Tinapa Rebounds as Cross River’s New Growth Engine

Tinapa’s revival is positioning Cross River for renewed economic growth, attracting investment and restoring regional confidence, writes Oluchi Chibuzor

Tinapa is experiencing a long-awaited resurgence, emerging once again as a strategic asset in Cross River State’s push for economic renewal. Once regarded as a bold but unrealised vision, the project is now regaining momentum as new investments, policy support, and private-sector interest begin to reshape its prospects.

Its revival signals more than the rehabilitation of a landmark facility—it represents a renewed commitment to unlocking the state’s commercial potential. As Cross River seeks fresh pathways for growth, Tinapa is increasingly positioned to serve as a catalyst for trade, tourism, and broader regional development.

On November 7, 2025, the Cross River State Government announced a historic breakthrough: The Tinapa Business Resort & Free Zone in Calabar, one of the most ambitious subnational developmental projects, which has been fully repossessed from the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON). The announcement ended 14 years of legal ambiguity and administrative complexity.

The resort was inaugurated on April 2, 2007, by former President Olusegun Obasanjo. It was a vision born by then-Governor Donald Duke to transform the state into the economic heartbeat of West Africa.

More importantly, it was designed as a fulcrum for job creation, revenue generation, tourism resuscitation, economic emancipation and development revolution.

After the glitz and glam that heralded its unveiling, the project, in 2011, literally sailed into a man-made financial tempest that grounded it. When all revival efforts failed, it was subsequently taken over by AMCON.

Nonetheless, Tinapa’s story, from its glittering conception to its paralysis, public debt, and eventual repossession by the Cross River State Government in 2025, reads like an epic. It has been described in many quarters as a decisive victory that will rewrite the state’s story for future glory. It is a narrative of hope, missteps and remarkable resilience.

And now, under Governor Bassey Otu, Tinapa is experiencing what many have described as its most promising rebirth.

Child of Necessity

Tinapa was conceived at a time when Cross River State sought to reinvent itself as a globally competitive investment destination. As the State transitioned away from oil dependency and aggressively promoted tourism, the government envisioned a complementary commercial nerve centre, one that would blend leisure, trade, and business.

The resort was designed as a mixed-use development with world-class retail facilities, wholesale emporiums, a film studio (Studio Tinapa), hotels, entertainment complexes, and Africa’s largest waterpark at the time. The aspiration was not merely infrastructural; it was structural. Tinapa was intended to serve as what Governor Otu recently described as “an enabler of the socio-economic transformation of the State.”

For years, the vision attracted international attention. Investors, tourists, and development analysts touted the facility as a symbol of subnational ambition executed at an admirable scale.

At its opening, it was easily one of the most sophisticated business and leisure estates in Nigeria.

It was hailed as a breakthrough. The combination of luxurious hotels, state-of-the-art retail spaces and seamless architectural design gave the State an economic beacon unlike anything in the region.

Its location, strategically positioned near the Calabar Free Trade Zone, was intended to support duty-free shopping, large-scale trade, and international commercial traffic. The early years saw a surge of interest from businesses and tourists. Conferences were held there. Families flocked to the waterpark. Retail shops buzzed with activity.

For a while, it worked. Tinapa was alive. And Cross Riverians believed the promises that their State had finally found a non-oil revenue engine strong enough to rewrite the future.

Regulatory Hurdles and Operational Strain

But despite the glamour of its launch and the massive capital investment it attracted, Tinapa soon began drifting toward uncertainty. However, Tinapa’s decline did not occur overnight. It was gradual, layered and deeply tied to regulatory constraints. The very engine that was supposed to power the resort, duty-free operations, ran into federal Customs restrictions that crippled the resort’s core business model. Goods meant to be traded freely were trapped in layers of bureaucracy.

Without free-flowing international commerce, Tinapa’s retail sector lost its competitive edge. Shops closed. Investors exited. Foot traffic dwindled. Financial pressure mounted and the State, unable to maintain the massive infrastructure without the projected revenue streams, found itself sinking into debt. The project that once symbolised progress became an emblem of stalled potential.

It was during this period of financial distress that Tinapa fell under the management and supervision of AMCON, which had stepped in to recover debt obligations.

Legal Contest over True Ownership of Tinapa

Once AMCON took over the management of the resort’s liabilities, the question of ownership entered a grey zone. Though Cross River State remained the initiator and principal stakeholder, the facility functioned under different operational and legal encumbrances that undermined the State’s direct control. The ambiguity discouraged investors. Potential partners feared litigation. The general public viewed the once-glittering estate as a stranded asset.

Tinapa, in effect, became a majestic structure trapped in limbo, unable to operate freely, yet too valuable to abandon.

For years, successive governments attempted negotiations, renegotiations and legal reviews. But it was not until 2025 that a breakthrough finally came.

Otu’s Repossession as Turning Point

Tinapa repossession, which state officials described as “decisive, strategic and economically necessary,” restored the resort as the bona fide property of the Cross River state government.

Governor Otu, while literally taking back the keys to the resort, delivered a set of statements that captured both the gravity of the moment and the optimism of the state moving forward.

