Imageref

I would first of all want to say a big thank you to the BDCommunity for putting up this contest, hoping not to disappoint you with my write up.
I wouldn't have know about this contest if @evegrace and @zellypearl never made mentioned of my name, perhaps I would have been in the dark about what's going on, so my special thanks goes to them, I love and heart you two, guess you know it😁😁😁💟💟💟.

Now let's begin the contest proper.
You must know that among the things I love politics is not one of them, but in spite of that I still have politicians that I admire because of their good works and Donald Duke is one of them.

• Who is Donald Duke?

Donald Duke was born 30 September 1961 in Calabar he is a Nigerian politician.
He was the Governor of Cross River State, Nigeria for two terms spanning from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007 and the 2019 Nigeria Presidential candidate for Social Democratic Party, SDP.
He is married to a beautiful wife by name Onarie Duke born 1986.
He is blessed with two beautiful daughters namely; Xerona Duke and Nella Duke they are both married.

During his terms as governor, Duke initiated a variety of reforms promoting business, tourism and investment in Cross River State. Before running for office, he served as commissioner for finance, budget and planning, and as a member of the National Economic Intelligence Committee and the Federal Economic Council. He earned a law degree from Nigeria's Ahmadu Bello University, and a master's in law from the University of Pennsylvania.
One thing he usually emphasize on was the need for leaders to be approachable, open to the public and dedicated.

Imageref

Although I haven't met him face to face but afar off there are things I loved about him.

1. His simplicity.

2. His ability to renovate as bring up the new Cross River
Although I am not Cross River state in Nigeria I am from Akwaibom but we could sense the impact of his reign over here in Akwaibom, his name were in the lips of so many citizen of my state not to talk of the state he governed. It was in his tenure that Calabar the capital of Cross River state got the name Small London because he made it so nice, beautiful and attractive. He introduced a festival which has been attended by so many people across the world. The festival is called Calabar carnival and up till now its still holding. All the Governors that came up after him made sure the carnival held and it always on December, people travel from far and near and come to see for themselves the beautiful culture of Africa in Diaspora.

Calabar Carnival festival in Nigeria , also tagged "Africa's Biggest Street Party", was created as part of the vision of making the Cross River State,
Nigeria , the number one tourist destination for Nigerians and tourists from all over the world. The carnival which begins every 1 December and lasts until 31 December has boosted the cultural mosaic of Nigeria people while entertaining millions of spectators within the state, outside the state and foreigners, hence boosting industry for all stakeholders.

3. Also he was able to bring to life some tourist centres like the tinapa, obudu cattle range etc.

In summary;

Duke received praises for his contributions to the fields of agriculture, urban development, government, environment, information and communication, investment drive, and tourism and making Calabar the cleanest city in Nigeria.

He initiated the Obudu Ranch International Mountain Race which attracted contestants and visitors from other countries. In 2005, he created a special reserve fund for the state meant to ‘‘hedge against economic downturn, and the inevitable rainy day’’. This was meant to cushion the effect of unforeseeable economic challenges that may occasion uncertainty in the state's Internally generated revenue, as well as monthly allocation from the federal government.

Imageref

Imageref

He also initiated the Calabar Carnival which started in 2004 and is popularly referred to as "Africa's biggest street party".
Duke initiated the Tinapa Resort project as a way to boost business and tourism in the state. Over $350 million was spent on initial development before phase 1 opening in April 2007. BBC reported in September 2006 that Governor Duke was the only governor specifically mentioned as not being under investigation by the federal
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Four other governors were also reported as not under investigation but their names were not released.)

I could write more on this man because he truly won my heart💟💟💟💟💟💟💟 but let me stop here.

Refrence 1;

Reference 2;

Refrence 3

In case you want to participate in the contest just simply click here and learn more.

I call on @udygold, @imadear @starstrings01 to come participate.

I remain

glotokens

Thanks for stopping by.