The Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano has declared a bold intention to place Anambra State on the nation’s tourism map as his second term in office gathers steam.

Speaking at the State Executive Council Meeting in the Government House, Awka on Monday, Governor Obiano revealed his plans to open a window into the attractive tourism offerings of Anambra State by constructing access roads to the famous Ogbunike Cave in Ogbunike town in Oyi Local Government Area as well as the Ogbaukwu Caves and Waterfalls in Owerre Ezukala town in Orumba South Local Government Area of the state.

The Governor also spoke of his plans to construct concrete footpaths that would lead into the bowls of the caves to make them more accessible to tourists.

Expressing his desire to showcase the fullness of Anambra’s tourism endowments to the world, Governor Obiano further revealed that the famous Ojukwu Bunker which provided a sanctuary to the great Ikemba Nnewi, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu during the Biafran War would be resuscitated and refurbished for tourism purposes.

The Bunker is located in Amorka village in Uli, Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State. The Governor also explained that the Light-up Anambra Campaign would install its dazzling streetlights on the roads and footpaths leading to the Caves and the Bunker.

According him, to demonstrate his administration’s resolve to harness Anambra’s tourism potentials, some heavily branded two 30-seater buses would soon be deployed to operate shuttle services to tourism locations in the state.

Anambra is home to most of the historic sites of the Igbo people and home to some of nature’s amazing works. Apart from the two awe-inspiring caves in Ogbunike and Owerre Ezukala, Anambra is home to the famous Igbo Ukwu Bronze which has not only been described as the oldest bronze artefact in West Africa but as a more distinctly advanced bronze work than the contemporary bronze casting in Europe. The Igbo Ukwu Bronze is dated in the 9th Century.

Anambra is also home to the ancient kingdom of Nri and Aguleri which together offer a rich historical insight into the ancestral roots of Ndigbo. Both Nri and Aguleri provide an array of historical sites and symbols that make for interesting scholarly enquiry while offering a rich tourism experience.

For instance, Aguleri town in Anambra East Local Government Area is the home of Father Cyprain Iwene Tansi, the only Nigerian Saint who was beatified on March 22, 1998 by Pope John Paul II.

Governor Obiano’s drive into tourism is therefore a bold attempt to draw attention to Anambra’s layers upon layers of historical, religious and cultural endowments and make them accessible to the rest of the world.

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