The Nation Newspaper

Category: Travels on Saturday

  • CARNIRIV reaffirms Rivers cultural, tourism prowess

    CARNIRIV reaffirms Rivers cultural, tourism prowess

    THE perspective that the Rivers State-owned international carnival, The Port Harcourt Carnival, combines the advantage of being a purely cultural carnival and the contemporary Caribbean style carnival is one of the factors that stand it out of its kind. Therefore, many are quick to submit that CARNIRIV as it is popularly referred is a two-in-one carnival.

    CARNIRIV is said to be a purely cultural carnival because it offers Rivers people the opportunity to showcase their rich and diverse cultural heritage through headline events such as the International Heritage Parade, Ekere: Rhythm of the Tribes, International Aquatic Fiesta, Egelege and Dance of Fireflies among others. Every year, the heritage parade in particular provides the platform for contingents of the 23 local government areas in the state to engage in a procession through the streets of Port Harcourt to showcase their enthralling dances, masquerade and peculiar occupation. The carnival is said to be contemporary due to its blend of Caribbean style, modern events such as entertainment that give CARNIRIV a wider appeal across geographical, ethnic or political leanings.

    Again at the 2013 edition, CARNIRIV sustained its distinctiveness by offering the residents and visitors seven days of superlative rich African culture laced with first class entertainment. Coming as a starter package for the year-end festivities, the week-long carnival made the Garden City the first choice destination for lovers of culture, tourists and leisure seekers. The entertainment offered by CARNIRIV was top-notch ranging from music to comedy, local wrestling to parade and boat regatta to contest for some coveted prizes. Whatever it was worth, those who attended the carnival would rather say that it was better experienced than being told.

    Dubbed the ‘Green World Edition’, CARNIRIV 2013 held from December 15 to 21 under the theme, ‘Our Environment, Bedrock for Sustainable Development’ with the intent of raising awareness on responsible behaviour towards nature and the preservation of the ecology.

    The fun and pageantry that characterised the carnival was non-stop from day one to the end. The carnival was kick-started on Sunday, December 15 with a fantastic show of skills, colour and style by children who filed out for their own edition of the carnival titled ‘Kids’ Carnival’. Spectacular in their displays, the kids used the occasion to advocate green world and responsible behaviour towards the environment. Speaking on behalf of their colleagues, Miss Elizabeth Ucheawaji and Master Chigozie Obikwere, pupils of Government Secondary School, Elekahia, noted that environmental sustainability was a crucial factor to engender sustainable national growth.

  • Visiting Calabar’s Suya plaza

    Visiting Calabar’s Suya plaza

    SUYA is a Hausa steak delicacy. It is common in the North than any other part of the country. However, for lovers of the delicacy, the experience may not be complete without visiting the Suya plaza, located in the heart of Calabar metropolis. The place has become a popular hang-out for local and visiting tourists in the city.

    Many have made the annual trips to Calabar during Yuletide to be part of the fun and festivities of the December festival in Cross River State. Many have also had first hand pleasant experiences of the now popular Calabar carnival. But these days, one area of the town that has become popular with tourists is Slaughter Street. It is probably the only street in the country that is officially dedicated to serve the interest of lovers of the local delicacy. The area is also known as Bogobiri, a settlement for people of Northern extraction in the heart of the city. For those who don’t know, Suya is a thinly-sliced meat pierced with a stick and spiced with pepper and powdered groundnut.

    It is no doubt that Calabar city has carved a niche for itself as Nigeria’s foremost tourist destination for locals and in-bound tourists desirous of relaxation and fun during the Yuletide.

    Another area that the reputation of the city precedes it is in the area of culinary expertise. For food connoisseurs and those who want to indulge in culinary adventure, the place to be is Calabar. The variety of fresh vegetable meal, seafood and many more are best experienced than talked about.

    Before now, Calabar has never been noted as home for Suya. But all that has changed, as Calabar is gradually assuming the status of the best Suya zone in Nigeria.

    The plaza is a stretch of building with about 30 shops. While approaching the area, you are first confronted with the smoke from the makeshift barbecue containers drifting towards the sky. You are amazed at the number of exotic cars parked along the streets. And as you try to make meaning of this, you see both the young and old sauntering out of their vehicles and heading towards the row of Suya sellers along the road.

    The shops have inner and outer parts. In the inner part, heaps of pieces of meat are placed on slabs. The meat is sliced thin-sized with dexterity to get the normal. There are other workers that put the sliced meat on stick and then lace them with the powdered pepper and groundnut after which the meat is then placed on barbecue fire. It should also be noted that the Suya is prepared in a clean and hygienic environment. The sellers have access to clean water, and the area, just like Calabar, is generally clean and tidy. That must have influenced the caliber of customers that come to patronize the sellers.

