Cross River State government recently announced it would resume the annual Obudu Mountain race which was last held in 2014
By Kehinde Okeowo
Winners of the 2014 edition of the Obudu International Mountain race have appealed to Cross River State governor, Bassey Otu to intervene and pay them the cash prizes they won 10 years ago.
Making the appeal in Calabar, the state capital, spokesman for the winners, Sylvester Ikpi noted that government is a continuum and that succeeding governments would naturally inherit any liabilities of preceding ones.
He went on to say the winners of the race which was held in November 2014 are yet to be rewarded despite the announcements made by former governor, Liyel Imoke.
His comment follows last week’s announcement by the Commissioner for culture and tourism in Cross River State, Abubakar Ewa, that the Otu-led government will resume the annual Obudu Mountain race soon.
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While speaking, Ewa said the government will not pay the 2014 prize winners because they do not have records to that effect.
He said: “As I speak to you, we have settled every debt. I cannot say we owe anybody in respect of the Obudu Mountain Resort. We have no records that we are owing any athlete that may have participated in the race.
“We’re looking at a situation where the East Africans will no longer dominate or cart away the top prizes.”
Reacting to the commissioner’s assertion, the spokesman of the 2014 prize winners, Ikpi, who won the 1st prize of $2000 in the Media Race segment, described his comment as an “unfriendly” one.
“We strongly appeal that we be paid our prize money which the government of Senator Liyel Imoke formally announced.
“We know that the government of Senator Bassey Otu is people-centred. We believe that they will look at our plight having been patient and hopeful for ten years,” Ikpi pleaded.