanjo was born in 1937
- Shehu Shagari was born in 1925
- Abdulsalami Abubakar was born in 1942
and many others in the same age group

we can continue to whine on the selection process of the pdp but i bet if our agitation will make any difference in the end.the opposition parties have not been able to produce the likes of old i d i o t s in the pdp,march their stratgy in an election and wrestle power from them.so much hope lies on the oppostion parties,labour and civl organisation since only a formidable opposition party could defeat pdp in an election.duke might be a credible candidate for the presidency but he still need a strong party to contest an election in.the edo scenario is an example where oshiomhole who has grassroot support contested from an opposition party and won later.if the same applies on a national level,i think it may work as well.

I don't know why people confuse his handsomeness for capability of handling the Presidency position.

IS NOT A BAD IDEA  BUT HE SHOULD BE COMPENSATED WITH MINISTER OF TOURISM

I lived in Calabar for a year,  I was impressed with his achievements.
1. Clean streets and good roads
2. Ability to response to issues in the state promptly.
3. Tourism and business inclined.
4. Employed a large part of the unemployed.

Personality,
Simple
Calm and calculated.
Has vision
Can bring change to his environment.

Set backs
Not too tolerant to opposition
PDP inclined.

AS PRESIDENT
Will bring changes to power, tourism etc
But rigging of elections will continue because he will ensure that PDP will win under him.

IF the other political parties came up with better candidates like Fashola, Oshimole, I will vote for them
IF not, I will vote for Donald Duke if he can win the PDP primaries,
IF not GOD help us come 2011

denitro:

I lived in Calabar for a year,  I was impressed with his achievements.
1. Clean streets and good roads
2. Ability to response to issues in the state promptly.
3. Tourism and business inclined.
4. Employed a large part of the unemployed.

Personality,
Simple
Calm and calculated.
Has vision
Can bring change to his environment.

Set backs
Not too tolerant to opposition
PDP inclined.

AS PRESIDENT
Will bring changes to power, tourism etc
But rigging of elections will continue because he will ensure that PDP will win under him.

IF the other political parties came up with better candidates like Fashola, Oshimole, I will vote for them
IF not, I will vote for Donald Duke if he can win the PDP primaries,
IF not GOD help us come 2011

pdp zoning politics will never produce duke as a presidential candidate.however,he may ask to be made become vp come 2011 under pdp where he may eventually build his portfolio and contest for presidency in 2015

intresting topic and even more interesting views.
over a year ago when a friend asked whatz up with Duke who had been quiet in the media for a long while, i said i suspected he was preparing for a presidential bid.i am being proven right.He seems a man of ideas who will remain restless in the face of the docility and ineptitude that pervades the political landscape.
However,i have my doubts.
He should go and have a quiet word with Pat Utomi before he takes this dream and plan of his further.
The problem is not a lack of good hands to steer the ship, the problem is that the system is faulty and is designed in such a way as to only produce dullards like Yar Adua or destructive narcissists like Obasonjo.
I would prefer the likes of Duke to fight to revamp this system first, until then the status quo will remain.

on another note,i have a word or those who are raising a few petitions on his stewardship in government in cross rivers state.
While those petitions might have some elements of truth, the fact is that Nigerians are not looking for a saint to lead the affairs of the state (country).What we need are men and women who have a plan, able to articulate this plan,a heart for the people, ability to navigate the land mines that inhabit Aso Rock,run a transparent and accountable government and not be short sighted (able to face difficult decisions head on and not dance around them - things like this Jos crisis, ND and electoral reforms).

on a final note, i am disappointed that he is touring USA and facebook.The impact of the internet and the diaspora are hugely exagerrated in the Nigerian scenario.i agree completely with the analogy of Fashola and Agbaje that was drawn earlier.
He who controls the grassroots has won half of the battle. i expect Duke to stop sipping champagne with folks in the diaspora and ro;; up his sleeves and start funding market women association programs, August meetings in the South East and music carnivals in  uni and polytechnics around the country. align himself with NURTW and NLC.

once more i wish to reiterate that the fundamental issue is the the flawed system that throws up pathological crooks, inept imbeciles and all round dullards in all spheres of our political offices.If we do not fix this first, the likes of Duke and Fashola (without Tinubu) stand no chance and more importantly the coming inferno will consume all,including bystanders.

