Governor. Donald Duke and the Tinapa Project: Waste of resources?

By

Usman Yerima

usmanyerima_mantu@yahoo.com

Quite honestly I would like to see Duke run and be elected President not because I think he has done a fantastic job, but simply because he is not IBB, Atiku, Buhari, Marwa, or any of the familiar old guards. Duke is a different generation politician, and I desperately would like to see change. This is why I would like to see a candidate like Donald Duke succeed.

Now, I honestly believe that his 'accomplishment' regarding his tourism initiative is seriously overstated, and its worth clearly exaggerated. I think it is a misplaced priority, and this is why I disagree with portions of Mustapha's article. Regardless of how dysfunctional Nigeria might be, there are still some smart people within its borders, and as such Duke supporters and admirers should know that one cannot manage or lead a country solely based on the construction of an amusement park and the renovation of a cattle ranch in Calabar. That isn't much of a resume to go by.

The real question is, how does any of this project benefit and improve the lives of ordinary Cross Riverians? Do the people have access to the basic needs of life? Does Cross River state residents enjoy uninterrupted power supply? Does the state have excellent road network? Is city or public transportation efficient? Do people have good paying jobs? How many new jobs get created each year in the state? What is the condition of the public school system? Are the colleges and the University well equipped and staffed to meet the needs of the student body? what is health care situation in the state like. Is there a well equipped and well staffed hospital or hospitals in the state that meet international standards? Does the state have functional social programs? Does the state have programs that encourage small business ownership or programs that offer growth assistance to existing small businesses wanting to expand? Do residents in the state have access to portable and unrestricted water supply? The answer to this last question is no. I know this for a fact because a year ago, I was in Calabar visiting a relative, and water was on ration. Between 10p.m and 6a.m you could fetch water from the tap. Anytime out of that window, you were out of luck. So what people did was wake up at 4a.m in the morning and fill up all their water containers for use when water was shut off. I could never understand that. The damn state is called Cross River state, and rightly so, yet, ordinary water is so hard to come by and such a luxury there. That makes no sense to me. I have raised the issues and asked the questions above because all those are the basic things that make society function normally. I also believe that a state the size of Cross River, could have those pressing issues resolved if the Federal allocation money received each month was put to better use by Gov. Duke than the current tourism venture he is experimenting with. I have visited the Tinapa website for additional information, but the content alone is quite dismal.

Based on what I saw in Cross River and even Akwa Ibom state, it is obvious that we clearly do not have a concept of what international tourism really entails. The sad part about the Tinapa venture is that Governor Duke is targeting international tourists, not local Nigerians who ideally should be his first and primary target market. However, international tourists are used to very high standards that Nigeria cannot match under the present circumstance. First off, Nigeria is on US and EU travel restriction list. The word out is that it is not a safe or conducive place to visit. Aside from political instability and a horrible global image, how do you attract foreign tourists to a place where portable water is limited and power supply is so haphazard? How exactly is a park like Tinapa supposed to function without light? The nation as a whole reeks of incompetence and regarded by the International community as a failed state. That sort of image does not promote tourism, and I am not sure Governor Duke made sound policy decision by committing huge funds into a project that most likely cannot be self sustaining.

In order to operate the rides (I am at least thinking they plan on having rides there), and other mechanical attractions, you have to have the trained personnel and Engineers to make sure everything operates at an optimal level and that safety standards are met always. This will require skilled Engineers. How many of those skilled Engineers does Cross River state have? The other option will be to employ Asian Engineers and technicians. Again that will make no sense because then what jobs would have been created for the state indigenes? The regular house-boy jobs to expatriate workers? I am not trying to Bash Duke here. I think to most Nigerians, what he's doing appears great, but that is because they judge the Tinapa project by local standards and not the standards international tourists are accustomed to. The truth is, we do not have the landscapes, the scenery (natural or enhanced), the technology, the marketing machinery, the infrastructure, the personnel, the Management folks to be a competitive tourist society. I know this because I live in Orlando, Florida and interned at Walt Disney for two semester while I was in college. Nigeria and most of sub-Saharan Africa is just not a tourist destination of choice. I know this from reading surveys. There is nothing to sell a tourist on. There are no monuments, no exciting ventures, etc To crown it all, there is no ease in doing anything in Nigeria. Everything done, even the simplest things, come with extreme aggravation and hardship. Foreign tourists have no patience for that. Let me explain an example of ease in travel. When I plan a short trip or vacation to the New England states for example (Boston, Maine, or Vermont) I do everything online. I book my ticket on line, the website shows me all hotel in the vicinity of my travel destination and also shows me what promotional deals and discounts are being offered. I have options, and so I reserve whichever suits me most considering my budget. I also reserve my car rental, and purchase tickets on line to all the attractions and places of interest that I want to see. If I want to go see a play or a movie, I make all my purchases and reservations on line in one shot, and never worry about a thing.

All I do is show up at the airport and fly to my destination, and everything is exactly as planned on the internet. Now, that is what international tourists are used to, comfort and ease.

To think we can become a tourist haven is a very unrealistic wish. The only place in black Africa that some international tourist will venture into is Kenya, and Namibia, and that's mainly because of the safari. Even that is declining. You know why? Disney has created a Safari as part of their attraction and named it animal Kingdom. It is made to look exactly like the African Safari. So tourists get that Safari experience as well as many more attractions offered and with no hassle, and still remain in a developed and secure country where things work.

I think it will serve Duke well, if his amusement park is geared toward the local Nigerian population. That really should be his target market. The problem with Nigerian leaders is this obsession for foreign business. They worry so much about International investment and foreign tourists, and forget the local people that actually should be the bread and butter of many business of entertainment initiative. When Walt Disney founded Disney World in 75, his idea of entertainment was designed to attract hard working families in America so that they could take time off work, and have a fun place to go unwind with their families. For this reason American working men and women made Disney their number one vacation spot, and over time it became a culture.

Years later when millions of European, Asian, and other tourists bought into the craze, it became an added bonus for the Disney Organization, but the primary target was always the American working family, and it is made very affordable. The hotels on the property are very affordable and so are the parks. Lots of promotions are done in order to attract visitors from far and near. This is a totally different concept from Nigeria where everything would be so over priced and out of reach to the common man.

You see, the concept of tourism here in America and in Europe is so totally different from how tourism is viewed in Nigeria, and that in itself is a key in accessing ones chances of success in the business.

So, I would have liked to see Donald Duke spend some serious money to build and equip some hospitals in his state. I would have liked to see a comprehensive health care policy for the indigenes of his state. I would have liked to see money spent on creating decent new jobs, social services, funding for small business ownership, some research facility, investing in alternative Energy, education funding, better pay for state employees. I would have liked to see him formulate an extensive Agric policy that offers tax and other incentives to farmers, build industries were farm produce can be processed and packaged for domestic consumption and export, thereby creating employment.