    How did the story of this area that has become synonymous with tourists and Suya begin? According to a source from the Cross River State government, the Hausa Suya sellers, prior to their relocation to Slaughter Street, operated from the Mary Slessor roundabout. He said: “The place, as a result of that, was a bit rowdy and unorganized. The level of hygiene was also not encouraging. The government decided that it was best to relocate them form the place to a conducive and hygienic area. That was why the government built the place and provided the sellers with every facility that would assist them to provide Suya delicacy to their teeming patrons. Slaughter Street was chosen because, first, its proximity to where they were before and close to the Bogobiri area where most of the Suya sellers stay. Thankfully, it has turned out to be a win-win situation for everybody. The area has become very popular with people.” Interestingly, one of the conspicous banners at the complex reads ‘University of Suya’. This is the shop of one of the sellers by name who goes by the name, Hassan Taku. He described Suya as ‘Imoke Suya’, which according to his poster, is the best.

    According to Hassan, who is an iindigene of Zamfara State, he relocated to Calabar about 12 years ago.

    He said: “The government relocated us to this place about four years ago, and it has been nice ever since. It has become the number one spot for those who want to buy Suya.”

    Asked why they have lots of patronage from people resident in Calabar, he said: “Well, here in Calabar, there is no place like here. We prepare all kinds of Suya using ram, goat or beef. We also have smoked chicken meat. I think one reason people come to this place is the quality of the meat. They are good and of high quality. I am sure people appreciate what we do here, and that is why they keep on coming.”

    Speaking on the patronage, he said , “ We are getting a lot of patronage from people during the Yuletide, especially before, during and after the carnival. However, after the festivities, there is a bit of lull in sales, but it quickly picks up now that the students of the university have returned to school.” Asked whether there was other places like the Slaughter Street in Calabar, he said no, only that some isolated sellers do attach themselves to drinking joints or sell by the roadside.

    He praised the Calabar environment, saying it was the conducive nature of the place that has made it possible for them to settle down and do business. He said: “Like I told you, I am from Zamfara State, and I am here with my family. The state as a whole is very peaceful and conducive to live in. That is why there are so many of us here.”

    During the Calabar Festival, it was normal to see different groups of people sitting and savouring the delicacy with cold drink around the plaza.

    A man who gave his name as Benson Ariyo, who was having a good a time with a group of friends, spoke to this reporter. He said: “This is a good place to have a nice time. I eat Suya, but I select the area where I buy them. But this is the most organised Suya spot that I have come across. The quality is high. I think this is another thing other states and cities should learn from Calabar. Even if you don’t like eating suya, the setting of the place will make you want to taste it. The hygiene is also another thing that makes the place attractive to people. You can see people from all strata of the society trooping here to come and buy Suya. I am sure if the hygiene level is not high, many would not patronize them. I just suggest that the government should continue to monitor their activities to make sure that the hygiene is maintained.

    So, for those visiting Calabar, it is just proper to tell them that their experience in this foremost destination in Nigeria may not be complete without tasting the Calabar Suya at Slaughter Street.

  • ‘We’ll exorcise power demons’

    ‘We’ll exorcise power demons’

    Continued from page 45

     

    and make money will come in.

    So, we are just showing that there is a big boom for the future of solar energy in Nigeria and that rural communities, agrarian communities, local manufacturers, small and medium enterprises in the rural areas, they can all benefit and be fully powered whether or not they are connected to the national grid. We want to open the door to the private sector because they will move faster.

    Is it feasible for Nigerians to have 24 hours uninterrupted power supply?

    Yes. It is possible but it will take time because of our population. It is like university, you design a hostel room for two people and two students will pay the required fees. And they will invite two more students to stay in the same room. The invited two may even invite others to join them in the same room. As a former Vice Chancellor, I know this as a norm. At the end of the day, a room made for two people is occupied by 10 human beings not pigs, not chickens.

    What do you think will happen to the toilet? Will you be able to breathe as you pass through there? The facilities were not designed for that. Our population is huge. Previous administrations did not take the bull by the horns. So there was a cumulative deficiency. The gap is huge. But now, this current administration is doing everything possible, widening the scope, extending the scope in transmission substantially. And now, having handed over to the private sector distribution, we have insisted that they must reduce losses and expand their own facilities.

    Are you satisfied with the funding in the power sector?

    I don’t think anybody will be satisfied with the current funding and the huge challenge is the funding. But again, that is why privatisation took place because the fund is going to come from private people. But with the Transmission Company of Nigeria, the government has now engaged international financing agencies, World Bank, EXIM Bank of China, EXIM Bank of the US, to some extent Africa Development Bank, French Development Bank and even Japan. And then there is a huge fund coming in from the sale of NIPP plants. And so, at the end of the day, we will have a robust national grid that will be ready for the expansion in stages and spots of generation.

    As the generation is done and expanded, the distribution people know that the only way they can make more money is to give electricity to more people so they will begin to now find money to send distribution lines to where it didn’t exist before. And where it is going to take a long time to do, we will meet through our solar and wind and biomass renewable energy system. So, I don’t think any ministry will sit down and say we are satisfied with funding. Oil thieves have done us a huge harm because you cannot fully realise what you have in the budget. The money is just not there.

    Have you been able to deal with the devils you alluded to as plaguing the power sector on your assumption of office?

    Yes, you know the devil comes as human beings. We are fighting them on a daily basis. What do you think of the oil thieves? They are demons in human forms. What do you think of those who vandalise our gas pipelines? They are demons and we are dealing with them. I engaged the services of the National Security Adviser, who engaged the services of the Nigeria Civil Defence Corps and also the Army. And that is the reason that there has been a substantial improvement in the security of our transmission and distribution infrastructure.