SapeleGuy:

The Donald Duke Legacy
by Yemi Ogunbiyi

While working as an editor of a book on the Donald Duke years as Governor of Cross River State, Dr. Olaokun Soyinka, who was co-editor, and I, agonised about the choice of a proper title for the book. After a series of deliberations, we settled for: Doing the Right Thing: The Donald Duke Years. The first four words of the title were not original. They had come from the text of a Donald Duke interview with journalists in which he had said that the best guarantee for success in public service was to do the right thing always.

In retrospect now, as one attempts a brief review of Duke's legacy, the choice of that title seems most apt because it captures, it seems, not only the essence of his monumental achievements as two-term Governor of Cross River State, but also the general public's perception of that success. Yet, unless some facts about Duke's achievements are properly situated within the larger context of what can truly be referred to as Duke's 'eight-year wonder' at Cross River State, he might be remembered more for his achievements in Eco-tourism and other related areas than for the unprecedented solid foundation for enduring development, growth and prosperity that he laid for the state.

The very first thing he did upon being sworn in as Governor in 1999 was to deploy an Economic Blueprint, which outlined his Development agenda and vision for the state. Not surprisingly, the document bore all the signs of years of gestation. This Blueprint was anchored upon a deceptively simple set of prerequisites for development ----- the provision of sound minds and healthy bodies for the populace. In other words, if government provides education, training and infrastructure for the people and keeps them healthy, they will become economically productive.

A second major plank of this Blueprint was the enactment of a unique public-private partnership model for growing major sectors of the economy, especially the sectors where the state had comparative advantage, such as agriculture and tourism. To further drive this Blueprint, the government took two key decisions. One, it adopted an unprecedented performance tracking mechanism that was to benchmark the state's performance in the key socio-economic development areas. Secondly, it decided to set aside N50 million as strategic reserve out of its meagre monthly allocation from the Federation Account for use in emergency situations. Taken together, these broad objectives led, as will be shown presently, to one of the most ambitious investment drives of any state in the history of the country.

For instance, in agriculture, which was to become a major anchor of Duke's development agenda, in the first four years of the administration, Cross River State leapfrogged from subsistence agriculture to large scale commercial farming such that the state became a major producer of pineapple, cashew, cocoa and, of course, oil palm. Working closely with Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia, our own NIFOR in Benin and other private investors, the oil palm business blossomed into a major industry. Similarly, the pineapple project became a huge success, leading to the establishment of a pineapple processing plant at the Calabar Export Free zone.

The plant has since been privatised and taken over by Dansa Food Processing Industry. Also, in the first four years of the life of the Duke administration, Cross River went from being the sixth largest producer of cocoa, nation-wide to the second. As I write, Cross River State produces about 20 per cent of the total national tonnage of cassava. These figures did not exist before 1999.

But, perhaps, the most unique feature of Duke's agricultural policy was the judicious combination of micro and macro schemes to create poverty alleviation strategies which were to have immediate impact on the fortunes of the poor. To take one of several examples, in 2005, for instance, the state, under a turnkey agreement with private investors, took delivery of Bee-keeping equipment and honey processing machines that would produce some 50,000kg of honey annually on the Obudu Ranch. Under the agreement, 25 trainers and 400 farmers were to be trained in modern bee-keeping techniques, with Beehives imported from South Africa. When fully operational, the factory will create a diversification of skill, as it can also process other by-products such as wax into candles. This model was successfully extended to fish-farming and live-stock delivery.

This same drive permeated other aspects of Duke's ambitious plan in education, infrastructure, urban regeneration, and health. Unfortunately, the constraints of space would not permit a detailed look at these areas. But sketches will survive to provide insights into an enviable legacy of commitment and service. For instance, in early 2000, Duke convened a state-wide Education Summit. Among other recommendations, the Summit called for a surgical and multifaceted approach to the crisis of education in the state and the amalgamation of all the tertiary institutions in the state into one Centre of Excellence.

The implementation of the latter decision led to the creation of Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH). To ensure that CRUTECH meets the objective of harmonising local standards with global academic benchmarks, its intakes from secondary and primary schools had to be properly equipped. Accordingly, under a diligently pursued, state-wide universal free primary education scheme, the state wrote, printed and distributed text books to primary and secondary schools, virtually free of charge, perhaps, the only state on record to do so in the federation. And to complete the final education jigsaw, the state embarked on a massive incentive programme for school teachers by introducing handsome tax exemption packages, 'difficult station allowances,' mobility allowances and prompt promotion for teachers.

