Delta State Deputy Governor, Prof. Amos Utuama (SAN), yesterday said the state government is committed to the development of the tourism industry. He assured that the Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan administration is determined to make the state a leading tourism destination in the country, adding that tourism is an integral part of expanding the economy of Delta State Beyond Oil.

Prof. Utuama said this at the commissioning of the Enquiry Office of the Nelson Mandela Garden, Asaba International Airport, Asaba. He described the Mandela Garden as a fitting icing on the cake to mark the last birthday of the late great Icon, Nelson Mandela.

The deputy governor noted that the garden is partly a fulfilment of a life -long passion of tree planting and a contribution towards environmental preservation by Dr. Newton Jibunoh, a renowned conservationist. “Given the adversity of climate change, preserving the environment is a duty we owe to all and the future generations,” he said.

Utuama urged every member of the public to seek information about the garden from the enquiry office in order to achieve the overall multiple objectives of the Mandela Garden, adding that through the Garden, “Asaba has joined other prestigious cities like Washington, Johannesburg and London where they have Mandela Gardens.”

Utuama commended Jibunoh for his vision in initiating the project on the 95th birthday of Nelson Mandela when he was alive. he noted that the garden is a multi-purpose facility that is designed to serve the recreational, tourism, educational, environmental and historical needs of mankind, and that it is a collaborative project of the Delta State Government and Fight Against Desert Encroachment (FADE).

In his address, Dr. Jibunoh, founder of FADE, i said commissioning of the enquiry office where information can be sourced is the second phase of the project as the first phase had been commissioned with the presence of the Mandela family.

While thanking the state government for taking the project seriously, he asserted that the garden will serve in different capacity, as it is a multi-purpose project.

•File photo shows Prof. Utuama and other dignitaries at the Nelson Mandela Garden Asaba.

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