    What we have today is whenever you hear of theft and stealing and vandalism it is so much less than what it used to be before. The major problem is the oil and gas pipelines. People actually go to gas pipelines and blow them up, not to get anything but to punish Nigeria. Are they not demons? So I am doing everything to drive them out, using all kinds of legal, military and also prayer, because some of them are so demon-possessed we have to exorcise them. Somebody who will punish himself, punish his mother, punish his father, punish his children and punish the whole country for nothing. Is that not a demon? Is he a real human being? So my brother, there are demons there and I am still dealing with them.

    Is there an enabling law against vandals or are you thinking of sending a bill to the national assembly?

    We have told our policy people to do that. You know, when I was in the university, it is the same problem we had with cultists. There was no enabling law to really deal with them until recently. You catch an armed robber, he will tell you ‘I’m not an armed robber, I’m a cultist.’ You take him to court and deal with him as a cultist and there was nothing that is there to enable you to really punish him. But we worked very hard and started making sure that some states started having laws against cultism. I’m sure you know when I was at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, I banished cultism. It is a feat that almost no vice chancellor has been able to do in Nigeria.

    Five years of my stay there, there was not a single cult war and I didn’t lose a student to cultism. Two years before I became vice chancellor at UNN, cultists murdered the Chief Security Officer of the university. A year before I became vice chancellor, cultists murdered the Dean of Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty. Cultists will take over the university and literarily announce that they are now in charge, confiscate all the walkie-talkies of all the people there. That was why that place was called National War College Number 2 before I came there. Five years, it didn’t happen.

    And again for five years, I was able to keep the university away and they didn’t get involved in any ASUU strike. We need that law, we need to engage all the parties, executives, legislative, judiciary to work together to make sure some things don’t continue to happen. I believe that vandalism, by the time we get the legal framework completed, people should be punished. In fact, they can be punished under Miscellaneous Act because this is a sabotage of the entire national economy. And the people who do this should be made to pay dearly for it.

    Do you have time for relaxation?

    I have a wonderful wife and wonderful family. So whenever work allows me, we share a lot of time together and we pray a lot, we gist a lot and we take our walk together where we can, especially when kidnappers are not there. We share a lot of time together in the things of the Lord. We do a lot of church work. I am an evangelist by the way and I am an archdeacon in the Anglican Church.

    Do you do any sporting activities?

    I used to but right now I haven’t found the time. When I was much younger, I played soccer, I played cricket. And I think Golf is for big men.

  • Lagos Airport Hotel rewards staff

    Lagos Airport Hotel rewards staff

    THE management of the Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja recently hosted staff of the hotel to a get-together. It used the opportunity to thank the staff for their hard work and integrity.

    Speaking at the event, the Managing Director, Mr. Kayode Adenigba, told the staff that without their input, the hotel would not make progress. He said: “I want to thank all of you for what you have done in 2013, and I promise you that 2014 shall be a better year in Jesus name. Our targets this year shall be achieved for the betterment of all of us. At the end of the year, I am sure we shall sit down and say we are making progress. There is a great development in every aspect of the hotel.”

    Adenigba thanked the staff for working hard to see that the hotel did well. He said plans had already been put in place for this year and that based on the budget, he said the hotel staff would have cause to smile.

    “ We have decided a budget for the company and the budget has been approved. The budget is based on a daily occupancy of 56 per cent. The profit for the year that envisaged is in the region of 258 million which would be about 10 to 15 per cent of the total budget . All the staff must work collectively to make the year a success.

    “We are going to have competition, but we have to work extra hard to be ahead. We have to meet up with the expectations of the owners,”he said.

    Adenigba said what had endeared the hotel to its customers is the level of honesty displayed by the workers, who whenever they come across any item misplaced or lost by guests, return them.

    Among those that were rewarded were staff who returned amounts lost by guests. About 60 staff of the hotel were appreciated for their honesty. The best staff of the hotel were also appreciated with gifts and certificates.

    More than 60 staff of the hotel were honoured for their integrity. Top among them was Mr. Seun Alabi who returned about N.5m a guest lost.

    The Best Staff of the Year Award was won by Mr. Ebenezer Godunu of the Engineering Department.

  • When Uturu celebrated Igbo heritage

    When Uturu celebrated Igbo heritage

    Uturu in Abia State is currently noted more as a university community, but it is a town that is stepped in history with rich culture that dates back to hundreds of years. It also has beautiful landscape with undulating hills

    Uturu has also been a destination for archeologists. In 1977, a group of archaeologists discovered signs of the habitation of early, middle and late Stone Age Homo erectus in the caves.

    However, all these endowments were relegated to the background last December as the people trooped out in large number for the Igbo Uturu carnival. The carnival is unique in itself as it is devoted to the celebration of Ndi Igbo, and as such, it has a deep cultural inclination. This year, the carnival was celebrated in honour of Chief Sab Ejimofor.

