Enugu city is one of the cleanest and safest cities in Nigeria, many lawyers, who participated in the just concluded Annual General Conference, AGC, of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, in Enugu have declared.
They made this known during a tour of some tourist sites in the state, saying they were thrilled by the Art Gallery, National Museum, Milliken Hill, Ngwo Pine Forest, and their several days of experiencing Enugu State.
Many of the lawyers said that their impressions about the South East had changed dramatically by spending time in Enugu, noting that the state “runs an organised system.”
Stephen Medaiyedu from the FCT Bar, Abuja, expressed his satisfaction with the level of infrastructure put in place by the state governor, Peter Mbah, in just two years and his ability to pull the event through within four months of moving the conference from Port Harcourt to Enugu.
According to Madeiyedu, hardly any lawyer would say that he or she did not have a good time in Enugu or that he or she did not feel adequately safe throughout the conference that lasted from 22nd to 29th August.
“The infrastructure is fantastic, the transport system is very well organised, the security is very assuring, as we have no reason to be afraid of anything. I commend the governor and the people for the hospitality they afforded us. The sightseeing also was part of the package,” Medaiyedu said.
Samir Mohammed Adamu, Bauchi State, acknowledged the unity, peace and serenity found in the state throughout the conference.
He described the state as one of the most beautiful and peaceful cities in the country where hospitality and serenity were at their peak.
Recounting his experience, Samir said, “We thank the governor for giving us the opportunity to visit the tourist sites and the things he has been doing for us since we came into this beautiful city. It is a beautiful city with peace and hospitable people. It is green and its environment is quite serene. The way and manner the people received us here is quite wonderful.”
Ozor Nnadume Awforkansi, Ezeagu Branch of Enugu State, said that with what the lawyers had seen in Enugu, the NBA had discovered the state as one of the places that would now be hosting various events of the umbrella body of the legal practitioners.
“I want to tell you sincerely that lawyers are recounting their good experiences in Enugu. They said if they knew this was how beautiful and safe Enugu was, they would have been coming to the state for their vacations and weekends.
“But some of us from Enugu were sincere to have told them that this was not the look of Enugu prior to this moment, as this was made possible by the present governor, Mbah. We told them there was nothing like International Conference Center in Enugu before Mbah came because it was abandoned, but was completed by Mbah.
“We have gone to a lot of places and we have eaten a lot of local delicacies. We enjoyed ourselves. It is quite a memorable outing,” he said.
Wilson Uche Ugwe, a tour guide, said there was no better way to sell a state’s tourism attractions than what they had done by showcasing the natural beauty of the state’s environment, noting that the visitors would then go home and spread the good news.
“The governor has also mapped out over N13bn to invest in the state’s tourism sector, which we have seen so far. As you can testify, the governor is doing well in terms of security and infrastructure and the state will keep improving.
“I am the Vice President, Federation of Tourism Association of Nigeria (FTAN) and I know that infrastructure is key to tourism. In Enugu, everyone can testify that the governor is doing a lot. We have transport terminals, CNG buses, Enugu Air and others. Our visitors are happy and we are calling on investors to come and invest in our tourism,” he said.
Speaking earlier, the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Dame Ugochi Madueke, said she and her team not only took the lawyers around, but also made sure that they savoured the rich cultural delicacies in the state, ranging from okpa to abacha, achicha, palm wine, among others.
Maduake maintained that the Mbah Administration was determined to revive all the tourist sites in the state, stressing that tourism the world over constituted a major chunk of revenue to government.
“By the time the lawyers will come back to Enugu, we must have been done with our zipline, which is going to be the first in Nigeria and would equally have steps called 600 Steps to Tranquility from where we can go to the waterfall for ease of movement. We will equally have big rotunda here. So, I thank the governor for believing in tourism,” the Commissioner said.