News
Rivers Tourism Agency, Mayor of Housing Seal Deal After Economic Summit
…..Set to Restore Rivers Leadership Status In Tourism, Entertainment
The Rivers State Tourism Development Agency (RSTDA) has sealed partnership deal with the Mayor of Housing to boost tourism and entertainment.
This is aimed at rebooting the economy of the state as the state government seeks to boost ease of doing business (EoDB).
The partnership was sealed after the Rivers State Economic and Investment Summit which ended on May 23, 2024.
The partnership was unveiled at an event at the GRA where the Director-General (DG) of the RSTDA, Mr Yibo Koko, gave details of what he called the low hanging fruits initiative to tap into obvious advantages.
He presented the Mayor of Housing, My-Ace China, the CEO of the Housing and Construction Limited, who has demonstrated capacity and willingness to join in the task.
It was gathered that some banks have also indicated interest in partnering with the Agency to achieve the objective of Sir Sim Fubara’s administration in the Tourism sub-sector.
It was gathered that tourism alone can restart the economy, based on what worked for the state in years past when the city led other states and cities in entertainment and tourism.
The new role of the RSTDA seemed to have been rediscovered at the economic summit and fresh mandates with marching orders may have been issued.
The DG of the Rivers State Tourism Development Agency (RSTDA) spoke glowingly about the gains of the Rivers State Economic Summit and the Creative Art, saying the Mayor of Housing was part of the panel on creative economy and his participation led to the decision to go back and start from the ‘Low Hanging Fruits Initiative’.
He said Gov Fubara’s body language suggests positivity and this has led to trickling effects on creative economy and the young people.
He gave insight into how reputations are ruined online, saying Algorithm or Artificial Intelligence (AI) picks what comes online most frequently and uses it to characterize a person or place for profiling.
“So, when people click on your name, what comes up is the thing AI says you are. For Rivers State, it’s the steady bad news in the media that AI picks to brand the state.
“The RSTDA wants to reverse that and we want the many good things happening in the state to be brought up deliberately.
“The state government wants entrepreneurs and investors to be the ones driving wealth creation and the growth of the economy. We want to bring back the vibrancy of the Garden City and we know the role tourism and entertainment can play.”
He took time to articulate what constitutes the low hanging fruits and how the RSTDA planned to harvest them with support from partners, especially the Mayor of Housing.
Speaking, the Mayor of Housing (My-ACE China) expressed delight working with the RSTDA.
He said: “I started estate business in Abuja. In 2021, we wanted to extend to Port Harcourt, but the first thing the CEO of our company then told me was all about insecurity in the Garden City and all the associated hypes.
“He asked me how I would need over five Mopol (Military Police Operatives) to move about in Port Harcourt. The narrative then was that Port Harcourt was unstable and unsafe. We argued and agreed I would be the one to go, and if I was killed, he would stay away.
“Coming into Port Harcourt at last, I was shocked at the peace and stability, at the hospitality, at the liveliness, cuisine, housing potentials, etc.
“In housing, we were more than 100 brands in Abuja hustling for space, but I came into Port Harcourt and saw only two active brands. It was like I could beat them ad be the topmost.
“I called my people and said, this is a deep market. I staged the biggest event in Port Harcourt. It was shocking. People came out because of the shouting I did.
“This was the same Port Harcourt they said would swallow me.
|When I went into the nitty-gritty of doing business in Port Harcourt, I found why the narrative was looking gloomy.”
He said there was a political dilution of people’s goodwill and most persons in the state were victims, including top people doing so well.
“I discovered that there are very many unsung people here that felt they would not make it unless they went to Lagos.
“So, I chose the comedy industry to start the push to sell Port Harcourt with positive narrative and restart of the story of the city.I began to sponsor them with whatever little I had.
“I am the first corporate body to scale Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) because others start CSR when they make it, but I started from the start or even before the start of my project.
According to him, as at this year, we have won ‘brand of the year’ for three years running just by doing little by little.”