    A display of its inclination towards exposing the cultural elements of the people in a very profound manner was the setting itself which was entirely made of local materials creatively put together. In this wise, the locally woven mats and straw hats which are part of the cultural symbolism of the people of Uturu featured prominently alongside native calabashes, clay pots and cups and other forms of art and craft. Even in the area of communication, it was purely that of an Igbo affair by all the speakers that mounted the rostrum at the various events to deliver speeches or lead programmes.

    The founder of the carnival, Ibe said: ”The major aim of the carnival is to explore the potency of the carnival to weld apparently disparate cultures to create cultural unity, social harmony and strength on the one hand, while on the flip side, it is to checkmate the move towards ethnocentrism which leads to racial prejudice, discrimination and other social ills.”

    Thus, this was what informed the choice of this year’s theme: ‘Ibu anyi danda’ (Resilience, the indomitable spirit of Ndi Igbo), an evocation of the consciousness of Igbo cultural unity and to influence national cultural unity.

    In retrospect, Ibe, who is also the Chancellor of Gregory University, Uturu, described the four-day celebration as a huge success. The choice of the theme, according to him, was not only to pay homage to Chief Sam Ejiomofor who rose from rags to riches through the dint of hard work and resilience, but also to every Igbo man who has achieved a lot in his various enterprises and engagements in life as such achievements came through resilience and surmounting of life threatening obstacles.

    The presence of the President-General of Ohaneze Ndi Igbo, Chief Gary Enwo Igariwey, he said, boosted the appeal of the carnival.

    ”We have achieved without major partners; we have achieved in a major way of bringing our culture to the world; we have achieved by our continuous demystifying all the na sayers,” said Ibe.

    The fact that children and the youth have embraced the carnival and the yearly turnout with different masquerades and dance troupes, to him, are feats and indications that the culture of the people will never die because the older generation is using the carnival to pass on the cultural values and traditions of the people to the younger generation.

    “Weare achieving something because it will remain indelible in their minds. Before leaving this planet, we would have achieved some greatness by imparting it to the younger ones,” he said even as he pointed out that the choice of Uturu as the venue of celebration is a deliberate effort to create awareness and draw the people’s attention to the extant Uturu Caves which he said had been proved historically to be the ancestral home of the progenitors of the Igbo race, as traces of what he called the”’early man abode,” is obvious for all to see.

    The first day of the carnival signalled what was to characterise the entire celebration as it was fun filled, excitement galore and colourful all the way as the people came out in their numbers to participate and witness a rare communal cultural feast that is almost going extinct in most parts of the country.

    Besides the harvest of cultural entertainment, there were a lot to drink and eat bearing in mind that the event which held between December 27 and 31, took place at a festive season when many of the Ndi Igbo come home to celebrate with their people. It wasn’t surprising that the arena was filled to the hilt most of the days.

    Also, there was a huge presence of many personalities at the event. They included Professor (Eze) Laz Ekwueme who is the traditional ruler of Oko in Anambra State and the President General of Ohaneze Ndi Igbo, Chief Gary Enwo Igariwey.

    His Royal Highness, Cyril Ibe, the Okwelube 1 of Amaokwe Autonomous Community, Uturu led other traditional rulers and ezes from over 20 autonomous communities and villages in the area to the event.

    Goodwill messages were delivered by many of the guests present during the event with Professor Ihechi Madubuike who is the Director of the Centre for Igbo Renaissance of the GUU and a former Minister of Education, leading the tributes.

    Guests spoke on the carnival and need for the preservation of the culture of people. They called for support for the continuous staging of the carnival.

    There was also the presence of both the state and federal governments as a number of the officials of Abia State government and members of the state House of Assembly, among others, attended the event. The National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) was represented by one of its directors, Professor Chukwu Ezi, who was overwhelmed by the high level of the event and the extent to which the people went in preserving and entrenching their culture.

    While urging the further entrenchment of the culture and the event, he praised the founder of the carnival and pledged the support of the commission in furthering the frontiers of the carnival and ensuring that NCMM gives the necessary aids in the development of the cultural icons of the people as its affects the work of the commission.

    After the goodwill messages and cutting of the cake to declare the carnival open, various masquerades and cultural groups entertained the people by displaying their acrobatic dancing and singing skills. They included Ohafia war dancers, acrobatic troupe from Edo and Akwa Ibom, a masquerade troupe from Anambra State and representatives of Northern Eastern states.

    Other entertainers and performers were Igbo Uturu Cultural Carnival Troupe, Eminent Ladies of Uturu, Arondizuogu Masquerade Troupe and representative of Northern Central states. There were also the Great Ladies from Cross River State, Chimemeze Dance Troupe from Okigwe and Ugo Masquerade of Uturu. A number of children’s groups also took to the stage to entertain the people in dance drama, songs and choreography.

    The day’s event climaxed with a musical concert with a Makosa group from Benin Republic, entertaining the people till the early hours of the next day. Other days witnessed Ada Uturu Beauty Pageant, Cultural Christmas Cantata, Cultural Music Expo and Thanksgiving/Crossover Service which apparently was the climax and a glorious end to the four-day cultural carnival.

    It was an enthralling night of cultural dances and colourful fireworks display which kept the people spellbound and entertained. At the end of it all, it was a grateful people that rose in unison, giving thanks and singing praises to the good Lord not just for another successful hosting of the sixth edition of the Igbo Uturu Cultural Carnival, but for witnessing yet the beginning of another year with great ecstasy.