While the full impact of these innovations are yet to be felt, it is sufficient merely to state that already some dramatic results are beginning to be seen. Not only have JAMB results improved dramatically throughout the state, two Cross-Riverians, both graduates from the last CRUTECH batch, have recently secured admission to two Ivy League universities in the United States for post-graduate work.

Achievements in the health sector were no less spectacular. In 1999, Cross River State had one of the highest HIV/AIDS sero-prevalence rates in the country. Acutely convinced that health was a cardinal part of his economic agenda, Duke took full control of the sector as if his success as Governor was dependent solely on it. Under his every watch, a massive re-orientation programme and grass-root health delivery was embarked upon to confront Tuberculosis, Malaria, Onchocerciasis and HIV/AIDS. By 2005, Cross River State's sero-prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS dropped from 14% to 6%, the highest such drop anywhere in the world, causing the World Health Organisation (WHO) to cite the state as worthy of emulation by others.

Also, in 1999, only about 15 rural communities, covering no more than 10% of the state had electricity.
Eight years on, some 80% coverage had been achieved, covering some 200 communities, again making this achievement one of the most outstanding in the federation. In similar vein, under a massive urban regeneration programme, which included the designation of five cities, Calabar, Ugep, Ikom, Obudu and Ogoja, as centres for capacity enhancement and excellence, a state-wide environmental programme was rolled out. Today not only is Cross River State the cleanest state in the country, the network of roads and the level of modernity to be encountered, sets it apart from many.

However, for many, Duke's greatest legacy would be, and with justification, TINAPA and the renovation of the Obudu Ranch Resort. Because a lot has been written about them, I will dwell solely on the uniqueness of these projects. It ought to be restated that these projects were a part of a well-rounded and well-orchestrated public-private partnership vision, driven by opportunities in commerce and the new global awareness for environmental conservation. The plan from the outset was for TINAPA, with its N200 billion annual economy, to become the destination of choice for the commercial traveller, while Obudu Ranch Resort, from its pristine state, would become the haven for the tourist seeking peace, beauty and tranquility. Put differently, by investing in an area of comparative advantage and strength, Duke, sought, through these projects, to enact a model of economic management that is unprecedented in its transformative effect on the fortunes of the people of Cross River State.

When the projects were first unveiled, the former President, Chief Obasanjo, was ecstatic. He had this to say: 'This young man is full of fantastic ideas and vision, capable of turning the economy around. He is an invaluable asset to the Fourth Republic'. Then, two years after, at the commissioning of the revamped Obudu Ranch Resort, complete with the new cable cars, Obasanjo wrote: 'Donald, I wish to commend you again as I did on TINAPA. Truly, where there's a will, there will be achievement,  I challenge other state Governors to either replicate something like this or unique to the economy of their states. This challenge which is in line with the six focal economic points of the federal government should be based on the principle of comparative advantage'.

Other people may argue, again, not without justification, that Duke's greatest legacy is to be found in his style of governance, one that was down-to earth and shorn of the lofty and pretentious trappings of power and office. There was an unusual self-assurance about Duke as Governor, borne, I suspect, out of very powerful instincts, deep religiosity and spiritualism, which are not easily discernible. Instincts, without doubt, have played an important role in his career. While his instincts explain, in part, why he was never daunted by the fear of failure, his self-assurance explains why he went about his business as Governor, almost self-effacingly, without fanfare, without sirens, without a truck-load of armed personnel or a long convoy of escort vehicles.

For a young 45-year old, who came to the job at 37 in 1999 with a 'Lagos-Boy' tag, he showed a capacity for work that was almost without parallel. As his personal aides would testify, it was not unknown for Governor Duke to drive himself at past mid-night on a 90-minute inspection tour of TINAPA and then return there again at 8.00 a.m. in the morning, with a team of prospective business investors in tow! His impeccable good manners, candour and behaviours were matched only by his unalloyed commitment to the service of his people. Clearly, his period as Governor was a study in decorum and propriety. He was one Governor who strove always to do the right thing.

Yet, successful as he was as Governor, he did not always get things right! As I have written elsewhere, his muffled response to the third term debacle did not endear him to many. While it may be correct to surmise that his hedging on the matter derived, presumably, from an accurate reading of the gratuitous self-righteousness of the topmost leadership of his party, in retrospect, he had little to lose by either remaining silent on the matter or taking a clear position.

