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From Tony John, Port Harcourt
The Rivers State Tourism Development Agency (RSTDA) has sealed partnership deal with the Mayor of Housing to boost tourism and entertainment.
Director General of the RSTDA, Yibo Koko, told newsmen in Port Harcourt that the partnership was aimed at supporting the state government’s efforts at stimulating the economy by restoring confidence in the economy as the state government seeks to boost ease of doing business (EoDB).
Unveiling the partnership in Port Harcourt recently, the RSTDA DG gave details of what he called the ‘Low Hanging Fruits Initiative’, which he explained is aimed at tapping into obvious advantages.
He presented the Mayor of Housing, My-Ace China, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of the Housing and Construction Limited, saying that he has demonstrated capacity and willingness to join in the task of reinventing the state’s economy.
According to him, some banks had also indicated interest in partnering with the Aagency to achieve the objective of the Governor Siminalayi Fubara-led administration in the tourism sub-sector.
He talked glowingly about the gains of the Rivers State Economic Summit and the Creative Art, saying the Mayor of Housing was part of the panel on creative economy and his participation led to the decision to go back and start from the ‘Low Hanging Fruits Initiative’.
He said Governor Fubara’s body language suggested positivity and this has led to trickling effects on creative economy and the young people, giving insight into how reputations are ruined online, saying algorithm or artificial intelligence (AI) picks what comes online most frequently and uses it to characterize a person or place for profiling.
His words: “So, when people click on your name, what comes up is the thing AI says you are. For Rivers State, it’s the steady bad news in the media that AI picks to brand the state.
“The RSTDA wants to reverse that and we want the many good things happening in the state to be brought up deliberately.
“The state government wants entrepreneurs and investors to be the ones driving wealth creation and the growth of the economy. We want to bring back the vibrancy of the Garden City and we know the role tourism and entertainment can play.”
Speaking, the Mayor of Housing, My-ACE China, expressed huge excitement working with the RSTDA, asserting that the negative image of the state due to political wrangling must be reversed.
“I started estate business in Abuja. In 2021, we wanted to extend to Port Harcourt, but the first thing the chief executive of our company then told me was all about insecurity in the Garden City and all the associated hypes.
“He asked me how I would need over five Mopol (mobile police operatives) to move about in Port Harcourt. The narrative then was that Port Harcourt was unstable and unsafe. We argued and agreed I would be the one to go, and if I was killed, he would stay away.”
Mr. China said he, however, found a different Port Harcourt, explaining, “Coming into Port Harcourt at last, I was shocked at the peace and stability, at the hospitality, at the liveliness, cuisine, housing potentials, etc.”.
“In housing, we were more than 100 brands in Abuja hustling for space, but I came into Port Harcourt and saw only two active brands. It was like I could beat them and be the topmost.
“I called my people and said, this is a deep market. I staged the biggest event in Port Harcourt. It was shocking. People came out because of the shouting I did. This was the same Port Harcourt they said would swallow me.
When I went into the nitty-gritty of doing business in Port Harcourt, I found why the narrative was looking gloomy.”
He said there was a political dilution of peoples’ goodwill and most persons in the state were victims, including top people doing so well, stressing that he discovered that there were very many unsung people that felt they would not make it unless they went to Lagos.
“So, I chose the comedy industry to start the push to sell Port Harcourt with positive narrative and restart of the story of the city. I began to sponsor them with whatever little I had.”
