Hi nairalanders,
I live in Calabar city. And its a virgin land of sort. But due to the coming of TINAPA i think biz is about to boom in Calabar. Any one interested in doing business or opening a business in calabar city call me as the Xmas season draws near. And also the Xmas Carnival is coming up too. Calabar is a virgin land and its looking for new stuffs. Maybe Clubs and Restaurant and other stuffs your interested call 08060292904 or email getukudo@gmail.com

Virgin land in terms of what ?  All the prices of  rental property have gone up astronomically due to the hype of the Calabar Export Duty Free Zone and Tinapa Buisness Resort. There are very few Hotels around to cater for the influx of visitors; and the place is getting very much over-crowded and congested with lots of people coming in from everywhere looking for business opportunities. It is still a Civil Service State where 70% of the indigenes work for the Public Sector and payment of  salary is epileptic. Hence, there is still the absence of an entreprenueral culture amongst the people and although the standard of living has increased a bit the velocity of money still lies with the Politicians and few Bank/Oil workers. You can't just do a business that depends on the Annual Xmas carnival every year (maybe selling drinks and artefacts), there has to be something solid on ground to generate investment and distribute the multiplier effect of macro-economic policies of the State Government. Donald Duke did not build a single Industry through out his 8 year tenure, he sold all the existing one's very cheaply in the name of privatisation (I have no proof that the buyers were his friends), and therein lies the conundrum. Even in UK the Govt does not fully divest from Companies where it has participatory investments.It stays there as a midwife.

You can not just ignore the Laws of Comparative Advantage. Cross River is the second largest producer of Cocoa after Ondo State, the Cocoa plantations in Cross River State (Ikom) were the one's that were planted in the 1950's during the old Eastern Region tenure of late Michael Okpara. What stops the Government from mass production and exportation of Cocoa with a view of setting up a world class Cocoa Processing plant? Instead , they began planting Pine Apple and Cashew tree's. What happened to all the Rubber and Palm Oil Estates ? They were sold of course.Where did the money go ? I am just giving a balanced inside perspective to show that not all that glitters is GOLD. The State is in HEAVY HEAVY debt (mainly caused by open-ended contracts to construct Roads by Strabag and financing the State Govt's share of the Tinapa project). Donald Duke was arbitrarily deducting funds at source from Local Govts to finance his projects-Senator Imoke may not have the privilege to have access to such cheap source of funds-hence he may find it hard to match Donald's success (albeit has drowned us all into DEBT)

The Xmas carnival hype is not sustainable because the 2 previous carnivals were both sponsored by debt, extra-governmental expenditure and paltry private sector investment.The erstwhile Director of Tourism was removed by Gov Donald Duke 2 weeks before he left office due to embezzlement of funds in the name of Tourism. Its good to face reality and get a reality check-up; before spending your money in Calabar KNOW YOUR MARKET ENVIRONMENT and KNOW YOUR PRODUCT.

Thanks alot Londoncool. I've lived in calabar for the past 23years and not one single industry has come into the state for the past 20years. But if we just sit back and say that nothing can work or we just wait for the xmas carnival to come while we sell drinks and all that, then nothing will happen. What can you bring into the state that can help the state. Cos i've noticed that all Nigerians do is just sit down and complain about issues and yet no one wants to be the first to start until someone else has gained profit in the business(The Nigerian factor). The reason why i posted this topic was to get peoples view about the xmas carnival and the business in the state. Thanks alot for your reply. I'm sure you must be a cross riverian.

poster,
i agree with you dat people need to do less sitting and more doing where they spot an opportunity. I have had reason to be in and out of Calabar and surrounding areas of Cross River and noticed that the area is ripe for investment due to the lo level of private sector activity. Witht he exception of the banks there really isn't anything going on.

My suggestion to you is to look for a viable business opportunity that exists in the state THEN try to find backers or start-up funds. Or better yet go it alone if you can find a way to start it small, then take it from there.
Fact is it's extremely difficult to get anyone interested in the place until they see it for themselves. The only area that i think might truly be lucrative there is running guest houses, hotels or some other kind of accomodation or hostelry due to the large demand for accomodation and the little supply. However londoncool has already gone over the limitations in this area as well.
One of my friends is already involved in some business there and i hope it works out well for him.
I hope yours also works out well for you whatever u decide to invest in.

london cool. You can not just ignore the Laws of Comparative Advantage. Cross River is the second largest producer of Cocoa after Ondo State, the Cocoa plantations in Cross River State (Ikom) were the one's that were planted in the 1950's during the old Eastern Region tenure of late Michael Okpara. What stops the Government from mass production and exportation of Cocoa with a view of setting up a world class Cocoa Processing plant? Instead , they began planting Pine Apple and Cashew tree's. What happened to all the Rubber and Palm Oil Estates ? They were sold of course.Where did the money go ?

you need to get some facts before you write this stuff. yes pineapples and th elike were added to the profile of Cross river, but cocoa was not ignored. in fact cross river became second in nigeria in cocoa because of the efforts made by the past administration. you make it seem like it has always been that way. additionally honey and cashew were brought in and have created industries, albeit small

I dont know the issus with the pal oil estates but so what if they were sold. wha business does governemnt have runnign a farm?