Obviously, he made enemies for himself by not chumming up with famous old leaders in his state, either of the political or intellectual sorts, hence the claim that he ran the state like a private enterprise. A variant of this criticism was that he was a tight-fisted politician who refused to adjust to the free giving style of many politicians. Duke's counter to this is that Cross River State is still a very poor state and that he had little money to spend even on salaries and projects, let alone extras to give away. The same critics who accuse him of refusing to 'spray' money are quick to accuse him of leaving behind a huge debt profile for the state, mischievously confusing the temporary borrowings for projects like TINAPA with state debts

.
Duke left no state debts for his successor. But there are debts on the TINAPA project, which, if not liquidated with the impending IPO, will be liquidated in no time. And at any rate, the enduring benefits of TINAPA, not only as a holistic vision of development but also as a globe trading hub, reminiscent of other great international free trade zones like Hong Kong and Dubai cannot be quantified, certainly, not today, and not in Naira and kobo alone.

In the end, Donald Duke's legacy might well lay not so much in the actualisation of these visionary projects, but essentially in the fact that he, like the old men of the scriptures, dreamt dreams! Donald Duke also taught us to see visions! And there could not be a greater tribute to his legacy than the warmth accorded him on his last day in office. As he was ceremoniously pulled around the Esuene Stadium on the 29th May, waving, with the people waving back in spontaneity, you knew, without prompting, that it was an appreciative populace that was saying 'good-bye and so long' to a worthy servant.

Later that evening, as Governor Imoke and his wife, Obioma, saw Donald and Onari off at the Margaret Ekpo airport and some of Duke's erstwhile commissioners and a few friends formed an unrehearsed guard-of-honour, clapping and cheering, it was an emotional Donald Duke who took leave of the crowd to board the waiting aircraft, with a depth of satisfaction knowing that he had given the job his best shot. And there can be no doubt at all that from Donald Duke, the best is yet to come.

This article was akin to a paid advert.
Yemi Ogunbiyi was paid to do PR for Duke during the last election campaign.
Most of what he said was true but should be put in perspective.
I am a Duke fan, kind of, but ,

We dont know who our next President will be
but we certainly know which part of the country he will come fr

Meldrick:

I don't know why people confuse his handsomeness for capability of handling the Presidency position.

IS NOT A BAD IDEA BUT HE SHOULD BE COMPENSATED WITH MINISTER OF TOURISM

I think it is a good idea for him to run at least. My problem is his affiliation with PDP!!! i do not have to explain that one to anybody on niaraland because it is so obvious.

mbulela:

on a final note, i am disappointed that he is touring USA and facebook.The impact of the internet and the diaspora are hugely exagerrated in the Nigerian scenario.i agree completely with the analogy of Fashola and Agbaje that was drawn earlier.
He who controls the grassroots has won half of the battle. i expect Duke to stop sipping champagne with folks in the diaspora and ro;; up his sleeves and start funding market women association programs, August meetings in the South East and music carnivals in uni and polytechnics around the country. align himself with NURTW and NLC.

His touring of the USA is strategic to his campaign strategy, as you know he has huge followership amongst the elightened Nigerians most of whom are outside the shores of this country that aside he has to raise campaign funds for him to be able to execute a very effective campaign, Nigerians in disapora would come in very handy in raising these funds.

KunleOshob:

His touring of the USA is strategic to his campaign strategy, as you know he has huge followership amongst the elightened Nigerians most of whom are outside the shores of this country that aside he has to raise campaign funds for him to be able to execute a very effective campaign, Nigerians in disapora would come in very handy in raising these funds.

Seems you have been paid to campaign for him. Is he the only gov who did something good for his state? NO. If he is in PDP, I would not vote or support or campaign for him Besides, according to the PDP power zoning bull, it is not yet time for the south to take over power. We need someone from another party to rule. Enuff of the mess we receive from PDP. They have rule for how many years, yet no improvement. Please bring another person from another party. Maybe we'll consider. PDP is not the only party in Nigeria. Donald Duke is not the only man.

MsTom:

Seems you have been paid to campaign for him. Is he the only gov who did something good for his state? NO. If he is in PDP, I would not vote or support or campaign for him Besides, according to the PDP power zoning bull, it is not yet time for the south to take over power. We need someone from another party to rule. Enuff of the mess we receive from PDP. They have rule for how many years, yet no improvement. Please bring another person from another party. Maybe we'll consider. PDP is not the only party in Nigeria. Donald Duke is not the only man.

