The Anambra Government says it is building two five-star hotels in the state. Mr Joemartins Uzodike, the Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos. They are Agulu Lake Resort and the Protea Hotel. · Cue in audio 1 ``This administration is building top class five- star hotels. The Agulu Lake Resort is ongoing morning and night; we have the Protea Hotel that is being built at Onitsha by the state government. ``We are trying to revive some of our tourism centres like where the Igbo started at Enugu- Aguleri. ``This year also we won a medal for being one of the Seven Wonders of Nigeria; the Ogbunike Cave was selected as one of the Seven Wonders of Nigeria.`` · Cue out audio 1 Uzodike expressed satisfaction with the development of culture and tourism sites in the state, adding that the government was trying to revive some of the tourism sites and had won medals in cultural festival. · Cue in audio 2 ``Before I came in, in the history of Anambra state which lasted over 20 years, they had never won any laurel in Arts and Culture. ``But when I came in last year, I brought in some innovations and we attended the National Festival of Arts and Culture in Kwara and we won a gold and a silver. ``This year as I’m speaking to you now, in the concluded events at Bayelsa, we won two gold, one silver and one bronze. It shows that we are moving forward.`` · Cue out audio 2 Uzodike who assumed office in July 2012, said that the situation he met on ground was one of disinterest from people, adding that the state did not pay much attention to the culture and tourism sector. The commissioner, however, said that although the state lagged behind in tourism development, it, however, made significant progress in the area of culture which would rub off positively on the tourism sector. He mentioned some of the steps the state government had taken to address deficiencies in the tourism sector. He said that the state government was making concerted effort to reposition the `Abagana Sector’, the centre of the fiercest battles during the civil war. Speaking on the Ofala festival, the commissioner said that the ceremony was mainly town-based, adding that every traditional ruler was required by the state to hold the event at least once in two years. According to him, many buoyant communities are able to hold the festival annually. ``There is the MmechiAro (Closing of the Year) festival which is an end-of-year masquerade festival organised by government annually for the past three years now. ``The state is yet to observe the Iwaji (New Yam) Festival and the Children Carnival where children exhibit cultural tenets akin to those of the elders. The commissioner also expressed satisfaction with the on-going work at the Zik’s Mausoleum. He described the mausoleum as a massive place with an International Conference Centre which would be like the Victory Panel in South Africa. Uzodike also mentioned the state’s efforts at immortalising the late Odumegwu Ojukwu by building a statue for the late hero. The commissioner said that culture and tourism would have a different face in Anambra in the next four years.
Posted on: Wed, 25 Sep 2013 04:49:40 +0000
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