Donald Duke

DONALD DUKE

Donald Duke is a respected lawyer, politician and former governor of Cross River State in Nigeria. He is well known for his contributions in the fields of agriculture, urban development, governance, environment, information and communication, investment and tourism. Through his work, Calabar, the capital of Cross River State, is seen today as the “cleanest city in Nigeria”. He created the idea of the Obudu Ranch International Mountain race which became one of the most lucrative mountain competitions in the world under his leadership. Duke also started the Tinapa Resort project to boost business and tourism in the state. He is a strong advocate of democracy and anti-corruption. Unlike several other governors and politicians in Nigeria, he has never been investigated by the country’s  Federal Commission on Economic and Financial Crimes. He is currently a member of the African Democratic Congress and was the 2019 presidential candidate for the Social Democratic Party. Duke received his LLB degree in 1982 from Ahmadu Bello University in Nigeria and a Bachelors in Law from the Nigerian Law School. He went on to secure an LLM in Business and Admiralty Law in 1984 from the University of Pennsylvania. He is married to Onari Duke. They are exceptionally well-connected in Africa. In 2018, their daughter Xerona married the musician DJ Case, a grandson of the billionaire Nigerian aristocrat Antonia Deinde Fernandez.