Eno laments abandonment of Tropicana entertainment centre in Awka Ibom

Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State has lamented that the Tropicana entertainment complex in Uyo was abandoned after the State Government had sunk huge amount into the project.

The project was initiated by former Governor Godswill Akpabio and the contract was awarded to Silverbird Production. It consists of a cinema hall, a conference centre, a theme park for children and a hotel.

While the cinema hall was turned into a shopping mall after it was modified and completed by former Governor Udom Emmanuel, just as other aspects of the project were abandoned.

Speaking after an unscheduled inspection of the facilities, Governor Eno stated that the facilities could not continue to waste off, considering the volume of funds already sunk into the projects by previous administration.

“You need to know how much we have sunk into these projects. And, you need to know how much of Akwa Ibom money is invested here. Akwa Ibom State is fast becoming a tourist destination. So, we need to tidy up these projects to effectively build up our digital economy.

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“If our focus is on building a world class economy in terms of diversification, we can’t do without an International Conference Centre like this which sits about 5,000 people at a go, and also boasts of breakout rooms.

“We also have this hotel with about 200 rooms tied up to the International Convention Centre. This place also has a shopping city as well as a theme park which we are about to go into a Public Private Partnership arrangement”, he noted.

Governor Eno said the unscheduled inspection of the facilities was to bring out the best in terms of appropriate interactions with the workers, observance of the quality of work done, timely completion of the project and execution according to specifications.

“What motivates me in all these inspections is the amount of money put in these projects. We are elected to serve the people; and, you put your mind where your money is. So, we have to restart this construction, and I love unscheduled inspection to see what is happening and ascertain if the workers are on site.

“It is not just enough to give a contract. There is a schedule –a timeline. We need to visit sites to know if the timeline is realistic or do we have any challenge anywhere? So, when you come to the site, you are able to deal with the issues right there and then,” he explained.

Speaking further, he said “For me, I was taught way back in my business school class that, in Africa, you get what you inspect, you don’t get what you expect. So, that principle helps me a lot.

“Besides, we are officially flagging off these projects next week, and I needed to see and know what is on the ground to be able to say exactly as it is without any contradictions after the flag off. And, the best way to inspect this work is to do it unscheduled.”