Lawmaker commends FG for steps to immortalise King Jaja

Rep. Awaji-Inombek Abiante (PDP-Rivers) has expressed appreciation to the Federal Government for making concrete moves to immortalise King Jaja of Opobo.

Abiante said this in Abuja on Tuesday during the inauguration of the technical committee for the implementation of the King Jaja of Opobo Cultural and Historical Centre, Opobo, Rivers State.

The committee was inaugurated by Hannatu Musawa, the Minister of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy.

Abiante, who represents Andoni/Opobo/Nkoro Federal Constituency and lobbied for the project, said it would let the world know the heritage of the people of the area.

He said his people and Nigerians in general stood to gain a lot from the project, adding that the project took us seven years to realise.

“I am glad that a minister came, bought into the vision, and today we are starting the actual journey to make people know exactly what our intentions were, expanding beyond even what we’ve conceived.”.

“That axis will now become a hub of tourism in Rivers State and even in the South-South if we harness the things that are there properly.

“We have the aquatic splendour behind the oceans; a neighbouring local government area has elephants. “If those elephants are conserved during this period, you can imagine what that could bring to us,” he said.

“There is a wide beach beside the Atlantic Ocean; there’s a lot. What about the blue economy? It is going to be a part of it.

Musawa said that the project was key to the preservation of Nigeria’s cultural heritage.

“This project signifies a milestone in our collective resolve to take Nigeria’s art and culture to enviable heights," she said.

According to her, the project, as captured in its concept note, is designed to be a historic tribute to the cultural renaissance as well as a clarion call for cultural preservation.