SIR: The Ilorin Amusement Park situated along the Unity-Taiwo axis used to be a rendezvous for all manner of merriments, enjoyments and entertainments. Established in the 80’s/90’s, it was unarguably a heritage that Ilorin, and by extension, Kwara State could always boast of come rain come shine. Saying this institution received a huge patronage which means an increase in the state’s revenue is needless as it was an open secret.
Usually, my festive period, just like that of many other kiddies, was incomplete without a visit to this park. Indeed, it was a place to behold. I can recall vividly that whenever I went for Ileya in my hometown, Kwara, I always aspired to visit the park. The gate fee then used to be around N50. It was in this park my trajectory of learning how to ride a bicycle started as they were always in multitude for whoever wished to rent. The playground also used to receive me in audience as I found many kiddies like me catching fun therein. In fact, after gaining entrance into the park, I wouldn’t come out until we were coerced to do. This is to show how interesting the amusement park used to be.
Were the late eminent sons of Ilorin like Mohammed Lawal, AbdulkareemAdisa, Tunde Idiagbon, Olusola Saraki and many others to wake up from their resting points, the sorry state of the park would jolt them. Today, the amusement park has been turned into a parking lots, toilet and dumpsite of sorts. How a tourist and recreation centre they left functioning well and fine transmogrified into a deserted area and forest so soon will amaze these men of yore. In fact, were they to wake up today, they will express doubt in the reality of that place being used as a park hitherto as it has now turned out to be a bush.
Indeed, if there is any legacy of the current leadership in Kwara, it is the continuation of the ugly trend of looking the other way – ably spearheaded by BukolaSaraki – whenever attention was called to the state of quagmire of state-owned structures. Nothing is cheery about the state-owned structures in Kwara. From schools, to hospitals, to the courts, ministries, down to our agencies and many more, all are simply begging for a complete overhaul. You may disagree. All you need to do is to go to our Fire Service.
The pathetic thing, however, is that our governor-general and governor have been looking the other way. The more they are reminded of the decaying state of our structures, the quicker they are to make comparison with Lagos, a state that has left Kwara behind in terms of infrastructural development and overall development though created in the same year. Pray, what have we done to deserve this?
The management of Rosellas Amusement Park in Lagos has appealed to the state government to clear the dumpsite near it.
Its Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ololade Abraham, made the appeal when he spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
Abraham said the challenge coupled with the incessant flooding that used to affect the park and its environs might lead the park into extinction.
“I need the state government’s support by providing a good location for the park from its present site,” he said.
According to him, the park may soon close down due to insufficient funds to run it and also stench oozing from the dumpsite closer to it.
He appealed to the government to save his park, stressing that workers employed there and their families would be negatively affected if the park close down.
Ololade listed some parks in the state that had folded up to include: the Leisure Park, Fantasy Land, Family fun and Kid zone.
“All these parks were tourism sites in the state when they were functioning. They contributed to the tourism prospective of the state and were providing job opportunities to many youths then.”
Fun resort Hi-Impact Planet Amusement Park has unveiled programmes for the Yuletide.
According to the Chief Executive Officer of Solutions Media Platform Limited, Prince Adeyanju Lipede, the firm will from Friday begin a two-pack offer for holiday makers with its bouquet of entertainment and hospitality.
Lipede said facilities at the amusement park on the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway have been upgraded to accommodate guests.
He said facilities at the park were comparable to those obtainable in other parts of the world.
Lipede said with the facilities at the park, Nigerians no longer needed to travel out for fun.
The government, he said, could assist with infrastructure including power supply and accessible road network as part of steps to boost tourism.
Nigeria, Lipede said, should develop its tourism and entertainment industry, in order to get out of recession.
Lipede said: “Tourism and entertainment are the best business in the world and in Nigeria we need to develop them as one of the ways to get out of recession.
“This has become true because crude oil prices are not stable, even the quantity exported has reduced. At Hi-Impact Planent Amusement, we are creating value for Nigerians that want to recreate at home instead of travelling abroad. This will assist to reduce the cost. I hope that someday every holiday maker will know that there is a need to plan for it. But, in Nigeria it is strange because we are not a credit planning people. But, we are open to discussion with any Nigerian bank that is interested in designing a leisure package.”
