•Governor Umo Eno (C)
Ime Okon, a tour guide, is popular with visitors to the iconic Ibom Hotels and Golf Resort. He is jovial, amiable and ever eager to help. At 44, he is one of the longest-serving staff of the famous ‘Five Star’, as Akwa Ibom people call the resort.
Apart from his affable disposition, Okon possesses something akin to an institutional memory of the 19 year old hotel. He has seen the hotel in good times and in not so good times.
Or to borrow the Heggain phrase, Okon has witnessed the ‘Five Star’ in its “former glory and latter glory”. For him therefore, the “latter glory of this house is greater than the former”.
The credit can go nowhere else but to the world-class hospitality businessman, who mounted the saddle, May 29, 2023, as the new Governor of Akwa Ibom State.
It would have been inconceivable if Pastor Umo Eno, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, a man with an enviable pedigree in hotel and tourism management, the same man who has won the national productivity award for his venture and forays in hotel and tourism, not to make a visible mark in the State’s most patronised hotel by international tourists.
‘Five star’, to be sure, was not in its best shape when Governor Eno arrived at the scene about three years ago. Acknowledging the hotel’s strategic significance to the state’s tourism sector, the governor approved a comprehensive rehabilitation of the entire facility. He put his trusted side, Charles Udoh, a former commissioner of culture and tourism, as his pointman on the job.
In March 2024, the governor stepped into the hotel to see things for himself, firsthand.
“We cannot put so much money into a facility like this, and they keep reporting losses and deficits. Going forward, we want a solid international brand and if need be, we can be our own brand” the governor said. And it came to pass!
Three years down the road, under his watchful eyes, the hotel has staged a dramatic comeback. It is now quite a place to desire, the pride, one more time, of Akwa Ibom State and Nigeria.
Nestled in the heart of a 174 hectares of verdant, tropical greenery of the southern Uruan, this luxuriant, upscale and high-end resort is home to idyllic, tranquil and lush green landscape. It boasts of a shimmering and sun-drenched waterfront, immaculate and pristine 18-hole golf course, perfectly maintained with spotless fairways and green.
The 18-hole golf course takes five hours to complete a game. It has seven artificial water features, two of them with water fountains. Usenobong Akpabio, a former captain of the Ibom Golf Club, spoke glowingly of Governor Eno’s political will to rehabilitate the hotel and golf course after about two decades of operation.
“There is a total turnaround maintenance happening here at the golf course, known widely as the best in West Africa” Usenobong said.
“The fairways, bunkers, and especially the greens, which are perhaps the most important elements of any golf course, are being replaced with Paspalum grass”.
This naturally alluring outdoor ambience does not only offer a sense of escape from the busy, fast-space world but it is complemented by 163 luxurious rooms, 26 cozy suites and seven exquisite chalets, which combine to evoke a sense of comfort and indulgent accommodation.
Sir Charles, as the MD of the hotel is fondly called, told our team of reporters that the resort, under Governor Eno, has in addition recently purchased two 1,500 KVA generators to ensure uninterrupted supply of power, improved operations of electronic systems and a tighter security network, which have combined to restore confidence, efficiency and turnaround in the fortunes of the resort.
“For the first time in nearly two decades, the hotel has begun to record profit, marking a clear shift from years of decline to sustainable growth”, Sir Charles said.
This remarkable upturn and upsurge in the balance sheet of the hotel is attributed to ARISE Agenda and the insistence of Governor Eno on fulfilling his campaign promises of ‘connecting the dots’ and ‘reaping the low hanging fruits’ for Akwa Ibom people in the tourism industry.
The hotel can now be accessed by sea, road, and air. It has two helipads, a jetty at the Marina, where the sea leads to Cameroon in just about 45 minutes by speedboat and to Tinapa Resort in Calabar in only 10-15 minutes. The facility is well secured by two gun boats, an operational base for Customs, Immigration and the Army, courtesy of Governor Eno.
The place also harbours the rich history of Akwa Ibom past. There is a precolonial boat by the Marina Club. The boat which dates back to 1810 is a sight to behold. And for those interested in the culture and commercial life of the people, the Marina shores boasts of canoes of all sizes, a booming fish market, rich with freshly caught fishes of all types and locally brewed gin, which most Akwa Ibom elites now prefer to the imported and exotic brands.
“The governor understands that tourism offers great opportunities to create jobs, strengthen SMEs, contribute to local infrastructure development, conserve the natural environment, and reduce poverty and inequality. These were recurring highlights in the persuasive campaign messages that led to his landslide victory in the last election”, Dr. Anieti Udofia, the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, said.
Founded nearly two decades ago by Obong (Arc) Victor Attah, the second civilian governor of Akwa Ibom State, the Ibom Hotels and Golf Resort remains, for now, the icon of the tourism sector in the South-South subregion of Nigeria.
Initially launched under the Le Méridien brand, the choice destination operated under that banner for several years before transitioning to Ibom Icon Hotel & Golf Resort and recently acquired its current identity as Ibom Hotels and Golf Resort.
The success of Governor Eno so far in remaking, remodelling and rebranding the hotel is not altogether surprising. A veteran of the hospitality and tourism industry, the governor is also a Fellow of the Nigerian Hotels and Catering Institute. Before venturing into public service very recently, he owned a chain of businesses in the sector. He also previously served as Chairman of the Akwa Ibom Hotels and Tourism Board under Governor Victor Attah, where the current deputy governor, Senator Akon Enyakenyi, was his Supervising Commissioner at the time.
As a multiple award-winning hospitality businessman whose company has served multinational corporations, he has naturally leveraged his extensive background to reposition the state’s tourism industry for global competitiveness.
According to Usenobong Akpabio, the most significant aspect of the facility overhaul is the governor’s insistence on engaging local contractors for the upgrade. This approach, he explains, has revitalized the local economy and created jobs.
For Iniobong Ekpenyong, Chairman of Uruan LGA and representative of the host communities, the prestigious hotel, standing on the soil of his LGA, has honoured its corporate social responsibility and strengthened its relationship with its host communities, Mbiakong, Nwaniba, and Ifiayong, while continuing to provide employment, security, and economic activity for the area.
“Governor Eno is a miracle worker, and we are profoundly grateful. His approval to upgrade the hotel and golf course proves his commitment to every promise made, especially in tourism and infrastructure. Most importantly, this restoration has created jobs for our youths and the opportunity for young professionals in our state to step up their game,” Ekpenyong said.
And he added a clincher: ”The entire state and indeed Nigeria and the international tourists around the world are better off with the makeover of this exclusive resort”.
