Once celebrated as the crown jewel of Nigerian tourism and commerce, the Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort in Cross River State, now a decaying shadow of its former glory may soon roar back to life. Governor Bassey Edet Otu has approved a bold ₦18 billion investment aimed at reviving Tinapa and repositioning the state as a major tourism and business destination in Africa.
The announcement came during the 7th Executive Council meeting held at the Governor’s Office Complex in Calabar. The funds will go into the rehabilitation of Tinapa, the Amber Tinapa Hotel, and Studio Tinapa as part of a broader sustainable tourism transformation initiative. The resort, once envisioned as a global commerce hub, has long been a symbol of both ambition and abandonment.
Tinapa was the dream project of former governor Donald Duke, who built the multi-billion-naira facility to function as Nigeria’s first Free Trade Zone for retail, entertainment, and international business. In its prime, Tinapa hosted high-end shops, a 242-room luxury hotel, a Nollywood-standard cinema complex, a digital casino, water parks, exhibition centers, a film studio, and a monorail to the Calabar International Conference Centre. It attracted business executives, tourists, and international brands from across the continent. A trip to Calabar was considered incomplete without a visit to Tinapa.
But today, the once bustling resort has become a jungle of overgrowth and decay. On a recent visit by The Trumpet, the entire complex was found overrun by vegetation. Giant weeds have grown into trees, blocking access to key facilities. The abandoned emporiums, the water park, the Nollywood cinema, and the massive hotel are now shelters for snakes, rodents, wild lizards and reportedly, criminals who exploit the absence of police presence.
Following the #EndSARS protests in October 2020, which spiraled into looting and vandalism, Tinapa suffered one of its most devastating blows. Hoodlums looted everything from the hotel and warehouses to electrical transformers and containers filled with goods ready for export. What was left of the resort’s skeletal operations collapsed completely. Investors pulled out. Infrastructure crumbled. And the vision faded into memory.
Donald Duke, whose administration borrowed over $600 million to bring Tinapa to life, has expressed repeated disappointment in how successive governments let the project rot. In a recent interview, he said, “The abandonment of Tinapa is the greatest disservice done to Cross River. So much was spent, and yet so little understood by those who came after.” He lamented the lack of continuity and political will that turned a global tourist magnet into a ghost town.
Read also:
- Delta woos entrepreneurs, investors with lucrative Free Trade Zones, Seaport operations
- Gov. Otu takes quest to strengthen state economy, security to Customs Service
- Dangote unveils plans for Nigeria’s largest Seaport in Ogun
Former Governor Ben Ayade, who attempted to revive the resort with limited success, blamed Tinapa’s financial burden for crippling the state’s economy during his tenure. “All the Tinapa debts have crystallized on me. They are deducting money from source,” Ayade once told journalists, revealing that the debts claimed over 80% of Cross River’s federal allocation at the time.
One of Tinapa’s major investors, Eze Obina, also blamed the Nigerian Customs Service, accusing them of illegally demanding import duties on goods bound for the resort, despite its status as a duty-free zone. “Customs is frustrating us. They have no right to hold our goods at Onne Port. Tinapa was legally gazetted as 100% duty-free,” he said. The Customs’ interference, he added, discouraged many investors and caused multi-million-naira losses.
Tinapa’s decline was also accelerated by a perceived internal rivalry. The construction of Summit Hills Estate and the Calabar International Conference Centre (CICC) by former Governor Liyel Imoke, just a few kilometers from Tinapa, created competition for the same events and tourism traffic. Many stakeholders questioned why Imoke failed to consolidate Tinapa’s gains rather than create an alternative.
Despite these setbacks, there is renewed hope. With Governor Otu’s administration showing strong political will and financial commitment, critical stakeholders believe Tinapa could once again become a beacon of commerce and tourism in Africa. The approved ₦18 billion revitalization fund is being seen as the most serious intervention since the resort fell into neglect.
The dream that once captured the world’s attention may yet be rekindled. If properly executed, Tinapa’s revival could generate thousands of jobs, boost tourism, and restore confidence in Nigeria’s ability to manage visionary infrastructure. For Cross River State, this could be the long-awaited return of a lost legacy, and a new chapter for what was once Africa’s boldest business resort.
