Tinapa Was Not Abandoned Under My Watch, Says Ex-Cross River Governor Imoke

Former Cross River State Governor Liyel Imoke has rejected claims that his administration abandoned the Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort, saying his government sustained the project until he left office.

Imoke made the clarification during an interview with ARISE NEWS on Wednesday while responding to criticism from his predecessor, Donald Duke, who had accused him of neglecting the resort after taking over as governor.

The former governor said his administration continued to invest in Tinapa and introduced additional facilities and activities to increase its use.

“There was no half-road built, and there was no abandonment. I kept it going and sustained it until I left office,” Imoke said.

According to him, his government connected Tinapa’s monorail to the Convention Centre, established an ICT hub and moved parts of the Calabar Carnival and other festivals to the resort.

He also said the facility hosted government conferences, meetings of South-South governors, economic development conferences and events organised by the Nigerian Society of Engineers.

Imoke, however, argued that Tinapa’s difficulties could not be attributed solely to the administration that succeeded Duke.

He said the resort faced structural problems because the commercial environment required to support its original concept had not been developed alongside the massive infrastructure.

Tinapa was conceived as a major free-trade shopping destination, but Imoke said important requirements, including appropriate free-trade-zone regulations, tax incentives, improved air connectivity, a functional seaport and supporting road infrastructure, were not sufficiently in place.

He said Cross River was consequently left carrying substantial infrastructure without the wider economic ecosystem needed to make the resort commercially viable.

Imoke also defended his administration’s handling of the Obudu Ranch Resort, another major tourism asset inherited from Duke.

He said his government kept the resort’s cable car operating for eight years despite its high maintenance cost and limited revenue.

The former governor said his administration also brought Sun International/Protea into the management of the Ranch, subsidised electricity and flights, acquired a Dash 8 aircraft and installed a DVOR navigation system to improve aviation safety.

Imoke said the experience demonstrated the financial challenges associated with maintaining major tourism infrastructure without adequate commercial returns.

He further defended his administration’s broader approach to projects inherited from Duke, saying continuity was central to his understanding of governance.

He cited the expansion of urban renewal projects into Calabar South, wider street lighting and the continuation of the Calabar Carnival.

Imoke said governments should protect public investments regardless of which administration initiated them, while balancing such projects with spending on healthcare, education, infrastructure, rural development and workers’ salaries.