Calabar airport, seaport problems stalled Tinapa revival — Ex-gov Imoke

Former Cross River State Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke, has revealed that the ₦26bn to ₦29bn investment by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria aimed at reviving the Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort was unsuccessful due to unresolved infrastructure and regulatory issues. Imoke disclosed this in an exclusive interview with ARISE NEWS, explaining that Cross River State had ceded its interest in the project to AMCON because the state could not provide the necessary capital.

Imoke highlighted that AMCON's plan to invest between ₦26bn and ₦29bn could not overcome the fundamental problems the resort faced since its inception, including the small size of Calabar's airport, the undredged seaport in Calabar, and an unsatisfactory free trade zone status. He emphasized that the project's success depended on factors outside the state's control, such as port infrastructure, road access, air connectivity, tax incentives, and free trade zone regulations.

Imoke also criticized the concept of Tinapa as a free trade shopping destination, stating that without addressing the commercial ecosystem outside the facility, it would not have succeeded. He further explained that the project's assumptions, such as the need for three million visitors to the resort and 63 daily flights to the airport, were unrealistic given the current infrastructure.