The Cross River state Governor, Liyel Imoke, on Friday countered claims that Tinapa is inactive.
While speaking on Sunrise Daily, the governor said that “Tinapa is not dead as there is significant activity going on within the premises.”
Although Tinapa was built to encourage the film industry and advertising agencies to shoot films and commercials locally, several members of the film community have said they rarely visit or make use of the facilities available there.
Commenting on this, Imoke explained that Tinapa is doing well as the hotel; Water Park and studio enjoy patronage but added that there are some challenges hindering success.
“The Tinapa Lakeside Hotel has an average occupancy of 25%, Ebony Life TV is doing very well in the studio, and the water park is doing well,” he said adding that, the area where the state government is experiencing challenges is in the duty-free management and trade within the zone.
He said that “the regulations and management of free trade zones are issues that are beyond the control of the state government.”
Responding to protests by some traders who had been asked to pay custom duties for goods they were bringing in to Tinapa, from Port Harcourt, the Governor spoke about the barriers which the state discovered could hinder the success of the project, but were beyond its control. Some of them include the airport, which is not an international airport, as well the runway, which needs to be expanded in order to accommodate cargoes.
“For Tinapa to work, you need good road access into Calabar (but) the highways leading to Calabar are in Federal hands. For Tinapa to work you need the Calabar port to work as a free port but it is still not a free port.
For Tinapa to work you need the calabar port to be dredged, it still hasn’t been dredged.
You also need the support of agencies such as customs and immigration.
These issues were not addressed when Tinapa was being constructed.
Tinapa is not a standard regular free trade zone; it is supposed to be a retail free trade zone.
He also said that he has asked the Nigerian Customs Authority to designate Calabar as a port where all goods for Tinapa must come through.