When Tinapa Business Resort, and international trade zone – like those in Dubai, Durban, and elsewhere – was conceived by the then Cross River State Governor, Donald Duke, many doubted the possibility of its success.
Some argued that Cross River did not have the financial muscle and Tinapa was another white elephant project to siphon public funds into private pockets.
But after a long labour, Duke proved everyone wrong when the ‘new edition baby’ was delivered and got commissioned by former President Olusegun Obasanjo. That endeared Duke to even the critics.
Tinapa Resort comprises super malls, shops, cinema centres, conference halls, a three-star hotel, park view, and all that conveys the currency of the elite.
It is located in the Calabar metropolis on a serene expanse of land dotted with mountains and rounded with a greenery of lurches and trees, tipping towards a coastal drive.
Limping with $450m investment
But for almost a decade, and with about $450 million spent, Tinapa is still limping and now joining the league of failed projects in Nigeria with stakeholders, including the Cross River State government, yet to reap a dime.
Debt incurred is about N70 billion.
But for the cinema centre and the Lake View Hotel that are operating at a minimal level, the entire place is a jungle of ruins with assets worth over $100 million.
Several factors led to the sorry sight.
A major one is the refusal of the federal government to concede Tinapa since it is on the Exclusive List as an Export Free Trade Zone, with the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) barring business from thriving there.
But a federal government source denied the allegation, claiming that stakeholders are the cause of problem.
“Do not blame the Customs or the federal government. The problem is caused by the stakeholders who are to dredge the shallow river so that it can be used by huge vessels.
“Uncountable court injunctions by them is what is causing the harm. The moment everything is normal, the dredging will commence and everything will take off,” he said.
Not like Alaba Market
Others linked Tinapa’s problem to its elitist status.
“I thought it would be a place like Alaba Market (in Lagos) where we, the local people, could go and sell our local produce and other wares.
“But what we see is that only the elite can go there. I have never seen dollars in my entire life; rather naira is used to trade.
“Another thing is the witches and wizards of our area. You know we Africans don’t like good things. We pray to God to come to our aid,” a taxi driver said.
CICC meant to complement Tinapa
Tinapa is reportedly the major cause of the rift between Duke and former Governor Liyel Imoke.
Rather than lifting Tinapa from its doldrums, Imoke had embarked on a similar project, the Calabar International Convention Centre (CICC), a short distance from Tinapa.
Imoke’s former Chief Press Secretary, Christian Ita, said the man is not happy with the situation because the convention centre is meant to complement Tinapa, with a monorail linking both.
Ita added: “The CICC is already working even as we are completing the work. People have started booking for events. It has been a long time project which Imoke has been working on.
“There is no such place in the entire sub-region and the former governor was desirous to create one. Good enough, it is located a foot distance from Tinapa, so it will cushion the sorry state of Tinapa.
“Saying that Imoke was competing with Donald Duke is not a good thing. The CICC and Tinapa are not the same. The facilities there are far different from what we have in the CICC with each meant to synergise the other.
“And the truth is, while Tinapa is international, the CICC is local with all players involved, not a select few, which I think has caused Tinapa so much miscarriage.”
Tinapa boss optimistic
However, Tinapa Chief Executive Officer, Bassey Ndem, is optimistic about the resort, saying its free trade status has received political approval which the Customs would soon match with the necessary paperwork.
He explained that the target group is Nigerian traders who are exploited by foreigners.
Said Ndem: “Our target customers don’t watch Nigerian television, they watch CNN. To them, Nigeria is not glamorous. We want them to associate Tinapa in their minds with Dubai or Paris.
“We are concerned about traders who jump on the plane every two weeks to Dubai or the Far East, and those who would like to but can’t because they don’t have a visa or they can’t afford the flight.
“These are the people who will make up the numbers we need.”
