Gov. Otu gives N1m each to 20 Hotels in Cross River 

From Ene Asuquo, Calabar 

Cross River State Government has given out N1 million to 20 Hotels in the State, with ten Hotels from the southern and ten from the northern districts respectively as beneficiaries.

Presenting the cheques to the benefiting Hotels in Calabar yesterday during the tourism award ceremony, the Managing Director, Cross River State Tourism Bureau, Mr Ekpenyong Ojoi said for over eight years the Hospitality sector in the state had suffered total neglect 

He stressed that the Governor, Bassey Otu when he came on board promised that he would strengthen the Hospitality sector to boost the tourism industry, with the theme; Empowering Hotels and Investing in Excellence, a commitment to sustainable Tourism 

Ojoi also stated that the Governor gave out the first N10 million to ten Hotels in the State last year and has also shown magnanimity to fifteen restaurants in the state with a cash of N500,000 to each of the recognized restaurants that are registered with tourism bureau

The Special Adviser, General Duties, Ekpenyong Akiba during an interview with journalists said what governor has done is deliberate to promote and to enhance their productivity especially during this period that there would be influx of visitors to the state 

He noted that hospitality industry is another sector that create job opportunities and also brings economic development to the state, maintaining that this shows the readiness of the state to Host the world in this year’s carnival