He said: “Today’s event has finally removed the legal lacuna on the ownership of Tinapa, which is now the bona fide property of the Cross River state government. We are not only reclaiming the facility; but also increasing the stock of our enduring infrastructure.

“The return of Tinapa is not merely an event; it is a rebirth, the triumph of faith, patience and resilience. This is more than reclaiming an asset; it is the revival of a vision that once placed Cross River on the global economic map.”

He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment under the, “People First Agenda” to reposition Tinapa as a thriving hub for trade, tourism, and creative enterprise.”

He further revealed that discussions were already ongoing with credible investors and partners to transform the facility into a dynamic centre of commerce and job creation, guided by transparency and accountability.

Otu also expressed gratitude to the federal Government, AMCON and other relevant agencies for their cooperation throughout the transition process, commending all stakeholders who played key roles in ensuring the successful handover.

On his part, the Commissioner for Finance, Dr. Mike Odere, hailed the development as a symbol of renewed pride and optimism for the state.

“It means pride, it means reawakening, it means renewed hope as we are now free to attract investors and reposition the facility for maximum impact,” he said.

Commenting, the Executive Director of AMCON, Mr. Shola Lamide, noted that the corporation had acquired Tinapa in 2011 but faced challenges attracting private investment to revive it.

He described the handover as “a win for both AMCON and the people of Cross River.”

For many, the repossession was more than a bureaucratic win, it was clearly symbolic. It represented a return to clarity. A restoration of dignity. A renewed belief in the State’s ability to steward its most valuable assets.

Confidence Restored, Economic Growth on the Horizon

Government officials say the repossession of Tinapa marks the beginning of a broad economic renewal. A senior official at the Ministry of Industry and Trade said: “These steps were taken to rekindle the confidence of our investors and provide a ray of hope for Cross Riverians.”

Economic analysts agree that restoring control over Tinapa is critical for several reasons: Firstly, Cross River’s business community has long complained about the uncertainty surrounding the resort. Repossession eliminates doubts and signals that the State is ready to re-enter the competitive investment arena.

Again, Tinapa remains one of the most extensive, fully built commercial complexes in Nigeria. With control restored, the State can now redesign its operational framework without legal obstacles.

The government has already begun engaging investors in: agro-processing; manufacturing; logistics; leisure and hospitality and export-oriented businesses

This aligns with Otu’s vision of transforming Tinapa into what he calls: “an investors’ haven where limitless opportunity beckons”

Interestingly, the Governor has issued an open invitation to citizens at home and in the diaspora to become part of the rebirth. Tinapa is being marketed not just as a resort but as a new investment frontier.

How CRSG Negotiated Tinapa’s Freedom

While some of the negotiation details remain confidential, authoritative officials from the Ministry of Finance and the State Executive Council provided insight into the strategy.

Top on the list is debt regularisation: Where the State entered a structured settlement with AMCON, satisfying obligations without incurring new destabilising liabilities.

Another way was legal harmonisation, where government lawyers worked to dismantle overlapping claims and unify Tinapa’s legal identity under the State. More so, a full audit of buildings, facilities, equipment, and associated components ensured a clean handover.

There is governance restructuring, and the state is establishing a new management framework to professionalise operations, eliminate waste, and reposition the resort for profitability.

A senior official familiar with the process noted that the Governor “played a hands-on role” and insisted that the State must reclaim Tinapa’s legacy project to “correct historical economic missteps.”

To protect the gigantic project, the state government is bolstering regulation by engaging with federal agencies to ensure Tinapa enjoys smoother commercial operations, free from the regulatory chokeholds that crippled it in the past. Governor Otu’s statements at the repossession ceremony reveal a clear philosophical direction.

First off, Tinapa is to be reborn as a driver of statewide socio-economic transformation. Repossession increases State-owned infrastructure as a long-term asset and ending legal disputes reassures local and international investors.

The Governor’s call to citizens demonstrates inclusivity in the coming wave of development.

He captured his aspiration in his opening declaration: “The project was conceived as an enabler of the socio-economic transformation of the State.”

Cautious Hope, Renewed Optimism

Across Calabar and wider Cross River State, reactions to the news of Tinapa’s repossession have been enthusiastic. For many, the development represents the return of a pride symbol that once projected Cross River into global conversations.

Business owners welcome the move, hoping it will catalyse wider infrastructure upgrades. Young people express optimism about new job opportunities.

Mrs. Clementina Agba, a businesswoman is already salivating over juicy business locked in Tinapa and preparing to move in there.

Another enthusiastic business owner, Mr Malachi James said: “Tinapa is not just a resort. It’s a cultural heritage. We like to welcome visitors and show them our tourism endowment. With this resort set to roar back to life, Cross River and the wider Nigeria shall feel its pulse as it catalyses economic prosperity. I can’t wait for its revival”, he said.

For many, the consensus sentiment is that Tinapa is alive again. They note that Tinapa has returned home, not as the failed promise many have come to accept, but as a renewed opportunity ready for strategic rebirth. With legal bottlenecks cleared and a committed administration steering the ship, the resort stands a real chance of achieving the dream that inspired its creation.

According to investment experts, the path ahead will require discipline, investment and sustained political will. But for the first time in years, Tinapa is positioned on a runway, engines humming, ready to take off.