Obong,

Don't write for ethnicity sake!!

Take a good analysis of Londoncool and let us us have a right answers to technical issues.

Tx.

and why do you think i'm writing for ehtnicity sake? what technical issues has london cool raised other than unfounded opinions

Guys. I only want to know what we can do in calabar that can help the youths get better jobs and not just ethnic issues here. Forget what londoncool said, that's he's own opinion. If you have any contacts with any company or how you can help in getting investors to invest in the state. If you need any info on what is on ground in the state contact me on 08060292904 or getukudo@gmail.com. What we should be looking at is creating jobs. The past government had laid the foundation in the state so what we should be looking at is trying to build on this. Thank

Things that can succeed in the state
Bar and Club
Holiday Apartments
Eatery and Restaurants

@Obong,

Sorry to burst your Bubble but I got my facts right.
Fact 1: Cross River is and has always been the second largest Cocoa producer/exporter in Nigeria and this has been the case over 50 years before Donald Duke became Governor.

Fact 2: The Cashew project was/is a Big failure. I was amongst those who hustled for contracts in 1999 to clear "potential" Cashew sites for farming in Ogoja,Boki,Etung and Yala. All the jobs went to the "boys".If you still drive through the Edor-Boki-Yala axis of the Ikom-Ogoja Highway you will see the Cashew wastelands still there.

Fact 3: Cocoa had been ignored to the detriment of the "novel" Pineapple project.I spent the last 5 years of my abode in Nigeria working in Ikom-the largest Cocoa producing Town in Cross River. I personally was the Account Officer for the Cocoa Board, I have friends in the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria and have access to the blue print for Cocoa production in Cross River.Most of my friends who were on the Cocoa Board were politicians who were spending their time selling their cheaply acquired Cocoa plot allocations at massive profit margins, so I do know what I am talking about. I have been to Etung,Effraya,Abijang,Boje etc, (I'm sure you've not heard of most these places) to oversee  Agricultural loans given to Cocoa  and Cashew farmers-so I do know my onions here.

Fact 4: You did not address the High DEBT profile left behind by the erstwhile State Government.

Fact5: The Pineapple project is/was still a farce.How many tonnes have been exported since?

@getukudo,
I have just started preliminary work on the construction of  blocks of Apartment Flats for short term Rental purposes (close to the Calabar Airport). I discovered this was an area that needed to addressed.

I am also in the process of setting up a 3 Sports Shops (one at Margaret Ekpo Airport,Metropolitan Hotel and another location) with a view of selling Premiership/La liga football Jersey's and other accessories in Calabar.A Mega-Football Viewing Centre is also on  hold pending the final outcome of ownership of Premiership broadcasting rights in Nigeria. I am also in partnership with stakeholders in Calabar South how to help the Youths there and we are looking at Car Wash Franchising/Corporate Security Outfits and Environmental Cleaning Outfits as good options. (I don't mind if anyone steals my idea's-everyone's welcome)

My grouse is that the hype about Calabar stops with the Tinapa project, when you go out to Obudu,Ogoja,Ikom,Ugep and Akamkpa that are suppose to be Urban area's in Cross River there is still a largese of underdevelopment going on. Nuff'said.

i didn't address the high debt profile because its been addressed enough on this forum. its been the excuse every incoming governor has used to set the bar low for their performance. at least lately Imoke has come out to say that though the debt is high, duke used it well and has produced income generating projects. tinapa is hyped a lot, and it is the crown jewel of Duke, but its not the only thing he did. besides the obvious asthetics of Calabar and obudu, the carnival, race, xmas festivals, water project, school books and various other projects that improved the lives of the people were embarked on. the money was well spent. government is not supposed to simply pile up money.

by the way, you never addressed why government should be farming in the first place.

cashew failed. agreed. not every project will fly. However, others like honey took off. you win some you lose some. I don't know how much pineapple has been exported, but the state is the largest producer. there is enough demand within Nigeria to excuse the lack of exportation.

You can't be sure of what towns i have heard of or been to. Other than stating that CRS has always been second in cocoa production, i'd like to see verification of this. and more importantly that under the past admin, cocoa did not grow, but rather shruck or was stagnant.

getukudo!