I dey enjoy your post oh

everybody's entitled to their opinion(s), but las-las, "history, although sometimes made up of the few acts of the great, is more often shaped by the many acts of the small",

donald duke cannot get to grassroots, market women, mechanics, and the unions without you and i. we can be the new majority, it can be done.

dreaMaker:

everybody's entitled to their opinion(s), but las-las, "history, although sometimes made up of the few acts of the great, is more often shaped by the many acts of the small",

donald duke cannot get to grassroots, market women, mechanics, and the unions without you and i. we can be the new majority, it can be done.

Which party would he be running for?

chief fhemmy, it's definitely not the pdp,or anpp, or ac, or apga, or ppa,lol, and i know that doesnt answer your question. but i hear say him go declare pretty soon, then we'll all find out. I'll vote for this man based on his position on the issues that plague naija, fc.uk political party(*na my opinion be dat ooo*)

I think Fashola would be better. . .

I stated that more information is needed, I have not reached any conclusions regarding whether Duke is a criminal. This kind of information needs to be out there, so it can be used in the vetting process.

Note also that most looters in Nigeria have not been convicted of any crime.

aight chief Ndu_Chuks, i have a proposition for you, I happen to know the perfect person to address these legitimate concerns of yours. If you're really interested, email your phone number to celldelapriest@gmail.com or airnabeh@hotmail.com, and i can guarantee you a chance to get the facts adequately laid out. He'll be happy to speak with you.

it's in your court now. let's get the show on the road,

I dont know who is who in 9ja now adays, so i cant say anything

I just know I ain't voting no Muslim come next election!!!!! Call me what you want I won't budge or buy in to the stupid liberal idea of moderate Islam. All you Nigerian Muslims, if you really want to save Islam in Nigeria, don't vote a Northern Muslim next election. It will be a grave mistake against your supposed peaceful religion.

A little info on DD
CRS was basically a civil service state were every youth looks forward to being employed in the civil service after graduation but there has been a little change in this direction.
Tho civil service was no longer attractive in his days but the secreteriat facilities were upgraded and the environs landscaped and tarred.
CRS tourism potentials has been brought to limelight, RE: ms World contest was brought to naija courtesy DD
Ranch resort turned into a popular destination with airstrip and cable car.
Tinapa and Marina resort in calabar a cool relaxation destination.
Generally has packaged the CRS tourism industry very well.
On Commerce
NigerMills flour milling company was ailing when he came, it was leased and today it is an employer of labour in CRS
CALCEMCO was dead when he came, It has now metamophorsed into UNICEM
DANGOTE FLOURMILL was attracted to CRS courtesy DD.

Roads we all DD won the best Governor on road constr. in his time

Agric was visionary but this is were i think he needed to have done better cos CRS is agrarian and can do better in agric.,










to be continued, or call 08062967412

Short Attn Span: If TINAPA is the yardstick by which Donald's ability to make crtical decisions on behalf of Nigeria will be based (it was afterall the single most expensive decision he took for us Cross Riverians); I'll pass. in the end "its the economy, silly". [font=Lucida Sans Unicode][font=Lucida Sans Unicode][s][size=8pt][size=8pt](Donald himself basically paraphrased this in 1999 when he was OBJ's chief debt negotiator in far away USA)[/size][/size][/s][/font][/font]




I am a Cross Riverian. The State that presently recieves about N1.2b in federal allocation, about the lowest in Nigeria. Juxtapose Akwa Ibom's N10Bn+ monthly for effect. Also the state with the highest debt burden in Nigeria (Source: Fed Min. of Fin website).

Donald Duke did set up a nice street party in calabar. Tarred roads, and provided a nice atmosphere for calabar. In a country bereft of leadership and vision, his approach, coupled with skillful use of the media (borderline propaganda), was a breath of fresh air for an absolutely starved populace.

people hold the erroneous belief that TINAPA is a private sector development midwifed by the State under Donald, it was anything but. TINAPA was not built with private sector funds, the State Government under Donald took on huge loans from commercial banks, at commercial rates (i stand to be corrected), by some estimates as much as N80bn+, to undertake the project, payment of which is now a first line charge on the state's federal allocation. While the private sector did contribute, the volume of the state's investment is such that one may safely assert that it was State financed.  From a critical point of view, financially, TINAPA is a black hole for the state. Not only are returns meager, the government also has to incur costs to maintain it (always signs of a bad investment). Legal framework and sundry issues critical to its success were not addressed before committing huge sums to the project hence its present status. Its nice to look at, but as an investment decision, I'm not so sure.

