{"id":6452,"date":"2025-12-20T06:49:01","date_gmt":"2025-12-20T05:49:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pillartoday.ng\/?p=6452"},"modified":"2025-12-20T06:49:01","modified_gmt":"2025-12-20T05:49:01","slug":"gov-otu-honours-edem-duke-70-a-colossus-of-culture-patriotism-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"pillartoday.com.ng\/?p=6452","title":{"rendered":"Gov Otu Honours Edem Duke @ 70, a Colossus of Culture, Patriotism, Service"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>High Chief Edem Duke.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Cross River State governor, Senator Bassey Edet Otu, has showered effusive praise on High Chief Edem Duke as the former Minister of Culture and Tourism marks his 70th birthday, describing him as \u201ca colossus of culture, patriotism and visionary service whose footprints are boldly etched on Nigeria\u2019s cultural and tourism landscape.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In a goodwill message released by his Chief Press Secretary and Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Linus Obogo, on December 20, to commemorate the milestone, Governor Otu hailed Duke as \u201ca distinguished son of Cross River State whose life exemplifies rare dedication, intellect and grace\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>He noted that his contributions in public service and private enterprise have continued to resonate nationally as \u201cat 70, High Chief Edem Duke stands tall as a beacon of purposeful leadership and creative excellence\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Reflecting on Duke\u2019s years in government, Otu recalled his transformative role in culture and tourism, stressing that \u201chis tenure brought strategic clarity, global visibility and renewed pride to Nigeria\u2019s cultural heritage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He added that Duke \u201cunderstood culture not merely as tradition, but as a powerful instrument for national unity, economic growth and global engagement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The governor further described Duke as \u201ca patriot in the truest sense,\u201d whose service was anchored on national interest and innovation. \u201cHis passion for Nigeria was evident in every assignment he undertook, and his vision helped reposition Cross River State as a foremost tourism destination in the country,\u201d Otu stated.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond public office, Otu noted that Duke has remained an influential voice and mentor, saying, \u201cEven outside government, he continues to inspire generations through his ideas, counsel and unyielding commitment to national renewal.\u201d According to him, Duke\u2019s life journey \u201coffers enduring lessons on leadership, resilience and service.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs he attains this noble milestone, I celebrate a life of purpose, creativity and statesmanship,\u201d the governor declared, emphasizing that Duke\u2019s 70th birthday is \u201cnot just a celebration of years, but a celebration of impact.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Governor Otu expressed optimism about the years ahead for the elder statesman, noting that \u201chis wealth of wisdom remains invaluable to our state and nation.\u201d He added: \u201cWe are confident that his passion will continue to elevate our cultural heritage and shape meaningful conversations about development.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He summed up his tribute with warm prayers and goodwill, saying, \u201cMay his years ahead remain crowned with strength, fulfilment and enduring relevance,\u201d even as Cross River State and Nigeria join family, friends and admirers to honour High Chief Edem Duke for \u201ca lifetime devoted to culture, country and service to humanity\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>High Chief Edem Duke. Cross River State governor, Senator Bassey Edet Otu, has showered effusive praise on High Chief Edem Duke as the former Minister of Culture and Tourism marks his 70th birthday, describing him as \u201ca colossus of culture, patriotism and visionary service whose footprints are boldly etched on Nigeria\u2019s cultural and tourism landscape.\u201d [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":6453,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6452","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6452"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6452\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6453"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}