Excectations and excitement are in the air in Delta State over a grand film village and leisure park in the making.
The Delta Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Mr Lawrence Ejiofor, has applauded the construction of the Leisure Park and Film Village in Asaba, describing the project as people-centred.
The commissioner, whose ministry oversees the project, stated this when the State House of Assembly Committee on Arts, Culture and Tourism inspected the project on Thursday in Asaba.
He assured the committee that Delta was on the right track with the state-of-the-art project, adding that the project would be delivered in December.
Ejiofor also stated that several other professionals were being consulted to ensure its sustainability.
“The project can run itself effectively, provide jobs for our people and still generate revenue for the government year in, year out,” he said.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the Chairman, House Committee on Art, Tourism and Culture, Mr Asupa Forteta, who went round the facility with his colleagues, said that the film village was a fulfillment of the Smart Delta agenda.
Forteta, who thanked the governor for bringing home the kind of comfort many would go outside the country to seek, expressed satisfaction at the quality of the project which he described as second to none in Nigeria.
Mr Emeka Nwaobi, an engineer and a member of the committee, also expressed his appreciation for the design, quality of structures and the work done.
He said that the project was certainly a tourist attraction referring to it as ”Disneyland brought home”.
The consultant, who led the committee on the visit, Mr Kester Ifeadi, an architect, said that 2,000 trees had been transplanted in the premises out of the proposed 20,000.
In response to the handling of the flood challenge, he assured the committee that the flood level was a basic design parameter and had been totally taken care of.
Ifeadi added that the ground was raised ten meters above water level, retaining walls erected and a proper drainage constructed.
He listed the features of the project to include the observation tower, a zoo, studio, amphitheatre, artificial lake, hotels, food court, and hostels, among others.
Ifeadi said that systems were being put in place for effectiveness and sustainability, including the use of practitioners who run successful parks around the country.
