Recreation In The Life Of A City Boy

Besides Abuja and Calabar, Port Harcourt is the next city that is being regarded as a tourist, picturesque city in Nigeria, not necessarily because of its status as the capital of an oil bearing State, but because of its once beautiful, attractive features.

For instance, the impression Port Harcourt gave outsiders before now was that of a place laced by hyacinth. And to be candid, Port Harcourt in the  1980’s was a fun place to be; a place where people found very exciting to strike major business deals.

One of the features that wore Port Harcourt this enviable garb was the Isaac Boro Recreation Park. Besides adding to the aesthetics of the Port Harcourt City, the Park which is strategically located in the heart of Port Harcourt – Mile one area, Diobu, is to provide recreational services for Port Harcourt residents and their visitors.

In those days, you can not claim to have visited Port Harcourt if you have not been to the Isaac Boro Park. It was therefore unusual to find out that the man recreating besides you in the Park was a top government official either from Lagos or Abuja.

Today however, all that seems to be part of a distant past. The once picturesque city is no longer as pleasurable as it once was. It seems like a long time ago when Port Harcourt served as a holiday resort to both residents and visitors. No thanks to the neglect places like the Isaac Boro Park has suffered as a recreation centre for people to relax and unwind.

A recent visit to the Park revealed a disappointing phenomenon. The Park which used to be in the spotlight of recreational activities with high patronage is now sparsely populated.

Although,  the expanse Park was before now heavily ponderous and overgrown by unwieldy vegetation, it has in recent times worn a better look. Nevertheless, the place   does not live up to the expectation  as a recreation centre.

Mr Tamuno-Tonye Koko who returned from France in September last year corroborated this. He was disappointed that the popular Isaac Boro Park which served as a funfair to Port Harcourt residents in the eighties is now a shadow of itself. He remembered with nostalgia that when he was young, the Park which was named after one of the Rivers State heroes, Isaac Boro, was the major playing ground where he and his peers used to recreate in the evenings, weekends and at every festive period. He could not therefore understand why the Park does no longer enjoy patronage.

“Each time I passed by the Park, I felt a sense of failure as a generation who cannot provide for our children what we enjoyed when we were young. Why is it that it is only when we have big events like the May Day celebration, Independence anniversary or trade fair that the park plays host to the people? The Park should not be left for social functions alone, but should essentially cater, for recreational activities at least on weekends,” Koko said.

Koko was right. The last time the Isaac Boro Park played host to a large number of people was in December, last year when Port Harcourt hosted the 20th Port Harcourt International Trade Fair.

Ideally, a recreation Park is to provide opportunity for people to relax and unwind, especially after work and on weekends.

Specifically, a recreation Park, besides contributing to the fight against global warming, provides opportunities for people, especially children to channel their energies towards productive activities by making use of the various sporting facilities to recreate and sharpen their skills in the various sporting activities. It therefore ought to comprise of facilities such as the beautiful statues, swings, slides, pingpong, lawn tennis courts, children’s play arena and an open space designed for canopy parties amongst others.

Recent checks by My City, My Soul however, showed that the Isaac Boro Recreation Park lacks some of these modern facilities, while the few existing ones such as swings and slides have begun to rust due to lack of usage and maintenance. This, according to our checks, is one of the factors that contribute to the low patronage the Isaac Boro Park is enjoying.

Meanwhile, lack of awareness about the existence of the Park and the fear of possible attacks by hoodlums are other contributing factors.

While Miss Tina Akpabio, a corps member from Akwa Ibom State denied knowledge of the existence of the place as a recreation Park, Mrs. Juliana Edeh, a civil servant said the fear of several cases of kidnap and other acts of militancy in the Niger Delta may have dissuaded many people from patronising the place.

She says, “I personally do not feel encouraged to go there or take my children to the place especially now that cases of kidnap rent the air. My family prefers to sit at home watching television or playing in-door games”.

Indeed, many people in Port Harcourt today spend their evenings, weekends and holidays at home. Even during festive periods such as Easter and Christmas holidays, many people, especially children, are locked in the house for days without any opportunity to express their developing talents and energies. Most of the children resort to recreating themselves either within the compound or on the streets, while many adults patronise drinking joints and hotels.

However, with the gradual restoration of peace to the Niger Delta, particularly Port Harcourt, and with the siting of the Silverbird Cinema very close to the Park, it is expected that the Isaac Boro Park would regain its lost glory and attraction. But can this be achieved without the upgrading of the Park to a functional, modern day, full-blown recreation centre, or without correcting the negative impression of the people about the security network in the State?

While one might argue that there are a lot of more pressing issues that may require the urgent attention of the State government, there is no gainsayinag too that the resuscitation of the Isaac Boro Park would not only enhance people’s skills and talents, and promote good health among the citizenry, but it would also provide additional job opportunities for people that would be charged with its management and maintenance, as well as causing a ripple effect on the State economy.

This is why it is necessary for the Rivers State government to upgrade the Isaac Boro Park to a full-blown, beautiful recreation resort that will serve as a centre of tourism to the people of Rivers State and their visitors. It is only through this that the good old times can be returned to recreational life in Port Harcourt and the ‘Garden City’ status of Port Harcourt can be sustained.          

Boye Salau