Donald Duke did define a new narrative for Cross River State, & he put it on the map as some have rightly pointed out; but ultimately, Donald Duke chose to and will be judged by the fate of TINAPA, a "Luxury Shopping Resort" in a country where 70% of the populace live on less than $1 a day, situated in one of the most disadvantaged states in the federation. It is the single biggest investment decision taken in Cross River and one that will have an impact on the state's finances for years to come (cost inclusive of interest payments on loans from commercial banks for a development project of a long term nature, return on investment, time value of money, opportunity cost of forgone roads, schools, infrastructure, health facilities, etc).

Ultimately, was the decision to commit Cross River state to TINAPA a  good idea, some would say so, it surely is a nice place to visit; but that it was a sound decision, that would yield the greatest good, to the greatest number of Cross Riverians (it was thier monies that were used and thier collective futures mortgaged), i'm not so sure.

Making a choice based purely on his persona, what the newspapers said he did, what some believe he did, what he actually did,  the cleanliness of calabar, or sundry stuff, 2011 is in the kitty. But if i am to base my decision on TINAPA for which he choses to be defined and what i think will become of it (Ala Dubai's debt fuelled and ultimately unsustainable boom), and make no mistake, in the end, "its the economy silly", I'll pass on 2011. I'm sure by then Nigeria will throw up an "alternative", it always does. (not like we go out to vote anyway)

ps.
Its a democracy, we dont all have to subscribe to a single view. that would be facsist. (for those with a diffenrent opinion)

insideview:

I am a Cross Riverian. The State that presently recieves about N1.2b in federal allocation, about the lowest in Nigeria. Juxtapose Akwa Ibom's N10Bn+ monthly for effect. (Source: Fed Min. of Fin website)

Donald Duke did set up a nice street party in calabar. Tarred roads, and provided a nice atmosphere for calabar. In a country bereft of leadership and vision, his approach, coupled with skillful use of the media (borderline propaganda), was a breath of fresh air for an absolutely starved populace.

people hold the erroneous belief that TINAPA is a private sector development midwifed by the State under Donald, it was anything but. TINAPA was not built with private sector funds, the State Government under Donald took on huge loans from commercial banks, at commercial rates (i stand to be corrected), by some estimates as much as N80bn+, to undertake the project, payment of which is now a first line charge on the state's federal allocation. While the private sector did contribute, the volume of the state's investment is such that one may safely assert that it was State financed.  From a critical point of view, financially, TINAPA is a black hole for the state. Legal framework and sundry issues critical to its success were not addressed before committing huge sums to the project hence its present status. Its nice to look at, but as an investment decision, I'm not so sure.

Donald Duke did define a new narrative for Cross River State, & he put it on the map as some have rightly pointed out; but ultimately, Donald Duke chose to and will be judged by the fate of TINAPA, a "Luxury Shopping Resort" in a country where 70% of the populace live on less than $1 a day, situated in one of the most disadvantaged states in the federation. It is the single biggest investment decision taken in Cross River and one that will have an impact on the state's finances for years to come (cost inclusive of interest payments on loans from commercial banks for a development project of a long term nature, return on investment, time value of money, opportunity cost of forgone roads, schools, infrastructure, health facilities, etc).

Ultimately, was the decision to commit Cross River state to TINAPA a  good idea, some would say so, it surely is a nice place to visit; but that it was a sound decision, that would yield the greatest good, to the greatest number of Cross Riverians (it was thier monies that were used and thier collective futures mortgaged), i'm not so sure.

Making a choice based purely on his persona, what the newspapers said he did, what some believe he did, what he actually did,  the cleanliness of calabar, or sundry stuff, 2011 is in the kitty. But if i am to base my decision on TINAPA for which he choses to be defined and what i think will become of it (Ala Dubai's debt fuelled and ultimately unsustainable boom), and make no mistake, in the end, "its the economy silly", I'll pass on 2011. I'm sure by then Nigeria will throw up an "alternative", it always does. (not like we go out to vote anyway)

ps.
Its a democracy, we dont all have to subscribe to a single view. that would be facsist. (for those with a diffenrent opinion)

Spectacular insight, much appreciated.

If someone like Donald Duke cannot be allowed to be president of Nigeria, then, what do we really want and what do we really need?

May GOD'S perfect will for Nigeria be done,come 2011.

Whatever it takes.Let it be done.

@poster
His profile pls