Assembly hails Imoke on C’River infractructure

Members of the Cross River State House of Assembly have praised the state Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke, on the development of infrastructure in the state.
According to a statement by the Information Officer, Office of the Special Assistant on Media to the Governor, Mr. Nakanda Iyadim, the lawmakers made their feelings known Wednesday when they undertook an inspection of construction work at the 2,000-seat, all-purpose built Calabar International Convention Centre.
Led by its Speaker, Larry Odey, the legislators were said to have been received by the Special Adviser, Governor’s Office, Mr. Nzan Ogbe, while the Project Manager, Mr. Reginald Longdon, conducted them round the project site.
Ogbe explained that the project, located within the new development area close to Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort, was expected to be a world-class edifice and the best of its kind in the West African subregion.
According to him, the project is conceptualised to support Tinapa by generating traffic all year round.
The new development area is also expected to accommodate a referral hospital, 200 bed hotel, an 18-hole golf course, a Golf Estate and a Festival Village.
He said apart from the hospital, which would be built by the state with international  financial/transaction structure adviser, the other projects would be constructed through a Public Private Sector Partnership, with the government providing the infrastructure.
According to Ogbe, the 2,000-seat centre, which would be equipped with state-of-the-art amenities and multi-functional facilities, is expected to significantly increase and sustain the number of visitors coming into the state and therefore impact positively on its micro/macro economy.
“This is in line with the government’s drive to create a new service driven economy that will be a model in Nigeria and West Africa,” he said.
He added that the development of the new Calabar Golf Course which will be completed in April 2014, was in furtherance of efforts to strategically position the state as a preferred tourism and conferencing destination in Nigeria and the sub region.