A’Ibom seeks experts to restore 1914 Amalgamation House

The Akwa Ibom State Government is in search of restoration experts to preserve and restore the Amalgamation House in the Ikot Abasi Local Government Area of the state.

The Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Mr Charles Udoh, disclosed this on Wednesday, in Uyo, the state capital, while briefing journalists.

He said, “Immediately I assumed office, I went on a tour of tourist sites. The reason was to ascertain the state of those tourist sites we have, and I began to map out plans on how to restore and preserve them.

“Work has been ongoing on a few of them, but some of them, like the Amalgamation House, when you renovate it, it is gone.

“By restoring, it means that if this is what was there in 1914, you need to replicate it as closely as possible in terms of materials, paints, and finishing. If you bring in modern materials, it’s no longer an Amalgamation House, that’s why we are looking for experts.

“So, we found a Lebanese, an expert in restoration, but somehow he didn’t feel comfortable staying in the country. We all feel the pain.”

Speaking on efforts to promote Mary Slessor’s legacies, the commissioner said the state government had commenced the renovation of the road leading to Mary House, adding that the Presbyterian church and Mary Slessor Akan-Glo Foundation had been contacted on how they would partner with the state to resuscitate the place.

“The state government is constructing the road leading to the Mary Slessor House because there was no road there, we’ve had talks with the Presbyterian church, and we have had talks with Mary Slessor Glo-Akan Foundation on how they will partner to ensure the resuscitation of the place, first you talk of accessibility,” Udoh said.

The commissioner said as part of activities to celebrate World Tourism Day, plans had been concluded to organise a Boat Regatta and Fishing Festival.

He said that the Slave Boat would also be unveiled during the event slated for September 27, 2024.

“Come September 27, which is World Tourism Day, we’re going to have a boat regatta and fishing festival, the first of this kind.

“When I posted that material this morning, somebody said we’ve done it before, I said ‘Yes, we’ve done a regatta before, but never a regatta and fishing festival together.’

“So, the first ever Ibom Fishing and Regatta Festival will be taking place on September 27 at Marina Beach, Nwaniba.

“That plan has been concluded. We started publicity today and this meeting is also instructive,” he said.

He said as part of the event, Governor Umo Eno would inaugurate the Slave Memorial Park to drive traffic to the area.

“From there, it’s just 30 minutes to Tinapa. There’s a ferry service currently operating there, privately owned, even though the state government has plans to also put a ferry service along that route.

“The first one we ordered, which we hope should be delivered by December, will take off from Oron to Calabar. It will be a luxury boat, fully air-conditioned, with entertainment inside. So that it’s not just for passengers, people can also hire for boat cruises,” he said.