“So, part of the fundamental things why we are here today is to tell everybody that the awareness and deliberate narrative change can start now and here; and we can begin to talk about the positives of Rivers State, we can skew the algorithm back in our favour.
“If Lagos State has 15 million people and they have less people talking about their potential, that would reduce visibility to the work of about three million people. Rivers with six million people need to work harder. If 50 per cent or more of our people talk about the positives of this state, it will beat that pattern or algorithm.
So, the idea is, who else will tell them. The good book said how will they hear, if somebody doesn’t preach to them. We thus put this meeting together so you can all preach the message of the positives of Rivers State.
“When this competition as outlined by the DG (of the RSTDA) begins, it would launch Rivers State back as the tourism capital of the world. By the story told by the DG, if the tourism promoters of Dubai could come to Port Harcourt to promote a show and only seven persons showed up, the small number was not because there was scarcity of talent or lack of interest from the youths of Rivers State, it was because of lack of narrative-pushing to tell the youths that there was opportunity somewhere.
“When I started my project in Alesa Eleme, I was told don’t go, they do worry. But today, I have not even started the project proper and I have got an award from the same Alesa Elele youths as ‘Hero of Development’ all because of little corporate social responsibility (CSR) things I did for them.
“It broke my heart when they came to me and said they could secure our facility. They said all we needed to give them were equipment and gears not costing up to N5m. We did that donation in December 2023 but I was weak when they said for 20 years, no company had donated those things.
“It is about the narrative being peddled around the state and around the communities. The story is not being told. If you don’t load the search engine with good stories, you won’t move up on the scale of attractive cities and investments.
“Let’s get to the level of knowing what to tell and what not to”, he said .
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested four notorious female drug dealers in Edo, Imo, Kano, and Gombe states.
The Director of Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi, made this known in a statement in Abuja, yesterday.
Giving a breakdown, Babafemi said that in Edo, an intense sweep of notorious drug hotspots within Benin City by NDLEA operatives on June 2 led to the arrest of four key traffickers, including three females.
“At Uyosa, Benin City, two female suspects were nabbed with a cocktail of illicit substances, including 176 grams of skunk, 65g of Loud, and 5 grams of Methamphetamine.
“Along Agbor road in Benin City, another female suspect, 21-year-old Anita Abraham, was apprehended with 95 grams of Scottish Loud and 329 grams of regular Loud.
“At Upper Mission, Benin City, a male suspect was arrested with a diverse cache of psychotropic substances consisting of Loud, Colorado, Swinol, and Methamphetamine.
“A swift operation by operatives in Kano State on Thursday, June 4, led to the arrest of a 19-year-old suspect, Saifullahi Lawan at the Kafi area of Madobi, with 40 blocks of skunk weighing a total of 38 kilograms,” NDLEA said.
In a related development, Babafemi said, operatives in Gombe state intercepted a 28-year-old suspect on June 1 near Dantiti Plaza in the Tumfure area of Gombe.
“The suspect was caught with 15,000 capsules of tramadol,” he said.
He said the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy activities by NDLEA Commands and formations equally continued across the country in the past week.
Reacting to the string of successful operations, the NDLEA Chairman, retired, Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa commended the officers, men and women of the Imo, Edo, Kano, and Gombe commands for their resilience and vigilance.
Marwa also praised their counterparts in all the commands across the country for pursuing a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.
He re-emphasised that the agency remains fully committed to dismantling drug supply chains and would continue to target traffickers regardless of age, gender, or concealment methods.
The Nigerian Navy says its operatives under Operation Delta Sentinel have intercepted over 135,000 litres of suspected illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) during separate operations in Rivers State waterways.
Director of Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, said the operations were carried out by personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder around the Onne and Abonema axis.
He said the seizures were made during routine patrols aimed at curbing crude oil theft and illegal fuel transportation across creeks in the state.