Is it on Bar AND Clubs that can make youth to get job?

Kindly think of many other things for youths to be gainfully employ

10x.

@Obong,

It is quite clear that you are from Akwa Ibom State and may not be aware of the internal dynamics and politics of what is happening in Cross River.

You have only dealt with the superficial achievements of Donald. You asked what is the concern of Government with Farming? Well Donald Duke recognised that the State Government had to invest in the Agricultural sector of the economy in order to generate Revenue for the State in the face of dwindling Oil Revenue allocation due to the excision of Bakassi to Cameroon that removed Cross River from list Oil producing states.Hence, he had a vision whereby the State could be major exporters of Cashew,Pineapple and Cocoa bringing in the necessary Foreign Exchange and reducing the State's dependence on the Federation Account to balance their Budgetary Allocation. The State Government still distributes Cocoa seedlings and Oil Palm seedlings to Farmers every year, this is done in addition to the free Fertilizer they also distribute to farmers. Who said that the Government should be Farming? I never said so.If the Government wants to generate alternative sources of Internal Income then they have to invest heavily in the Agricultural sector which also means being indirectly involved in policy implementation of agricultural programmes and schemes.

The Obudu Mountain Race did not improve anyone's life beyond the ordinarily
The Xmas carnival based on a compulsory one month annual leave did not improve anyone's life. The salary for December 2006 was paid in February 2007.(You even wonder where people got money to buy drinks).
The Water Project was a World Bank project that was sponsored by the World Bank long before Donald Duke became the Governor.
Agreed.There are good roads and statues and roundabouts everywhere BUT you do not judge the well-being of a person by the Roads and School Books for Primary School students. You judge their well-being by HOW MUCH MONEY you put into their pockets.

You are judged by How many employment opportunities you created, How many times you raised the Minimum  wage in the Civil Service, How consistent were salaries of the Civil Servants being paid, How many industries you facilitate or build (BTW, my In-law's in Barbados brought Businessmen to AkwaIbom and they started the Akwa Ibom Solar Industry with Government participation-Donald rejected the idea before they went to Obong Attah).How many Industries are currently in Akamkpa,Ikom,Obudu,Yala,Odukpani,Biase,Boki,etc,etc ?

The Honey project (at Obanliku not Obudu) is only at subsistence level and does not generate Internal Income for the Government.

You need to get your facts right mate, Donald Duke is my cousin and has RAISED the profile of Cross River from a macro-economic perspective and may never be surpassed by any predecessor BUT on the micro-economic level you need to go "Bayside" or "Ikom-Town"  to understand the frustration of the people. I am Efik from Southern Cross River and my wife is from Ejagham in Northern Cross River so I do have a good pedigree and grasp of local issues,trends,events and political intricacies that affect the state as a whole and not only in Calabar.I also schooled in Ogoja,Akamkpa,Uyo and Calabar and have ex-school mates and colleagues in various cocorridorsf power in Cross River, so I should be able to present a balanced-scorecard in my analysis.

What I would have done as a Governor is what Dr Clement Isong and Gov Ibim.Princewill did ,allocate a specific Industry to each Local Government Area thereby creating multipier effects of economic growth throughout the state.

Londoncool,

You are too much, i have been seeing your messages almost every site.

Keep the good work.

New to the forum and very impressed by the comments. It is fantastic to see CRS being discussed with such enthusiasm, any dialogue is good. I would love to invest in the state and recently visited Yala LG. Have to say I agree with Londoncool, the lack of development is heartbreaking. It would take very little (some vision) to develop these areas and really impact on the lives of CRians. On the other hand, I agree with the comments about bars & restaurants (jobs for the youths). Surely, we can do more than "cook" and "serve".

Londoncool, have you considered real estate devs outside of Calabar? This is an area I am exploring and I am in discussion with Unionhomes to provide the financing.

Jino,

Nice taught!!!!

@Prince22,

Thanks for the encomiums !! Appreciated.


@Jino,

I did consider getting some at Ikom,but its all about control of resources. I no longer live there and would struggle with a building project there without my presence or any proxy, except I buy one there outright.

@getukudo,

You can get a franchise to operate an Eatery there in Calabar.How many Chinese Restaurants operate in Calabar ?

I am looking for Retail space in Calabar, Marian Road. Can anyone help? I cannot believe the rent I am being quoted for the few properties that exist.

@
Jino
What have been quoted so far I am also interested in retal space in Calabar.
Thanks

Nice seeing you guys reply to my post. Wel for those of you looking for retail space on Marian. I don't have any idea yet but you can just chill until i've found out a place then maybe i'll post it. But there is a Shopping complex right opposite the stadium, its ok. Just need to find out the price of each space, if you're interested. Thanks

email:getukudo@gmail.com
mobile: 08060292904

Londoncool,

Your response shows a guy who is in touch with what is happening, and has made very clear and lucid observations on the state of affairs in CRS, and not just argue blindly based on ethnicity.

