She spoke when she paid a visit to Governor Liyel Imoke at Government House in Calabar.

Ms. Sanders who also visited the Slave Museum at the Marina Resort in Calabar and the Tinapa Business Resort said she would work hard to encourage more Americans to visit Cross River State, describing the state as dynamic and wonderful place.
Sanders said her brief visits to the tourism facilities in the state gave her an opportunity to know the state, its history, and tourism potentials.   

Early on, Governor Liyel Imoke had commended the United States of America for not including Cross River State as one of the no-go-areas within the Niger-Delta region of the country.

Imoke described Cross River as the most peaceful destination in Nigeria and that her visit to the state since assuming office in November, last year will make it the first of all the visits, adding that the visit was important to the state whose focus is on tourism, growth and industry which could be attained with close relations with United States.

His words: “Please take advantage of your visit to Cross River and market the opportunities available, especially the opportunities here in Calabar which was the first capital of Nigeria and the largest gateway to slave trade in Africa.”

He explained that the state is blessed with great history and heritage as it has recorded so many firsts in the nation and hoped she would go round and savour the great potentials of the state while the relationship between Nigeria and United States will grow from strength to strength.