| Biography |
Donald Duke (born 30 September 1961 in Calabar) was the Governor of Cross River State from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007. He has been at the helm of affairs of the State since the commencement of the present democratic dispensation in Nigeria. He received LLB degree in 1982 from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria - Nigeria, the B.L in 1983 from the Nigerian Law School and the L.L.M. in Business Law and Admiralty in 1984 from University of Pennsylvania.
Spearheading the incumbent debt of Nigeria, Duke pushed for democracy and against military control. He stated; "What got the military out of power was not democracy but the dreadful state of the economy. If we, the democratic government, cannot deliver food for the mass of people we can forget about democracy."
Duke has been appraised for his contributions to the fields of agriculture, urban development, government, environment, information and communication, investment drive, and tourism. Through his work Calabar is considered the "cleanest city in Nigeria."
The 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.)
He is also the brain behind TINAPA, an eco-tourism project with a strategic location in Calabar, in the West African sub-region, and proximity to central Africa, coupled with the huge market potential of the two sub-regions, makes the TINAPA Business Resort an attractive investment.
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