{"id":22267,"date":"2025-10-26T17:00:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-26T16:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/?p=22267"},"modified":"2025-10-26T15:27:46","modified_gmt":"2025-10-26T14:27:46","slug":"golf-meets-governance-inside-cross-rivers-bid-to-reclaim-its-tourism-crown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/26\/golf-meets-governance-inside-cross-rivers-bid-to-reclaim-its-tourism-crown\/","title":{"rendered":"Golf Meets Governance: Inside Cross River\u2019s Bid to Reclaim Its Tourism Crown"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

CALABAR, Nigeria (<\/strong>FN)<\/strong> \u2014 The Cross River State Government and First Bank of Nigeria Limited have teamed up to promote tourism and investment through golf, in what officials describe as a new chapter for sports-driven economic growth in southern Nigeria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The partnership was showcased during the 2025 Governor\u2019s Golf and Business Tournament at the Calabar Golf Club, drawing golfers, investors, and state officials from across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Governor Bassey Otu during the 2025 Governor’s Golf and Business Tournament.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Governor Bassey Otu said the initiative aligns with his administration\u2019s vision to make tourism and sports key pillars of Cross River\u2019s economic revival. \u201cGolf is not just a game; it\u2019s a global business network,\u201d Otu said. \u201cWe are creating an avenue where leisure meets opportunity and where visitors can enjoy the greenery of our land and the richness of our culture.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First Bank\u2019s Group Managing Director, Adesola Adeduntan, said the partnership reflects the bank\u2019s long-standing commitment to sports and community development. \u201cFor nearly a century, we have supported golf tournaments in Calabar and Lagos. Golf represents health, unity, and enterprise \u2014 values at the heart of First Bank\u2019s mission,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

State Commissioner for Finance, Michael Odere, described the tournament as more than a sporting event. \u201cThis is an economic platform that connects investors and entrepreneurs,\u201d he said. \u201cThe revenue generated through tourism, hospitality, and local commerce will directly benefit our people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Residents in Calabar welcomed the initiative, saying it could restore the city\u2019s reputation as Nigeria\u2019s tourism capital. \u201cWe used to be the pride of tourism, but things slowed down,\u201d said local business owner Grace Ekpenyong. \u201cIf golf brings people back to our hotels and markets, that\u2019s good for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some participants at the tournament also praised the organization and the government\u2019s commitment. \u201cThe course is well-maintained, and it\u2019s refreshing to see a state using sports for development,\u201d said Lagos-based golfer Tony Eze. \u201cIf sustained, this could attract regional and international players.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, a few residents urged the government to ensure the partnership leads to tangible results. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen big promises before,\u201d said Uyo-based entrepreneur Charles Okon. \u201cThey need to improve infrastructure \u2014 roads, power, and hospitality \u2014 for tourists to truly come.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Government officials say those concerns are being addressed. The state\u2019s tourism board confirmed that new infrastructure and hospitality upgrades are planned to complement the golfing initiative. \u201cThis is part of a broader tourism master plan,\u201d said a spokesperson for the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Observers say the partnership could boost Calabar\u2019s economy if it\u2019s sustained and linked with other tourism assets such as the Tinapa Resort, Obudu Mountain Resort, and the annual Calabar Carnival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Governor Otu said the state will continue to collaborate with the private sector to make Cross River \u201ca destination of choice for both recreation and investment.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CALABAR, Nigeria (FN) \u2014 The Cross River State Government and First Bank of Nigeria Limited have teamed up to promote tourism and investment through golf, in what officials describe as a new chapter for sports-driven economic growth in southern Nigeria. The partnership was showcased during the 2025 Governor\u2019s Golf and Business Tournament at the Calabar […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22265,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,3,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22267","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-naija-news","category-sports"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.funminews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/images-5-1.jpeg?fit=678%2C452&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22267","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22267"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22267\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22270,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22267\/revisions\/22270"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22265"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22267"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22267"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22267"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}