Atlantic Beach Party; Amaechi Has Opened Ikuru Town To Tourism -Deputy Gov

President Goodluck Jonathan (left), receiving a centenary greeting card from the national president, Road Transport Employer’s Association of Nigeria (rtean), Chief Musa Shehu, during the visit of rtean executives to the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Friday. With them is the Minister of Transport, Sen. Idris Umar. Photo: NAN

Rivers State Deputy Governor, Engr. Tele Ikuru, says the Ogoni/Andoni/Opobo/Nkoro Unity Road has opened up Ikuru Town in Andoni Local Government Area to limitless economic opportunities.

Engr. Ikuru said this at the weekend during the 2nd Ikuru Town Atlantic Beach Party held at the Atlantic shoreline behind Ikuru Town.

“Governor Amaechi has made this possible by constructing the Andoni-Opobo-Nkoro unity road. This has now made Ikuru Town easily accessible for businesses and has created an avenue for tourism to blossom which is what we are enjoying today. With this road we will soon begin to see hotels and industries cropping here,” he said.

Describing the carnival-like beach party which also had in attendance, the 2013 CARNIRIV Free Style event winners, Treasure Base Band, as an asset whose tourism potentials had not been discovered, Engr. Ikuru declared “it is a new discovery that is bound to open doors of opportunities and attract investments to this area with prospects of creating several job opportunities, thereby improving the local economy”.

He assured that the 2015 edition would be bigger and stronger, organization and package-wise, stressing, “we will see a much much bigger occasion than what we saw today”.

Earlier, the Director General of the State Tourism Development Agency (RSTDA), Mr. Sam Dede commended the indigenes of Ikuru Town for the novel initiative, saying “it’s exciting to see the beauty of nature blossoming with great passion and magnificence. I mean just standing by the ocean, celebrating and partying together is simply “wow”. It’s beyond description. Nobody thought there exists such a recreational edifice as this in Rivers State”.

He disclosed that RSTDA was already strategizing and exploring avenues of partnership with the organizers to harness the potentials of the event towards making it even bigger and groovier in 2015.

The event which pleasantly dazzled under the gazing and blazing sun in the open air filled with the freshness of the sea breeze oozing from the ocean featured several exciting games whose winners carted away handsome prizes ranging from deep freezers, to refrigerators, microwave ovens, electronic gadgets among others and was well attended by indigenes and fun seekers from within and outside the state.

Earlier, winners had also emerged from the marathon event which would come easily as the first riverine marathon perhaps in Nigeria. Over 135 athletes participated in the race which stretched a distance of 8km.