  • Carnival Calabar raises the bar

    Carnival Calabar raises the bar

    IT is abnormal for one to come down from one’s hotel room in a three-star hotel to the restaurant for a four thousand naira breakfast only to meet a long queue. More so when the hotel is about two kilometres from the city. That was what one had to cope with at the Lakeside Hotel Tinapa on the morning of December 27, last year.

    The crowd at the restaurant came from every part of the country for the Carnival Calabar that holds every December 27. It has become so popular as a leisure and relaxation spectacle during the yuletide that many affluent Nigerians who hitherto would go on Christmas vacation outside the country now prefer to come down to Calabar. And many people this reporter talked to are not first-time visitors.

    When tourism experts talk about the long gestation period for investors to reap the benefits of investment in tourism, this is what is unfolding in Calabar. The investment in building Carnival Calabar as a brand is gradually paying off with the influx of visitors.

    Having seen most of the top festivals in Nigeria, including the Osun Osogbo, Argungu Fishing Festival, Durtbar, Nwonyo, Abuja Carival and so on, the biggest problem of most of them is that after attending just one edition, boredom sets in because one could easily write about what would have taken place without attending the event again and one would not be wrong. That is what differentiates the Carnival Calabar brand and the others. It is absolutely impossible to predict the texture and complexion of each edition. The depth of creativity is so high. This year’s edition was not only a success, it tried to raise the performance bar.

    There are five official bands at the carnival, the Masta Blasta, Passion Four, Freedom Band, Seagull and Bayside. One could always predict that the Seagull Band led by Senator Florence Ita-Giwa would come out with bright coloured costume with provocatively attired beautiful ladies and course backed by a constellation of Nollywood stars that made the crowd go wild.

    However, the essence of Carnival Calabar that has made and sustained the brand is the depth of creativity both in interpretation of given theme and costuming.

    This year’s theme was “Ain’t No Stopping Us’ focusing on the ability of man and the human spirit to triumph over challenges. In this year’s carnival, the competition was fierce. It was very obvious that a high level of efforts and the bars have been raised further.

    The 16-kilometre journey was flagged off at the Millennium Park by the Cross River State Governor Liyel Imoke. The music was pulsating. And twist and wriggling of heaps by young girls and boys then began.

    After close to 10 hours on the road, the bands arrived at the J.T. Esuene Stadium looking tired, but never gave up until after one last performance for the crowd at the stadium. Talking about the crowd of tourists and locals, after watching them perform for more than eight hours on the street, they still followed them down to the stadium for the last performance.

    It is this excitement and desire to enjoy life that make both local and international tourists troop from all over the world to watch the carnival.

    This year, Passion Four’s grasp of the story line was quite lucid and easy to follow. So also was their usage of past and present historical personalities to pass across their message. Their costuming was neither as flashy as the Seagull and their performing did not have the tightness of Masta Blasta’s choreography and, of course, the wow effect that they conjured using the Houdini style effect.

    It was no surprising that the Masta Blasta Band retained the crown they won last year.

    Speaking on the carnival performance this year,

    a satisfied Governor Liyel Imoke in his military camouflage costume described the carnival as a huge success and promised that the state would continue to put facilities in place to expand its tourist influx. He said what the carnival tries to do was “to produce an excellent product .”

    Answering questions on what the state had been able to do to attract both local and in-bound tourists, Imoke said: “Our emphasis should be not just on the local market, but on the sub- regional market in terms of attendance. When I say domestic, I am looking at the domestic expatriate community, as well as our own people who want to have a good time. They all come to Calabar for that.”

    He emphasized the fact that the Cross River’s development as a destination is not just for the annual month-long festival.

    He said: “The key thing for us is that we are not just trying to develop a one-month event calendar, we are introducing a number of key things. We have the Jazz Festival, Mountain Race, and we are trying to introduce one or two things into our calendar, but beyond what we have in our calendar, we are trying to focus on our domestic market. In that regard, Calabar is the third in the country, behind Lagos and Abuja . We think we would overtake Abuja once our international conference centre is completed.”

    Asked whether the appreciable number of tourists currently trooping annually to the carnival was what he envisaged, former Governor of Cross River State, Mr. Donald Duke, said: “It is a game of traffic .You know Calabar is the end of Nigeria.From here, you are in Cameroon, so it is not Benin or Onitsha where people pass through. If it were Benin or Onitsha, put a few things, people will pass through and spend money and all that. Except you have business here, you don’t have cause to come. So, what we were trying to do is to create it as a destination. It is not a novel idea. That is what Las Vegas is all about; that is what London is even all about. If you take out the traffic, London is dead, right? So, you need to have pivotal that attracts people to come.

    “Tinapa is one of them, Obudu cattle is another. When eventually, I hope soon, Tinapa is fully functional, we expect to have about three million people visiting in the cause of a year. You envisage it, if three million people come here in the cause of a year and each one spends one hundred thousand naira, that is three hundred billion naira, and when you add the multiplier effects, it is over a trillion naira that would fuel the economy.