Kudos!

Anyway, the absence of industries and investment outlets makes the state a virgin land of sorts. Afterall, the area called New York today was once bush at a certain point in time in history.

I think it would be wise to look beyond just Calabar itself and see what can be done in the areas of Agriculture and Solid Minerals in the state. Of course, there is a whole lot that can be done.

Please excuse my ignorance but who and what is the customer base in Calabar. It is all well and good for us to come here to establish businesses but are there enough consumers? I am also hearing that Tinapa is not fully rented, can any one shed some light on this.

So what the deal is. Are you guys interested in investing in the state or what. At least with little individual industries springing up in the state will help alot. As for whether they are customers in the state? Well something new will be helpful in the state if you really want to see for your self. I heard someone saying something about Chinese restuarants in state. It i'll be good too. Just bring in something new to Capital and not only for the capital city alone, but you could extend it to other major towns in the state like Ogoja, Ikom and Obudu too. Maybe a few Telecom coys(Starcomms, reltel), Real Estate developers and other investors would help. Thanx very much for you concern. This would not only be for the Xmas Carnival coming up, but it will help in youth development too. Thanks once again.

what is a virgin Land?

Hiya, not been back a while and still flogging the dead horse of retail space in Calabar. 

akininNC:

I have been given quotes of between 400K and 550K.  I know the customer base in Calabar and I can tell you that it cannot support that sort of rental.  It is so annoying, one of the spaces was so small and attached to a fast food place - near High quality.  They wanted 550K PA.

Will post any interesting options I come across for anyone else who might be considering retailing in Calabar.

I'm looking for a Good location and space in Calabar for my proposed Sports Retail Shop

Are you serious about this your sport retail shop or your just leaping before you look. Which one?

@getetukudo,

"What do you mean by leaping before you look? "

Do you know who owned the one and only Sports Shop in Calabar that used to be along White House Street?

@londoncool,

I have been following this thread for some time now and i found it very informative. I am from the SW of naija but would like to build a holiday home in Calabar, How easy/difficult is it to acquire goverment land in Calabar? & Cost of a plot ? what is the weather like all the year round. I dread heat and may consider jos as my second option if calabar is too hot. Your advice would be greatly appreciated

folks

i love the constructive argument, its quite health for development and if we can task ourself and be more innovative in our approach with contemporary ideas the sky will be the limit. more over if every one contributes its quota no matter how little collectively a multiplier effect is triggered with its externalities in the positive direction.

am not from south south but i love great innovations and ideas.

i reside in abuja and this is my little contribution in regards to building:


u may want to know about building approval in abuja. well, abuja is computerized in terms of land documentation which could be ascertained in AGIS (abuja geographical information system ).

while the building approval is done at DEVELOPMENT CONTROL UNIT, and there are basic guide lines to follow in order to avoid hitches.


YOU CAN CHECK THE NEW INNOVATION COMING SOON IN MY RECENT POSTING (E-BUILDING APPROVAL IN ABUJA) as well as 3D AUTOCADD sample attached

FOR MORE CLARIFICATION:
contact

onivehu2000@yahoo.com

nettan:

@londoncool,

I have been following this thread for some time now and i found it very informative. I am from the SW of naija but would like to build a holiday home in Calabar, How easy/difficult is it to acquire goverment land in Calabar? & Cost of a plot ? what is the weather like all the year round. I dread heat and may consider jos as my second option if calabar is too hot. Your advice would be greatly appreciated

@nettan,

I am not too versed in the intricacies of purchasing Govt land in Calabar (as the supply is even dwindling) but there is a Govt agency called CROSPIL that sells Govt Properties with the State Housing Estates. Most Lawyers in Calabar now serve as Estate brokers and can help you with land acquisition and conveyancing solutions.

The weather in Calabar is typical of the Southern coast of Nigeria where it rains during the rainy season and is hot during the dry season
It does not get as cold as Jos, but we do enjoy the occassion sea breeze that blows across during the Hamattan seasons.

Some plots cost between N400k to N600k in Calabar,I bought my double -plot on the outskirts of Calabar for N300k though.

LondonCool you cannot be serious.  N400- N600K. You cannot even rent a flat in State Housing for that amount. Have you been to Calabar recently!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@ nettan

I recently got quotes of N3M for a plot @ MCC in Calabar.  Land on the outskirts will set you back N1M and that is in area that do not have roads etc yet. 

Real Estate in Calabar is crazy,   and you are right Londoncool, the problem is supply.