Fun-seeking children and their parents living in Magodo-Shangisha area of Kosofe Local Government Area of Lagos State may now heave a sigh of relief as FunPlex Amusement Park has commenced business on the CMD Road, Shangisha. The Managing Director of Allied Thrust & Systems (Nigeria) Limited, ATS, owners of the facility, Mr. Emeka Nwasike said the Amusement Park was established to service the need of children and their parents living in the neighbourhood as well as those dwelling in Ikosi, Ketu, Omole for entertainment and fun.
Nwasike said the Amusement Park hosts a bouquet of activities such as Pirate Ship, Carousel, Frog Jumping, Ocean wave flying chair, Bumper cars, Bug one Train, Sand pit, and Bouncing Castle which can variously get children relaxed and entertained. Before now, schools and churches in the vicinity used to take their students and children out on excursions and camp out because there was no such Amusement Parks in the area .
Nwasike said FunPlex is ready to enter into partnership with any school and church whose focus is provision of fun, enlightenment, and entertainment for its students and children. His words: “Our wealth of experience in entertainment and hospitality has not only given us an insight to what people want but also made us an outstanding organisation known for Quality Driven Services. We promise professionalism, excellent service delivery, ethical practices, quality standards and many more.”
Nwasike said FunPlex occupies over 3000sq meters, providing a breathtaking atmosphere, safety and thrilling experience. He assured prospective customers of fun and entertainment at the Amusement Park as ATS specialises in creating exciting and exhilarating moments for kids, families, schools and churches.
Families in the nation need to create more time for entertainment to develop bond and reduce stress, a tourism expert, Adjunt Professor Olufunmilade Adeyemi, has declared.
Lamenting the absence of family entertainment culture, Adeyemi said the proposed take-off of the Lekki Dinosaur Park in the next 18-24 months will seek to address the lacuna.
Adeyemi, who is the brain behind the project, said it will usher the nation into the burgeoning global theme park market.
Nigeria, he said, is more than ready for the concept based on its growing young population and commitment to family entertainment.
He declared the park powered by Crownsworth Nubian Company will be handled by expertise engineers and consultants from the United States, Greece, China and Nigeria.
Adeyemi said consultants from Italy, USA, UAE and China will also be involved in the project.
On the make-up of the park, he said: “It will have over 40 animatronics dinosaurs created from the same makers of the dinosaurs seen at the Jurrasic park movie.
“This projects aims to give Lagosians and Nigerians quality entertainment as well as boast Nigerians family livelihood which is something lacking.”
When completed, he said the project will be residential with families free to enjoy the natural ambience and special effects in the park.
The children milled in front of the gate to the park in expectation not minding the stern looking policemen stationed to man the gate. They waited impatiently not necessarily because there was an invitation extended to them to come there. They must have heard the fun spot is ready and being Children’s Day, what better place was there to spend the day than the park?
The day was far gone, but the children kept hope alive. Finally, around 3:00pm, a lady in yellow top and black jeans came and informed the policemen that the children should be allowed to go in. They overheard her and rushed to enter.
They milled and pushed themselves in and sprinted from the parking area down to the main gate of the park.
Inside, there were cups of chilled Coca- cola products to refresh with. They then dashed to the fun area. It was very obvious that these children both from rich and poor homes had been longing for a place like this.
The first impression one gets on entering the park is the feeling that one is in one of those fun spots that dot the city. The buildings are built in the Arabian style architecture. The flat top with horns, the dark yellow paint and the rough wall all remind one of Dubai Jumeirah. This is a kind of mini Jumeirah tucked inside Apapa.
Some years ago, the Apapa Amusement Park used to be the number one leisure spot for family entertainment. Families trooped to the leisure spot for healthy family entertainment. That was before the rot set in and the park fell into decay and at the end of the day collapsed.
Years after, just as the Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola administration in Lagos was winding up, a couple of tourist offerings were added to the state, giving residents and tourist visitors options for entertainment and relaxation. A few weeks after the commissioning of the family fun park at the Lekki Conservation Centre in Lekki, another major family fun spot was added. The Apapa Amusement Park is back and better.
The park tucked opposite the Apapa General Hospital, the new place has upped the ante in terms of choice fun spot for family. The park has just done a soft opening last Wednesday in honour of former Governor Fashola.
The Lagos State government had concessioned it to the company to redevelop and bring back the former fun of the place.