    “You know, I grieve when people say it is white elephant, such people don’t think outside the box. When we were here, we had to look at Cross River State and ask: if we were a county, what would we do? We can’t depend on the federation account; let us try and develop an economy; we are in the Niger Delta.

    “There is a lot of money in the Niger Delta, but we are not part of the money produced in the Niger Delta. So, how do we create an environment where all that money in the Niger Delta or a good chunk of it comes to Cross River? And this is it: this is a free zone, in other words, anything other than dangerous weaponry is free to come in here. So, what would take Nigerians to Dubai to London and all that , ordinarily, you should be able to find it here. That is the catchment, that is why people should come here.

    “I hope with the AMCON take over, they will get it right. I saw the advert for new management and all that. I spoke to their management and I think they came to interview me on what was my original concept and I spoke to them. If they could actualize it, this will be one of the most sought- after destinations in all of Nigeria.

    “So, the traffic that you see here in December, which is in isolation, just for the Christmas period will become a normal thing. So, throughout the year, you will have traffic, the hoteliers will make a lot of money, the restaurateurs will make a lot of money, transporters will make a lot of money. You just open a shop, something will happen because you have people coming in to buy. That is what it is all about. It is not a novel thing. It is a very simple idea .If Dubai did it, Las Vega has done it. Las Vegas is in the middle of nowhere.

    “And when Bugsy (Siegel), the guy who started Las Vegas, he was a mafia guy, started it ,it was in the era of prohibition, everything was prohibited: alcohol and so on. He went to the governor of Nevada and said I wanted to start the Sin City.You should give me a legislation, one mile, that was what they called the strip, one mile where all the prohibitions would take place. You could gamble, the sex trade and so on, everything you could do it here. The governor said as long as it didn’t cost us money, fine. He got the money from the mafia and told them in five years they would get their money back. Unfortunately it did not happen that way, so the mafia killed him. That was the story of La Vegas.

    “And take out Las Vegas from Nevada, the economy will collapse. Dubai did the same thing; Atlantic City is about the same thing; just create an avenue where people can come. So, here we have casinos, shops that you will not find anywhere in Nigeria or West Africa because most of the goods are prohibited because you know you can’t legally import clothes into Nigeria, you can bring in any of these things, and because t is duty free, it will be cheaper than even finding it in the United Kingdom because in the United Kingdom you are paying the taxes, the VATs and all that, here everything is duty free, so it makes more sense to come here and shop. People will say oh God! If it is shopping, this is where to be.

    “This is what we are trying to do. It is not easy, people just think that when you put up a building, you’ve done it all. No, you’ve got to get the management, you’ve got to get the commitment, you’ve got to get the passion. This is the work of passion, this cost 500 million dollars. Cross River State didn’t have 500 million dollars; what made this work was the passion and I had to get passion to be infectious. I had to infect Obasanjo with the passion; I had to infect his government with the passion and they all saw what we were trying to do and supported it.

    “Every state must have its economy and that is what forms the national economy. So, every state must identify something that it has a comparative advantage in. It may not be this; it may be agriculture; it may be something. It may even be cement production .

    “Take a state like Cross River, we could say we want to make cement our number one thing because we have 20 billion tones of limestone, that is the estimate. That can support 10 huge cement factories and we could be cement producers for all of Nigeria. Every state must find its own niche. I went to Kebbi State the other day, Kebbi can produce all the mangoes this country needs. Mangoes just grow wild there. I think the responsibility of every governor is to find the niche of his state and enhance it. That is the only way we can grow.

    “Once again, Cross River State has put up a terrific spectacle that left every visitor satisfied and asking for more. It could only lead one thing: a steady increase in number of visitors to Calabar and Destination Cross River will be the best for it. “

     

  • NTDC to support Mare,other festivals

    NTDC to support Mare,other festivals

    The Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, NTDC, has promised to support and facilitate cultural festivals and programmes which emphasise unity and stability and promote peaceful co-existence of the nation to grow domestic tourism.

    The Director-General , Mrs. Sally Mbanefo, made the assurance in Ondo State, while delivering her speech at Idanre during the celebration of Mare Mountain Climbing Festival held in honour of the late Deji Falae, the erstwhile Ondo State Commissioner of Culture and Tourism.

    The Director- General, who was thrilled by the cultural wealth in Ondo State which was put on display right from the Akure airport where she was given a rousing welcome with an exciting display of cultural dances and songs by a cultural group, could not hide her feeling as she joined the group in dancing.

    The Ondo State Commissioner for Information, Mr. kayode Akinmade, led a strong delegation which included Dr A Omoloja, Ondo State Commissioner for Housing; and Mrs. Akinroye Modupe, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Culture and Tourism who ushered in Mrs. Mbanefo into Ondo State.

    Speaking at the Akure Airport, Mr. Akinmade expressed the gratitude of the people of Ondo State to Mrs. Mbanefo for honouring the invitation to be the special guest of honour at the are festival being hosted in the memory of Deji Falae.

    “ The government and the people of Ondo State are happy to welcome you to the state in Nigeria where the sun shines for all. We are grateful for honouring our invitation for Mare Festival. We are also happy because you are the first Director-General of NTDC not only to visit the state, but who deemed it fit to honour our invitation to Mare. We assure you of an evergreen memory of your visit to Ondo State, “ Mr. Akinmade said.

