Former African 100m champion,Mercy Nku topped the list of 50 distinguished Cross Riverians honoured recently by Governor Liyel Imoke on the occasion of Nigeria’s golden jubilee celebrations.

Nku,crowned Africa’s fastest woman in 1999 at the 7th All African Games in Johannesburg,South Africa and also won four gold medals at the second African Junior  Championships in Bouake,Cote D’Ivoire in 1995 to make history as the only Nigerian female athlete to accomplish such a feat was honoured as one of the greatest athletes Cross River
state has ever produced.

Also honoured alongside Nku were boxing legend,Hogan ‘Kid’ Bassey,Abraham Ordia and Mr Football,the late Oyo Orok Oyo ,the first Nigerian to make the executive committee of CAF Meanwhile, Senator Liyel Imoke has re-affirmed his commitment towards hosting another successful Obudu international mountain race at the Obudu ranch resort in Obudu,Cross River state this year.

The sixth edition of the highest paying mountain race in the world comes up on Saturday,November 27 and Patrick Ugbe,the chief press secretary to Governor Imoke says the race will be the biggest and the best ever organised in the history of the competition.

‘This year we are having a 3-in-1 race. Last year it was a 2-in1 race following the staging of the African Nations Championships for men alongside the annual Obudu international race.

This year, the African Nations Mountain running championships will make its debut’,revealed Ugbe who also serves as the media chief for the race.