Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, has stressed his commitment to the speedy execution of the Oyorokoto Beach Resort project, in order to make Rivers State a tourism hub in Nigeria.
Fubara made the pledge on Monday at Government House, Port Harcourt during a ceremony where the Federal Government and the Rivers State Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding ( MoU) to advance the Renewed Hope Cultural Project, an initiative of the Federal Government designed to expand the creative economic sector in the country.
He noted that Rivers in the last three years, had invested a lot of in the tourism sector in order to develop leisure spots, create jobs and diversify the local economy.
Fubara said: “We have invested in expanding the tourism sector of Rivers State. Some months ago, the project for the new Tourist Beach which we embarked upon in partnership with Landmark kicked off. They’ve already started their work and from what they promised, by this December the first phase will be unveiled and made ready for public use.”
Fubara, noted that some aspects of the Renewed Hope Cultural Project made his administration to initiate the Ngô- Atlantic Oyorokoto Road project in Andoni Local Government Area of the state.
“It is a project that will open up that axis of Rivers State. The Oyorokoto Beach is one of the best beaches in this country. Today, I can tell you that all over the internet, I’ve been seeing pictures of elephants, lions and other sorts of wildlife that are being showcased as part of the tourist attractions on that new road,” he said.
He also observed that infrastructure development is not just about building roads, bridges and hospitals but also about building an economy for entertainment and relaxation. He said that in Europe and some of the Middle East countries such as United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar, their economies are not just boosted by their good roads but also by the hospitality industry they have created to provide comfort and relaxation to tourists.
“If not for this crisis in Iran, the closest tourism destination that everybody yearns for is Dubai, to go to there and enjoy.
“So what we are trying to do here is, if we can’t go to Dubai, let’s provide our own Dubai in Rivers State. If we can’t go to Qatar, let’s provide our own Qatar or Spain in Oyorokoto,” he said.
Fubara assured that Rivers will sign the agreement, and also put up something visible in the next four months, thanking the Federal Government for picking Rivers as one of the key states for the project.
He added that both parties to the MoU will work as partners in progress.
The Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa signed the MoU on behalf of the Federal Government, while the Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Culture, Mr Ishmael Tomonialadeokuma, signed on behalf of the state.
The Minister described the project as timely adding that it is in line with the desire of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ensure collaboration between the Federal Government and the various states on expanding the creative industry in the country.
She noted that the main goal of the project is economic diversification and expansion as well as job creation. She hailed Governor Fubara for what his administration has done in the area of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, describing it as been very vast.
” I’m very glad today that we have signed this Mou on the Renewed Hope Cultural Project. It is a project that spans across the Arts Culture, Tourism and Creative industry. It is really to catch up with what you have already done in the state. It is to see what we can do at the federal level to support you so that we can use it as a Tourism, Cultural and Creative hub as well as an Arts space.
“Mr President wants us not to work in silos but to work together with the different sub nationals to see how the Federal Government can support all your efforts in the state.
“We have to collaborate and share our vision with the state. It is not complete if the FG does not collaborate with Rivers State. In fact it is one of the low hanging fruits .
“So, I’m very glad today that we have signed this Mou on the Renewed Hope Cultural Project. It is a project that spans across the Arts Culture, Tourism and Creative industry. It is really to catch up with what you have already done in the state. It is to see what we can do at the federal level to support you so that we can use it as a Tourism, Cultural and Creative hub as well as an Arts space.
“In coming into Rivers State, I can see that there is a huge diverse culture. Rivers State is one of the low hanging fruits…”