    The Ondo State Deputy Governor , Mr. Ali Olanusi, who received Mrs. Mbanefo in his office as the governor was out of the state, described her as “a light in the dark corridor of the tourism sector.”

    Alhaji Olanusi said: “You are a light planted by the President Goodluck Jonathan to light up the dark corridor of the tourism sector, and you have commenced this vision in earnest . Your coming to Ondo State at this point in time is a sign of good things to come to the tourism sector in the state and in Nigeria. We welcome you with all our hearts and we assure you of a splendid time with us. “

    The Director-General, who was the special guest of honour impressed the people of Ondo State with her attitude and participatory spirit with which she delivered her speech which extolled the virtues of Deji Falae and identification of Mare as one of the vibrant pillar of domestic tourism.

    She described Idanre as a uniquely blessed city of rocks. “When I went to Abeokuta, I thought it was the best of a city on a hill until I entered Idanre . This is the real city which should be called Abeokuta,” she said.

    The Director-General, who also presented a fridge won by one of the indigenes who partook of the Mare raffle draw, used the opportunity to visit the fabulous Idanre Hills which she described as “an exciting arrangement of rocks which beat to the back those in Switzerland “and the 18 holes golf course being planted in Idanre by the state government in fulfilment of her mission to visit and authenticate the state of tourism sites in the zones.

  • Key events in tourism in 2013

    Key events in tourism in 2013

    SINCE the creation of the Federal Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation in 1999, tourism has not seen a year with such dramatic developments with far-reaching impact on the industry as 2013. Some of the events were routine. Others had total impact on the administration of tourism and tourism establishments in the country.

    The first quarter of the year was uneventful. It was as if the steady rhythm which tourism had assumed in the last couple of years would continue. It was during the second quarter of the year when things started happening in quick succession. It kicked with the industry changing ruling of the Supreme Court. Supreme Court judgment on hotel licensing and regulation

    Before the Supreme Court judgment on hotel licensing and regulation, the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), by virtue of the NTDC Act of 1992 setting it up, had assumed the responsibility for registering, grading and classifying hotels and other tourism establishments in the country. Although there had been muffled protests by some states, that did stop the NTDC, through its zonal consultants, from conducting the annual hotels registration.

    However, Lagos State enacted the Lagos State Hotel Licensing Law 2003 (and its amendment) and the Hotel Occupancy and Restaurant Consumption Law 2009 which empowered Lagos State to make laws to regulate, standardize and grade tourism operations which was previously the exclusive preserve of a federal government agency, the NTDC.

    The debate on the constitutionality of the Lagos State Hotel Licensing Law 2003 (and its amendment) and the Hotel Occupancy and Restaurant Consumption Law 2009 enacted by Lagos State was finally laid to rest by the Supreme Court on 19 July, 2013.

    The apex court dismissed the Federal Government’s suit and delivered its judgment in favour of Lagos state. It was the view of the court that the NTDC Act went beyond its powers as stated in the Exclusive Legislative List of the Constitution which is to regulate “tourist traffic”. This effectively challenged the constitutionality of the NTDC’s powers to unilaterally regulate and control hotels and tourism in Nigeria. The court, therefore, validated the respective laws of Lagos State.

    The implication of the July 19 ruling by the Supreme Court had far-reaching implications for operators of hotel, restaurants, bars and so on as they now all fall under the regulation of the Lagos State Government. This, according to lawyers, means any building used as a guest house, inn, lodge, motel, tavern, night club, restaurant, event centre and any other place for the sale of food and drink on the premises of a hotel and includes fast food outlets and restaurants with the areas that the state can legislate on.

    Change of barton at NTDC

    May also saw the removal of the Otunba Segun Runsewe as the Director-General of the NTDC and his replacement with Mrs. Sally Mbanefo, a banker. Runsewe had been appointed the boss of the NTDC in 2006 after a successful performance as the head of the Media Committee during the Commonwealth Ministers of Tourism Meeting in 2004 and the maiden Abuja Carnival in 2005 as Director of Marketing and Publicity. His appointment by then President Olusegun Obasanjo was not surprising to many people due to his achievements. His drive to promote tourism in Nigeria was predicated on the mantra of Practical Tourism and the catch phrase of Tourism is Life. He created awareness both locally and at international fora about huge tourism potential in the country. He also supported the development of cultural tourism products through his direct support and participation in festivals such as Argungu Fishing Festival, the New Yam Festival in Igbo Ukwu, Nwoyo Festival in Taraba State and many others. The period, through his promotion of Nigeria, also saw the influx of top world hospitality brands into the country. Between 2006 to 2013, he was the face of tourism in Nigeria and it was a surprise to many when the government announced his removal.

    Runsewe was replace the by Mrs. Sally Mbanefo, a seasoned banker who promised to build on the achievements of Runsewe and take the industry to a greater heights. The NTDC boss is a 1986 graduate of the University of Lagos with about 25 years experience in banking, manufacturing and oil and gas sectors. Till her appointment, she was an Executive Director at Keystone Bank Limited.

