By ETIM ETIM
A journalist friend of mine, Chijioke, came into Uyo on Friday from Port Harcourt and requested to visit The Arise Palm Resort and the Medical Corridor, two of Gov. Umo Eno’s pet projects. ‘’I have heard a lot about them and I want to see things for myself’’, he told me. Chijioke is an avid tennis player; a member of the Port Harcout Club and Deputy President, South-South Interclub Tennis Association – the lawn tennis association of the Niger Delta. Emem Akpabio is the President. I quickly contacted the Commissioner for Health and Commissioner for Information and requested them to arrange a tour for my friend. Chijioke is from Enugu, lives in PH, but is very familiar with, and fond of Akwa Ibom. He retired from NDDC a few years ago as a director and his last portfolio was corporate communications. When Obong Nsima Ekere and Dr. Effiong Akwa were the MD of NDDC, Akwa Ibom was Chijioke’s second home. Chijioke was a reporter for Daily Times in the 1980s when I was with The Guardian. We have come a long way and he’s a damn good writer.
When I called Aniekan Umana, the Information Commissioner, and told him about Chijioke’s interest in visiting the Park, he replied: ‘’I know him. Is he still at NDDC’’? Aniekan quickly rose to the occasion and arranged a tour for Chijioke. As I stepped out of church this afternoon, Chijioke called. ‘’We are already at ARISE Palm Resort. This place is massive’’, he cooed in his baritone voice. A poet, Chijioke has a way with words. I rushed home, changed into jeans and sped off to meet them. Truly, ARISE Palm Resort is massive, extensive and it can pass for a city within city of Uyo. It reminds me of IITA in Ibadan, built like a small US town inside Ibadan. ARISE is clearly the biggest government-owned investment after Ibom Air. If well managed, it would be the most visited tourist attraction in the country.
I have written on this facility before, but taking a tour of it is a different experience. It’s a sprawling, well-designed and well-laid out family leisure facility. There are tennis courts; swimming pool; golf course; football pitch; gym with squash court & club house; conference center; floating restaurants and bar; a lake; residential apartments and children’s playground. Adjoining it is a well-manicured estate of palm trees suitable for picnics or hiking. A film village, to be known as Creative Village, including a movie academy, is being planned as part of the Park. It’s a breathtaking view and to think that this was once a gully erosion site is to marvel at the power of vision.
How will this facility make money and return on the huge investments? This project cannot cost less than N200 billion, in my estimation, and my expectation is that it would be fully ready in another six months or so. In may last article on the Park, I suggested that the government should outsource its management to a renowned hospitality management firm that can run it profitably and make money for the state. The suggestion is still valid. But I am not referring to the Sheraton-kind of management that would be demanding payments from the government.
If Ibom Air has become the lodestone for the Akwa Ibom brand, Arise Palm Resort should be the lodestar of the emerging tourism ecosystem in the state. With foreign travels becoming increasingly difficult for Nigerians, this facility would be marketed and presented to the rest of the nation as the alternative to Dubai or Disney. I commend Gov. Eno for the vision and the courage to drive it.
ETIM ETIM is a veteran journalist and PR professional with over 35 years of cognate experience.
He is the publisher and editor-in-chief of Policy & Politics (www.policyandpolitics.com.ng), an online newspaper dedicated to insightful analysis of Nigerian news and world’s report. He is also a columnist with BusinessDay and The Cable and is a regular contributor to other newspapers.
Contact: +234802 3159969 (WhatsApp Only)
