Ibom Tropicana Mall: Akpanusoh satisfied with remodeled Centre
Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly has expressed satisfaction with the now remodeled Ibom Tropicana Mall, as it gears up to commence full commercial activities soonest.
Chairman of the House Committee on Rural Development and Public Utilities, Usoro Akpanusoh, made the disclosure on Thursday during a visit to the facility in Uyo.
Akpanusoh said his committee visited the mall as part of their oversight function to inspect and assess ongoing work on facilities in the state.
During the visit, lawmakers were taken on a tour of the facility which houses different business concerns such as active cinema halls operated by Silverbird Cinemas, pharmaceutical stores, restaurant/bar, fashion/furniture houses, among others.
While acknowledging the new features of the mall, Akpanusoh said, “Ibom Tropicana Mall is synonymous to the type of modern malls we see outside the country.
“This is the very first time since the creation of Akwa Ibom State that we have this kind of business coming in.
“And this business can only be done by the Governor Udom Emmanuel administration”.
The chairman of the committee commend the governor for bringing in Market Square, one of the lead anchor of the mall, and other crucial stakeholders to do business in the state.
He said, “It is only in the Governor Udom Emmanuel administration that we can find projects and programmes that are being pursued to completion”.
He charged managers of the mall to incorporate local farmers into the supply chain of Market Square especially for the sourcing of products such as fresh vergitables, fruits, aquatic and poultry products in order to promote local content.
He urged the managers to start considering possible ways of expansion of the business and to ensure that dues to the state government are paid promptly.
Akpanusoh, who represents Esit Eket/Ibeno constituency in the House, assured that the assembly would continue to partner with the government and other stakeholders by looking at, and strengthening relevant laws that would protect investors and other individuals doing business in the state.
Earlier, the centre manager of the mall, Akaninyene Udonkwo, stated that the restructuring of the mall was at its finishing stages.
Udonkwo said that the mall was now remodeled to fit into world class standard malls with modern gadgets and facilities.
He revealed that shops available in the mall have been allotted to various tenants inline with the facility agreement deal thus underscoring the preparedness of the mall to open for business activities after its formal inauguration by Governor Udom Emmanuel.
Udonkwo told assembly correspondents that the mall would also provide enormous opportunities for “our youths to showcase their potentials, and they can work directly or indirectly because they will be employed”.
He added, “what is happening outside our state is also happened here. We should embrace Ibom Tropicana Mall, cherish it and value it”.
Ibom Tropicana Mall is a section of the Ibom Tropicana Entertainment Centre, the uncomplicated leisure and business resort started by the administration of former Governor Godswill Akpabio.