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THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012
Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan with his deputy, Professor Amos Utuama, at the event
•Princess Oyefusi
five kilometres from Udu, just a stone throw from Delta Steel Company which currently not in op-
eration. The chief executive officer of the private sector group undertaking the
project, Sarner PFM, is Princess Abiodun Oyefusi. On the project, she said: “It is surprising that Nigeria with a population of 150 million does not have a world- cass tourism and entertainment centre. We are to complete the project in October 2014 because of the swampy land. “It is going to take about eight months to reclaim the land. Most of what you see in that brochure is actually a construction masterplan. It is not a concept anymore. This is what it is going to look like; this what we are going to put in it and other different aspects of the plans. “I believe it is an opportunity for Nigerians to own part of it because after constructing it, we are going to sell it to the public so that we have joint ownership. This is a public limited liability company. We can and we will complete it because of the investment behind it. “It is a private initiative. The funds to build the park are coming from a few people like the governor explained. What the government gave us was land. When we got here, there was no access. Now, the bridge has opened up the
Titbits
place for us and different communities out there. The government owns 10 per cent of the park because of the land that they gave us.“ Oyefusi was asked what they are putting in place to make sure the project does not end up not achieving the vision it was set up for like Tinapa in Cross River State. She said: “I do not know what happened in Tinapa. I do not know what their plans were. But we tell you, watch us. When we talk about the theme park, like most things, it is not the business of government to build a theme park. That is why here it is built and managed by a purely private organization, and when you are using the private sector’s money, you have to use it for what it is meant for. So the initiative is there and the drive is there. This theme park is not for the affluent; it is for everybody in Nigeria. Children under seven can be brought here. A family of five can come in with about N3,500. “So, our own concept is different from the Tinapa concept. There is always the concept that you learn from other people’s mistakes. We will look at what exactly went wrong there. A lot of factors could have affected it, like the socioeconomic factor. There is the political factor, there is the community factor, all sorts of factors that could have affected Tinapa, but we are not beating our own drum before we actually get there. “Tinapa was all over the place. Everybody in Europe knew Tinapa. So we’ve learnt from that. We said we want people to see what we are doing before we shout. Let them actually see what is going on. Seeing is believing.” Among those present at the event was the Minister of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke,the Deputy Governor of Delta State, Professor Amos Utuama, the former manging director Duiness PLC, Chief Abel Ubeku, and many others
Ex-tourism director becomes Owatapa of Itapa Ekiti
ners cited, lauded the NTDC initiative reaffirming his confidence in the corporation, saying, “NTDC has done it before and is doing it again, but we cannot say the same thing about other government agencies” He further said that NTDC’s move had completely changed the perception of the private sector towards government agencies because of the NTDC/NTA partnership geared towards assisting the hotel owners. He concluded by thanking Startimes Cable Service for the cooperation, noting that it was a new dimension in public private partnership.
HE presentation of T instrument and staff of office to Oba David
•Makanjuola
Makanjuola Ajaja, Ilufemiloye Ola III, Owatapa of Itapa Ekiti who was installed November 27 will be performed today by His Excellency, Dr Kayode Fayemi, Executive Governor, Ekiti State in Itapa – Ekiti at 10am prompt. The monarch was born on April 11, 1952 to the famous families of the late Pa Micheal Mese Ajaja and the late Olori Madam Abigial Tinuola. He attended St Philomena Catholic School, Itapa Ekiti and Methodist Primary School Orin Ekiti
for his early education. He later proceeded to Methodist Secondary Modern School ,Itapa – Ekiti , Egbeoba High School and Ise Emure Grammar School for his secondary school education. The new Owa Tapa of Itapa Ekiti enrolled at the then University of Ife, IleIfe where he bagged first and second degrees in History and PhD in International Relations from the University of Abuja. Oba Ajaja worked with the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) where he just retired as Acting Director, Planning, Research and Statistics.
•Kenya’sVP in a warm handshake with Otunba Akinboboye
Kenya’s VP tours La Campagne Tropicana Resort
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ENYA’S Vice President Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka, during his recent visit to Nigeria, toured La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort, Ikegun, Ibeju-Lekki Council Area, Lagos State recently. The visit was aimed at having a first experience of the Africa-themed beach resort. He was received along with his son, Ken, by the President, La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort, Otunba Wanle Akinboboye. Musyoka, who said he was impressed by the resort, commended its management for its work. He said: “I am highly fascinated by the three components of a tourism destination embedded in the resort, that is, freshwater lagoon tourism, beach tourism and mangrove forest tourism, all in one place and encapsulated in a highly cosmopolitan cultural presentation.” He was conducted round the resort’s facilities where he inspected the Freshwater Lagoon Osho Bungalows, Mangrove Forest Anago Bungalows and the Ocean Front Obieze Bungalows. He later commended the resort for its distinct cleanliness. In his closing remark, Otunba Akinboboye thanked the visiting statesman for taking time out of his very tight schedule to visit the resort and Lagos State, adding that “the state is blessed with over 180 km of beach front and that Lagos State is highly interested in tourism development.” He posited that Africa must collaborate by teaching one another in their respective areas of expertise. According to him, “I will like to see how Kenya can come to the aid of Nigeria to support her in tourism development in view of Kenya’s many years of experience and focus in tourism development.”
•From left: GM, Southern Sun Ikoyi Hotel, Mr. Mark Loxley, Mrs Lola Adefope of HSG and Ubong Nseobot of Southern Sun at the hotel’s quarterly cocktail
‘Tourism can stimulate trade and development’
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ARTICIPANTS at a major United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD XIII) have underscored the role of tourism as a vital service sector, contributing to GDP and employment in developed and developing countries alike. The theme of the conference: Towards Inclusive and Sustainable Growth and Development, focuses on how the global economy can spread its benefits more inclusively and sustainably, creating jobs and raising living standards for poor people and nations. Currently ranking among the top three export sectors for nearly half of the world’s least developed countries (LDCs), tourism has emerged as one of the economic sectors best able to address these concerns. With tourism growth rates in developing countries currently outperforming those in developed countries, tourism today is one of the most promising and viable options for global development.