THE Nigerian army has indicated interest to invest in the Obudu Ranch Resort and reposition it into a world-class facility that would yield profit. The Managing Director/Chief Executive of the Nigerian Army Properties Limited, General Umaru Mohammed (rtd), made this known during a meeting with Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State at the Government House in Calabar, Tuesday.
The investment, which will entail creation of access both by air and land as well as communication facilities, will open up the facility and attract the desired traffic from within and outside the country to enhance its economic status.
According to Mohammed who led other management staff of the firm to the meeting, “the Nigerian army, just like its counterparts in civilised societies globally is repositioning and now has a company that is exploring and fully harnessing business opportunities that abound in the country with the support of experts to participate in them.”
He said the establishment of the company has created opportunities for professionals in the army to contribute their quota in helping the army generate revenue that will help in making life more meaningful for its personnel.
“The essence of these whole investment and business is to add value to the army and to this end, we are recruiting credible Nigerians as partners to actualise this project with the sole aim of developing capacity, which will in turn develop the system and society at large,” he added.
In his reaction, Ayade who was excited about the new thinking by the army stated that it was a welcome development. He said the partnership, when consummated, would open new vista of opportunities for the state and the people.
“We are expectant that Cross River State will now be a new corridor of business explosion that will show we can move Nigeria from its third world status to first world in four years. So this partnership should develop into a big wild fire that will ignite a new challenge in the business horizon of Nigeria.
“Shortly after winning the election, I took my time to understudy the Disney World in Orlando and my strong conviction is that the least we can do here is to put a Disney. So you already have a minimum standard to meet if you cannot beat it. We should be in haste to get Disney started at the Ranch with a rainforest restaurant to complement.”
On the patronage of the facility to be upgraded, Ayade said: “Nigerians have an appetite for exotic lifestyle because they work so hard. All they need is security, access and there is good lifestyle; it will be flooded. We are 170 million people with a GDP of about $565 billion. We have a purchasing capacity that is strong. It may just be 10 per cent that we will capture but that can translate into a large number in relative terms, and so everything is set for us to transform the Obudu Ranch Resort.”
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