In one of the operations, naval personnel intercepted a fibre boat at the entrance of Owogono Creek in Ogu-Bolo Local Government Area carrying drums and jerrycans filled with suspected stolen AGO.
According to him, the occupants abandoned the boat and fled into nearby creeks, while the vessel and about 63,000 litres of product were recovered.
In another operation around Abonema in Akuku-Toru Local Government Area, patrol teams intercepted a wooden boat conveying about 72,000 litres of suspected illegally refined AGO concealed in sacks.
The Navy said the products were being transported through waterways for onward distribution before the operation disrupted the movement.
Folorunsho said the recoveries highlight the continued exploitation of creek networks by criminal elements for illegal petroleum product transportation.
He added that all recovered items were handled in line with established procedures on anti-crude oil theft operations.
The Navy reaffirmed its commitment to intelligence-driven operations aimed at dismantling illegal oil networks and protecting Nigeria’s maritime economic assets.
The Permanent Secretary of Rivers State Ministry of Information and Communications, Dr Honour Sirawoo mni, has charged public servants to embrace accountability and prudent management of public resources, stressing that government funds must be utilised responsibly.
Dr. Sirawoo made the assertion during the 41st anniversary of The Rivers State Television (RSTV), in Elelenwo.
He noted that public service demands commitment and sacrifice, urging workers to justify the opportunities entrusted to them through diligengence and productivity.
“All I try to do is to see that we have value for every kobo that we spend and value for our time.
“Government has a social responsibility to provide opportunities, but when you have one, you must guard it through hard work and ensure your presence is justified,” he stated.
The Permanent Secretary further appealed to workers to see themselves as ambassadors of their respective institutions, adding that government remains committed to creating employment opportunities and improving public service delivery.
Also speaking, former Acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr (Mrs.) Christiana Atako, praised the station’s professionalism and consistency despite operational challenges.
“We have never been disappointed. In spite of all the challenges RSTV had at that time, they never failed us. They carried our stories very well,” she said.
Dr Atako encouraged staff members to continually improve themselves through training, education and professional development in order to remain competitive in the evolving media industry.
Earlier, Acting General Manager of RSTV, Ambassador Paul Damgbor, described the anniversary celebration as an opportunity to reflect on the station’s journey of over four decades and appreciate those who have contributed to its development.
Pastor Damgbor said that the station had recorded remarkable improvements in recent months through the acquisition of digital cameras, computers as well as upgrades in audio and visual production facilities.
“We have seen great change. We were able to get new brand digital cameras and improve on our audio. We have also provided new computers for key departments, including News, Programmes and the Library,” Damgbor remarked.
He also unveiled a commemorative magazine chronicling the history and achievements of the station, describing it as a valuable reference material for preserving RSTV’s heritage.
The Acting General Manager, however, expressed concern over the theft of critical equipment from the station’s transformer, a development he said had forced the organisation to rely heavily on generator power supply.
The Senior Pastor of Gateway International Church, Pastor George Izunma, who gave a short charge during the event, urged media practitioners to uphold the ethics of journalism and remain committed to accuracy in reporting.
“You are pressmen. You are okay to doubt, but verify,” he advised, stressing the importance of credibility and responsibility in the profession.
He equally highlighted the need to “ask the help of God, sow a seed of help, and step into something as if you have help” stressing the need to move by faith for growth.
Some participants at the event also raised concerns about employment opportunities while commending RSTV’s growth and contributions to public enlightenment in Rivers State.
A major highlight of the celebration was the presentation of an award to the Rivers State Ministry of Information and Communications in recognition of its diligence and service to the people of the state. Dr Honour Sirawoo also received a special award for his contributions to the growth and development of RSTV.
Awards were equally presented to outstanding members of staff of RSTV for exemplary performance and their dedication to duty.
The event also featured the unveiling and launch of the RSTV commemorative magazine as well as a tour of the station’s newly built cafeteria and other facilities.
The celebration marked another milestone in the station’s 41-year history and reaffirmed its commitment to excellence in public broadcasting.
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