By Ekaette Okon Joseph
Akwa Ibom is best known as an oil-producing state. For three days in Uyo, it made its case as something more: a destination for golf, tourism and investment.
Retired and serving generals, senior professionals and business leaders were in the state from Thursday, Nov. 5, to Saturday, Nov. 7, for the 15th tournament of the Golf and Tour Charity Association (G&TCA) at the Ibom Golf and Country Club. On Friday, Nov. 6, midway through the tournament, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu arrived for an official visit to commission projects and spent the night in Uyo.
For an association of more than 130 members, choosing Akwa Ibom was a chance to see the state beyond its reputation as an oil territory. For the state, it was an audience worth courting.
A deliberate shift
Commissioner for Finance Emem Bob, who represented Governor Umo Eno at the tournament, said the state was deliberately developing tourism under the ARISE Agenda to reduce its dependence on oil revenue.
He pointed to the ongoing renovation of the Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort. He disclosed plans for the Ibom International Convention Centre, a 5,000-capacity facility within the Ibom Tropicana Entertainment Centre complex in Uyo, and for a 200-room hotel along the tourism corridor.
Bob recalled that President Tinubu commissioned ARISE Park, whose nine-hole golf course, he said, would strengthen the state’s sports tourism potential. He also credited Ibom Air with making the state easier to reach.
Retired Maj. Gen. Temitope Babatunde, one of the visiting golfers, said sports tourism could generate revenue and support economic diversification.
The business of a tournament
Club captain Isua Archibong said tournaments create business for hospitality operators, event planners, caterers, branding companies, transport operators and other service providers. Visitors spend on accommodation, food and transportation, he said, creating economic activity beyond the course.
The guest list also mattered. Archibong said the tournament drew professionals from the oil and gas industry, including geologists and petroleum explorers, creating opportunities for networking and raising the state’s visibility among industry stakeholders. The same sector the state wants to look beyond is helping it sell the alternative.
He called the course one of the best in West Africa and credited Governor Eno, the Grand Patron of Ibom Golf, with maintaining it despite the renovation of the adjoining hotel.
Confidence for investors
Investors and visitors ask the same question before committing to a destination: does it feel safe? Alongside investments in hospitality, aviation and recreation, the Eno administration is strengthening the state’s capacity to monitor and respond to security challenges. A central security monitoring structure is being developed, supported by surveillance cameras on major streets and roads in Uyo.
The visitors gave their verdict. Retired Maj. Gen. Peter Boje recalled his first posting to Akwa Ibom under former Governor Victor Attah and said the state had developed beyond his expectations. He praised its security and serene environment.
Former Cross River State Deputy Governor Efiok Cobham described Governor Eno as a leader with practical ideas and a demonstrated commitment to vulnerable people. G&TCA leader Rear Adm. Godwin Ayamkpele (retd.) commended the governor for compassionate homes, grants to young people, road infrastructure, hospital development and improvements in healthcare facilities.
Communities as partners
The tournament also reached the Nwaniba community in Uruan Local Government Area, where G&TCA members presented food items to residents.
Ayamkpele said retired generals founded the association in 2000 and that it has since reached beyond Nigeria, including recent charitable interventions in Uganda.
“The essence is not just about playing golf. It is also about charity. We have a passion for providing for the needy. It is both philanthropic and an exercise for us,” he said.
Village head Obong Emmanuel Akpan thanked the golf club for its past contributions, including a water project, a band set, and books for schools. Archibong described G&TCA as a friend of Nwaniba and said the outreach was meant to sustain that relationship.
That relationship could become an investment opportunity of its own. Former Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly member and former Ibom Golf and Country Club captain UseObong Akpabio said Nwaniba had donated its waterfront for beach development, a project that could add to the state’s attractions and create opportunities for the community.
Recognition
The tournament ended Saturday with an awards ceremony at which G&TCA honoured Governor Eno with an Award of Excellence for his commitment to tourism development and the maintenance of the golf course. Bob was also honoured. In a goodwill message delivered through the commissioner, Governor Eno thanked the association for embracing the tourism opportunities in Akwa Ibom and reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to tourism and sports development.
Beyond oil
The G&TCA visit brought influential professionals into Uyo, put the state’s hospitality and recreational facilities on display and opened channels to the business and energy sectors. As Akwa Ibom invests in security, aviation, hospitality and recreation, it is positioning itself for more sporting events, professional gatherings and private sector investment.
Oil built Akwa Ibom’s reputation. Golf, tourism, and the communities around them may help build what comes next.
Ekaette Okon Joseph is the special assistant on media to Governor Umo Eno.
QUOTE
Oil built Akwa Ibom’s reputation. Golf, tourism, and the communities around them may help build what comes next.