The new Apapa Amusement Park is bigger and with better facilities than what were there before. In addition, there has been an addition of conference centre and indoor game facilities. There is also a mini-football field for visitors.
Entering the game area, on the right is the rocket, the tea cup, carousel, pirate ship and many other games were all available. It is a place that one could easily spend the whole day without knowing.
The managing director of Crystal Cubies Construction Company, the company the park was concessioned to, Mr. Rabih Jaafar, spoke about the new Apapa Amusement Park.
He said the company had to start from the scratch. “When we came here, our engineer, that is our partner, had the vision of an amusement park that he had seen in Dubai. All these buildings you see, they are like what you see in Dubai’s Jumeirah, so he had the vision of building a kind of a smaller version of Jumeirah because of the land.
“That is what we have done here. For the rides, we went through children and adults. It is not only for children. There are amusement facilities for teenagers and adults also. They will be improved upon in the near future,”Jaafar said.
He talked about the facilities so far put in place and what would be added in future.
bumper cars
“There is the disco ride. It is for adults. It can take 24 persons. There is also the bumper cars for adults and children, the carousel for children and adults, the rockets, the pirate ship for children, the spinner and the tea cup for children.
“ We also have an air bicycle for fun and exercise. It is not electrically operated, you paddle it. With the children playing at the carousel, the adults could have fun with the air bicycle and still monitor them from the top.
“It is a total fun spot for the family. You can come here and spend your day easily having fun. We will have snacks, pop-corn and ice-cream points.
“There is the 7-D cinema facility. We have indoor games. We are going to add an arcade in the next two or three months. Hopefully there will be gym and conference facilities.
“With what we have here on ground, there is no need to go out of Lagos. Sorry to say it, now there is not a place to go and spend the full day in family entertainment. That is what we have here. It is a good place for tourists to come to while in Lagos.
“ We brought in experts to put this together. They have done it in Lebanon and in Senegal. This is their second construction in Africa. In Lebanon, they have done about seven. This is the second one in Africa.
“If things go well, we are thinking of building others within Lagos and later out of Lagos. We have offers to build outside Lagos, but we first want to put this one on sound footing”,he said.
Some of the parents that brought their children to the park commented also. “It is a pleasure to have such a place here in Apapa. It is a place that I will always bring my children. They really had a good time” said Mrs. Atinuke Ajao who came with two children.
Although almost every thing needed for families to have a good time has been put in the place, the management of the park said what was done on the Children’s Day was simply a soft opening for children to also feel the facilities and enjoy themselves for that day.
The doors of the park would be fully thrown wide open to fun lovers in the middle of July at the end of the Ramadan.
The Lagos State Government yesterday got a December 2014 completion date commitment from Messrs Nars Limited, winner of the bid for the new Apapa Amusement Park.
At a memorandum of understanding signing ceremony which took place in the presence of the chairman of the Lagos chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Otunba Oladele Ajomale, and other top officials of government, Nars Managing Director, Mr. Ibrahim Heider, assured government of his commitment to deliver “world class tourist destination latest December 2014 in appreciation of his selection.
He said: “From the ashes of the old Amusement Park demolished in April last year, would emerge 13 amusement and entertainment rides for children and adults, gaming machines, cinema, gift shops, sewage, security and medical facilities that would meet international standard.”
According to him, the new park is projected to serve about 10,000 people monthly, with a daily patronage put at between 1,000 to 2,000, while it would have a parking lot that could cater for 1,000 vehicles daily.
He assured Lagosians of the readiness of his company to bring back the old nostalgia of the Apapa Amusement Park, as no effort would be spared in making the place a real park to relax and recreate, have fun and regenerate.
The Commissioner for Tourism and Inter-governmental Relations, Mr. Disun Holloway, described the event as another significant milestone that underscores the success story of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in the state.
According to him, government had to take the painful decision to demolish the old park in April 2012, after observing that all the equipment installed since 1975 when it was opened had become obsolete and no longer suitable for use.
He said Nars Ltd, which emerged winner, came tops in a keenly contested process that saw six other companies bidding for the concessioning right to reconstruct, own and operate the park and obtained the governor’s approval only after the process had been evaluated by the PPP office as well as the State Tenders Board (STB) in line with the laid down procedure.
