Entertainment
Revisiting Nigeria’s Tourist Beaches
A beach is defined as a land formed along the coast of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It is naturally made, only weaned by men, it serves as a get away from the hassles and bustles of life. A day in a beach will definitely make an indelible impression in the mind of the Tourist or visitor.
Nigeria is a country of 36 states with over 30 beaches across the different states, some of these beaches are found in Rivers State such as the Port Harcourt tourist beach, Ifoko beach and Yowik’s beach Finima beach among others.
Port Harcourt Tourist Beach
The Port Harcourt Tourist beach is located on an artificial sand beach along the Kolabi Creek, east of the old Port Harcourt township. It is the only man- made beach in the stunning city created in 1988. The designers of the beach created a serene environment for tourists and visitors to the beach to enable them enjoy the white sands and waves. They can also have a picnic on the sand and then take a walk through the hiking traits.
One of the big attractions of this beach is that it is right on the edge of the city. After a day at the beach, the weary traveller can have a dinner at any of the numerous restaurants and hotels as well as enjoy the city’s wonderful night life.
The Port Harcourt tourist beach has also played host to numerous tourists and visitors from different parts of the world who visited the place in the past, particularly during the annual cultural fiesta of the state, popularly known as CARNIRIV, to watch the glamorous and exciting boat regatta organised by the Rivers State Tourism Development Agency (RSTDA).
The Port Harcourt tourist beach which once upon a time was the tourist’s destination has gradually lost its past charm and pride of place due to the dilapidated infrastructure, lack of modern facilities and poor sanitary condition among others. This poor state of the tourist beach has led to loss of patronage and revenue for the state.
The staff of the tourist beach are demoralised as a result of lack of motivation and non- payment of their salary arrears. The place needs to be revisited in order to improve on the structures and other facilities that once made the beach one of the most attractive tourist beaches in Nigeria and attracted increased number of tourists and other classes of visitors annually as well as provided huge sums of revenue to the state government. The Port Harcourt tourist beach deserves to reclaim its lost glory.
Ifoko Beach
This is another popular beach in Rivers State. Unlike the tourist beach, this one is not man- made, it stands as one of the best beaches in the state. It is well maintained by local residents. The local fishermen depend on the sea for their livelihood.
The rain forest borders the shore line, tourists can enjoy freshly caught sea food from any of the local restaurants. After a pleasant launch, the visitor can take a walk along the shore and enjoy the exotic scenery.
It was gathered that it is not uncommon to catch sight of a whale when walking down the shore line, visitors can also take advantage of the natural trails to see the wild life living on the rain forest. Despite the local efforts to maintain the beach, government needs to improve on it and make it more attractive to the visitors and tourists.
Yowik’s Beach
The Yowik’s beach in Kono, Khana local government area of Rivers State is among the private beaches in the state. People looking for privacy and quiet time can find it at a private beach. These resort beaches are popular among honeymooners looking for the enjoyment of a beach and the privacy of a hotel.
These private resorts are typically inhabited by expatriates and tend to have western style accommodation and lifestyle. It is on record that the white sand beaches of Rivers State are considered some of the most attractive and well maintained shore lines in Africa.
R&B star, Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, has recounted the early-career challenges she faced, revealing that she was once booed out of the stage while performing at a school event.
Speaking in an interview with Newsmen, the Crazy Tings crooner shared that she wasn’t only booed but was also harassed with plastic bottles.
“I remember one time I was going to perform at my school as an up-and-coming singer and I thought I was going to receiving a standing ovation.
“But I got booed. They even threw plastic bottles at me,” she recalled.
Tems explained that despite the embarrassing incident and other such rejections, she remained determined to pursue a career in music.
The Tide Entertainment reports that Tems admitted that some of the initial rejections she faced could be due to her conviction to stick to her originality instead of doing covers or familiar sounds like most of her peers.
The Grammy-winning singer said looking back now, she is glad that she didn’t compromise her style despite the initial pressures.
A close associate of late singer Mohbad, Primeboy, has appealed for the artiste’s burial nearly three years after his death.
According to him, Mohbad’s body remains in the mortuary since September 12, 2023, pending burial arrangements.
The Tide Entertainment reports that in a statement Primeboy urged the family, public, and government to permit the burial, stating, “It’s been almost three years since Mohbad left us. His body is still in the mortuary. I’m begging the family, I’m begging the public, I’m begging the government, please let’s bury our brother. He deserves a befitting burial.”
It would be recalled that Mohbad’s death sparked public outrage, protests, and investigations. Ongoing autopsy examinations, police inquiries, and legal proceedings have delayed burial arrangements amid family disagreements and public scrutiny.
Nancy Briggs
