Four Years Ago In Akwa Ibom State
By Clement Ikpatt
Four years ago, Udom Emmanuel was elected to govern from the continuity platform and what I call conventional tourism was in the upswing in Akwa Ibom State. All modern infrastructure were in place for a robust, multifaceted and modern tourism sector.
By May 2015, Akwa Ibom State had fought her way into the global tourism mao; whoever heard about Nigeria was told about the fastest growing tourists’ destination – Akwa Ibom State. They wanted to visit and invest in Godswill Akpabio’s land of limitless possibilities.
The Le Meridien Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort was the tourists’ nest in Akwa Ibom State: there was never enough room for conventions, retreats, meetings, family fun and international lime light.
But, in just one year, Udom Emmanuel killed and cremated the Akwa Ibom tourism sector. Not only were Starwood Group and Le Meridien management painfully forced to leave, medical tourism by way of Ibom Specialist Hospital became stillborn. Udom Emmanuel did not fulfill contract obligations with the experts.
The Tropicana Entertainment Complex was spitefully abandoned. Udom Emmanuel locked up the already completed mall. Also, he squooshed the top shelf Wet and Dry Park and abandoned the 17 storey hotel building that remains under construction and for which containers load of furniture are rotting away or likely stolen.
Every modern city prides in her own smart Convention Center. Governor Godswill Akpabio started the construction of our own 10,000 seats Convention Center, but Udom Emmanuel killed the must have vision. Instead, Udom Emmanuel fantasizes about an International Worship Center that he cannot build.
Uyo couldn’t handle the tourism upswing as visitors surged into town. So, then Gov. Akpabio constructed and completed a landmark hotel in Ikot Ekpene – the Four Points Sheraton Hotel (see attached pictures). Again, Udom Emmanuel collected the keys and buried them in pettiness; he killed the landmark vision.
In all these four miserable years with Udom Emmanuel as governor, Akwa Ibomites are being shortchanged in thousands of tourism sector jobs while revenue that could have been internally generated is lost forever.
By Clement Ikpatt
Thursday, May 23, 2019
Four years ago, Udom Emmanuel was elected to govern from the continuity platform and what I call conventional tourism was in the upswing in Akwa Ibom State. All modern infrastructure were in place for a robust, multifaceted and modern tourism sector.
By May 2015, Akwa Ibom State had fought her way into the global tourism mao; whoever heard about Nigeria was told about the fastest growing tourists’ destination – Akwa Ibom State. They wanted to visit and invest in Godswill Akpabio’s land of limitless possibilities.
The Le Meridien Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort was the tourists’ nest in Akwa Ibom State: there was never enough room for conventions, retreats, meetings, family fun and international lime light.
But, in just one year, Udom Emmanuel killed and cremated the Akwa Ibom tourism sector. Not only were Starwood Group and Le Meridien management painfully forced to leave, medical tourism by way of Ibom Specialist Hospital became stillborn. Udom Emmanuel did not fulfill contract obligations with the experts.
The Tropicana Entertainment Complex was spitefully abandoned. Udom Emmanuel locked up the already completed mall. Also, he squooshed the top shelf Wet and Dry Park and abandoned the 17 storey hotel building that remains under construction and for which containers load of furniture are rotting away or likely stolen.
Every modern city prides in her own smart Convention Center. Governor Godswill Akpabio started the construction of our own 10,000 seats Convention Center, but Udom Emmanuel killed the must have vision. Instead, Udom Emmanuel fantasizes about an International Worship Center that he cannot build.
Uyo couldn’t handle the tourism upswing as visitors surged into town. So, then Gov. Akpabio constructed and completed a landmark hotel in Ikot Ekpene – the Four Points Sheraton Hotel (see attached pictures). Again, Udom Emmanuel collected the keys and buried them in pettiness; he killed the landmark vision.
In all these four miserable years with Udom Emmanuel as governor, Akwa Ibomites are being shortchanged in thousands of tourism sector jobs while revenue that could have been internally generated is lost forever.
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