During my recent official trip to Angola late last year, I spent two different nights in transit at the magnificent Skylight hotel in Addis Ababa and had course to meet several nationals who equally used the facility. Of course I had no business in Ethiopia, I had no idea I would be there, but it was the only option. On the first night, we arrived Addis Ababa around 7pm and left around 8am the next day for Luanda. It was a cold night and going out for sight seeing was not my priority. But I saw several sets of people at the hotel counter asking for directions to different locations around the city for recreation. Though transit passengers, they still went out and invested in the economy of the city.

The economy of Ethiopia is largely propelled by the success of its aviation industry. The Ethiopian Airlines that we know, bring millions of travelers through Ethiopia to other parts of the world. The passengers traveling to Europe, Asia or other African countries are made to stopover at Addis Ababa from where they travel to their respective target destinations. The airline and by implication, the Government of Ethiopia itself owns the Skylight Hotels, located at the airport and also five minutes from the airport. With its 373 ultramodern luxurious rooms, Ethiopian Skylight hotel is intended to provide ease to Ethiopian Airlines passengers who are either transiting through Ethiopia or visiting the country. Of course, it is open to provide service to the public as well. Several other hotels surround the airport. Ethiopian government is making big money from these services.

If our dream is to make Akwa Ibom an aviation hub for regional aviation operations, such as passenger services, maintenance and repairs of aircraft, and cargo services then the Airport needs more standard resorts closer than the Ibom Icon Hotel which is over a thirty minutes drive from the airport. Even at Angola, the major hotels like the EPIC SANA Luanda Hotel which we used for our event at that trip and the InterContinental Hotel Miramar that the Angolan Government invested in, are among several other major hotels within five to ten minutes drive from the Quatro de Fevereiro International Airport, Luanda. Angola like Akwa Ibom is rich in tourism beyond the petro-oil. The large coastal line is a major attraction for tourists, and portrays the same vision that Pastor Eno has for the blue economy in Akwa Ibom State.

Recently, Pastor Umo Eno had spoken in interviews that he would invest in the tourism industry and over 25 tourism sites would be explored and made financial spinners, and also that he will encourage more hotels to be built in the State. Critics have have since then fallen over themselves with complaints that hotels smack immorality. These political antagonists forget that the tourists are not Akwa Ibomites, but people of other nationalities who have to travel into the State. They are meant to be comfortable. So how do they intend to do that if the issue of their accommodations and conveniences are not addressed? When critics decide to define hotels within the prism of their warped mindset, they should know that great leaders think far ahead of their followers and can’t afford to allow myopic sentiments drag the them backward. The same people who attacked Governor Udom Emmanuel over Ibom Air, are the ones who are attacking the tourism development. Today Ibom Air is listed as one to best celebrated ten airlines in Africa. It was listed number 4 on the continent of Africa by a research based organization and the best in Nigeria by several media organizations. One of the critics of the airline would come out later to blame the government for not employing his son as a pilot, even when he knew the son did not meet the requirements to fly a plane.

When Isreal makes over 8 billion dollars from about five million tourists yearly, why can’t Akwa Ibom even make more? Do the five million tourists sleep in classrooms or churches? Most of our people travel to Isreal on Pilgrimage. They don’t sleep at the airport terminal buildings, they don’t spend the night on Mount Carmel, Mount Horeb or Mount Sinai, they sleep in luxurious hotels that pay tax to government. Isreal has a population of about 9 million. Akwa Ibom has 7.2million. If the aviation industry, tourism and hotels are generating so much for Isreal, they can also generate for Akwa Ibom. With the international worship center in Akwa Ibom, our people would no longer need to go to Isreal to see how a temple looks like or to pray to YAWEH for their sins to be forgiven.

We have already heard that Ibom Air is going regional and the new terminal building is meant to handle, at least, a million passengers in a year. Where will they sleep?

A man who has his mind on tourism drive for the state must be interested in how to make the targeted tourists, comfortable and safe. Ikot Ekpene has one hotel, we need at least one each in Eket, Ikot Abasi and Oron. But we need some more hotels around the Victor Attah International Airport, especially for the transit passengers, if indeed the airline is becoming a regional airline on the continent with the anticipated arrival of ten additional A-220 Airbuses.

©️Essien Ndueso, Uyo, 2023.

I see

Plenty talk but no commitment