    FTAN’s new exco

    After being in the saddle as the head of the apex tourism body for four years, Chief Samuel Alabi’s tenure as the President of the Federation of Tourism Association of Nigeria (FTAN) came to an end. In an election held at Nanet Suites in Abuja, Chief Tomi Akingbogun was elected as the new FTAN president. The election was on July 31.

    Intercontinental Hotel’s inroad into Nigeria

    The 23-storey-building is regarded by many as the first truly five-star hotel in Nigeria. It is a N30 billion five-star hotel funded by Skye and Wema banks. The hotel was opened on October 6 this year.

    The hotel, located on Victoria Island, has 352 rooms. The hotel was declared open by the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola. He described the hotel as “a worthy investment that has further closed the gap in the deficit of world-class hospitality infrastructure in the state.”

    Beyond the empowerment and development of skilled professionals in the hospitality sector, the governor said the five-star hotel complemented the Lagos mega city vision and urged more investors to take advantage of the friendly environment the state was offering them to expand their businesses.

    Ramesh Valechha, chairman, Milan Group, said the luxurious hotel was a commitment and right investment made in the economy of Lagos State and Nigerian hospitality industry at large. He said InterContinental Lagos was possible through a partnership funding by Skye Bank and Wema Bank that saw the need to assist in getting a five-star property for the growing high-profile guests that deserving quality accommodation in Nigeria’s commercial capital.

    With 650 Nigerians and 24 expatriates as employees, the chairman said the hotel was poised to offer world-class hospitality offerings, professional training that will ensure new career paths in the hospitality industry and empowerment to Nigerians, among others.

    The Nigerian hospitality industry, in the last couple of years, has seen a major endorsement and confidence from the world top hospitality brands as each of them is making efforts to have foothold in the country. Virtually all, with the exception of some few, currently have property they are managing in the country.

    AMCON takes over TINAPA

    When the first phase of the Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort was commissioned on April2, 2007, it was like finally Nigeria was about to emerge from the tourism wilderness into a real destination for business and leisure. But so far, the resort has lived up to the vision and hype that heralded the opening. There are so many reasons for this. They include the interference by the Nigerian Customs, bad roads and many others.

    However, respite came the way of the resort in October when the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) came to the rescue of the ailing resort by buying over the majority shares of the resort. Speaking on the acquisition, the government of Cross River State said it decided to divest so that it put the money saved in other areas of activities to solve the problem.

    By the agreement, AMCON is to buy back Tinapa’s debts totalling N18.5bn and provide N26bn for the revitalisation and resuscitation of the resort to reposition it as a private sector driven enterprise.

    The Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort was inaugurated in 2007 by President Olusegun Obasanjo with the aim of boosting the socio-economic development of not just Cross River State, but the country at large.

    However, the project taunted to be the “Dubai of Africa,” had been faced with several challenges which had hampered the achievement of its objectives.

    Over the years, the state government had explored several avenues to ensure the realization of the objectives for which Tinapa was established.

    Following the inability of the resort to meet desired expectations of the state government, core investors, especially banks and some LGAs, realized that the most viable option to salvage Tinapa was to seek a private sector equity investment and divestment of significant interest of the state in the project

  • Radisson Blu fetes customers

    Radisson Blu fetes customers

    Radisson Blu in Victoria Island, Lagos organized an end of the year cocktail party for its customers. It was an evening of excitement with good music and much to eat and drink.

    Speaking at the event, the marketing manager, Mrs. Anna Ajose, said the reason for the cocktail was to thank the hotel’s customers for their support throughout the year.

    She said the year had been competitive, but the hotel was able to get a reasonable market share.

    On the hotels’ aim for the new year, Ajose said the coming year, with the plans the management of the hotel had developed, would be equally good for the hotel more so with the presence of the new general manager from Germany who, according to her, would bring his wealth of experience to bear on the activities of the hotel

  • Dove Event Centre opens in Lagos

    Dove Event Centre opens in Lagos

    A new leisure and relaxation centre was added to the Festac area of Lagos as The Dove threw its doors open for business.

    Speaking on the centre, the managing director, Mr. Olumuyiwa Fagbola, said the centre was a one-stop centre where all necessary facilities like a VIP lounge for royal and special guests, a changing room, a children mini-hall,a cold room, amongst other facilities, are provided for the maximum comfort of users.

    The place was commissioned by the Special Adviser to the Governor of Lagos State on Commerce, Hon. Oluseye Oladejo.

    Hon. Oladejo said the Lagos State government was determined to keep promoting commerce and industry in the state by investing heavily in road construction and other necessary infrastructure to enhance business growth.

    Hon. Oladejo spoke in Lagos at the weekend while commissioning The Dove, a multipurpose event centre located at Festac Town in Amuwo Odofin area of the Lagos metropolis.

    He commended the owners for researching well on the location of the centre.

    Hon. Oladejo called on the business community to keep reciprocating the good gesture of the state government to cater for their needs by ensuring to discharge their duties to the government through prompt and regular payment of their taxes.

    The special adviser, who was accompanied by the chairman of the Amuwo Odofin local government council, Hon. Ayodele Adewale, to formally commissioned and presented the event centre to the general pubic, noted that The Dove with all modern facilities will create opportunities for those in the hospitality and event planning business to recommend the usage of the venue to their clients.