In The Land Of Eyitu

By Chuks OLUIGBO 

The flight from Lagos to Benin took roughly 45 minutes. After a little delay on the airport road, the airport taxi hit the Benin-Onitsha Expressway. In the next hour and a half, we melted into the ‘big heart’ of Asaba, the capital of oil-rich Delta State, and into the prime hospitality it has on offer.

 

As we took a U-turn and branched off the expressway into Summit Road (constructed by the James Ibori administration), a panoramic view of the unfolding scenery gave me one thought: ‘Asaba has put its feet strongly on the ground and is making a bold statement in Nigeria’s hospitality industry’. Indeed, it may be overtaking Port Harcourt as the hospitality capital of South-South Nigeria. Why? Numerous new hotels (and associated restaurants, bars and night clubs) have sprung up, many of them tastefully built.

But while Summit Road gave me a thought, a drive around Asaba gave me conviction. There was not an iota of doubt anymore. Asaba has included its name in the hospitality map of Nigeria. The newly-built Asaba airport, which was opened to business in 2011, is no doubt giving a boost to this development.

My destination itself blew my mind: Grand Hotel Convention Centre and Resort Asaba situated on Nnebisi Road, venue of the Nigerian edition of Sokka International Customers’ Forum, the main reason for my trip. The splendour of the hotel’s décor, the ever present quality linked to true elegance gave a refined atmosphere of luxury.

Grand’s other name is ‘Paradise on the River Niger’, and you may wonder why, but you will stop wondering the moment you walk down its coconut-lined alley and cross over to its Sports Lounge and Jetty, where you can dip your feet into the waters of the mighty Niger as well as have a very clear view of much of the river’s stretch. Grand practically sits on the edge of the Niger; or, put differently, it is nestled between the beautiful river coast of the Niger and the impressive town of Asaba.

Officially opened to business on January 17, 2002 by Olusegun Obasanjo, then president of Nigeria, Grand Hotel offers the highest international standards. Geoff Peters and Horst Braun (Carlton representatives) who were on the trip with us said that much. Apart from its assorted range of lodges, the hotel offers concierge desk, guest relations including car hire service, 24-hour valet parking, laundry and valet service, express check-in and check-out, fully equipped business centre, doctor on call, guaranteed all-round security, and so on. Other attractions include the Grand galleria (café, bar and deli), the open air theatre, the exquisite swimming pool (and poolside bar), etc, plus 24-hour banking services.

Other hotels in the city include Orchid Hotels (DBS Road), which is competing seriously with Grand; Best Garden Hotels, Monalisa Guest House, Lone Palms Hotels, Enotel, Vinelo Hotel, Peoples’ Club Guest Inn, Delicia Hotel (Ezenei Avenue); Nelrose Hotel (Government House Road); Leisure Homes (Anwai-Illah Expressway); Larryville, Calvary Hotels (Uda Layout); Deos Hotel, Holiday Hotel (Nnebisi Road); Garentiti Apartment (Okpanam Road); Sovitel Hotel (Nduka Osadebay Street, off Ezenei Avenue), and numerous others.

Exclusive restaurants in the city include Fish World, Giddy’s Place, African Cuisine, Paparazzi, (Anwai Road); Good Shepherd (Ogbuagueze), and many more.

But beyond hospitality, Asaba also has a very interesting legend about Eyitu, whom my poet friend, Sylvester Nwokedi, calls ‘Jesus of Asaba’ in a poem of the same title. According to the legend, at a time in the history of Asaba, the river that supplied the people with drinking water dried up and they were at death’s door due to the ensuing drought. The oracle divined that it was only a virgin’s sacrifice that would save the situation. Eyitu, described as the beauty of Asaba, daughter of Ojife and granddaughter of Nnebisi (after whom a major road in Asaba today is named), in her first decade on earth, volunteered herself and became the sole sacrifice that saved the people of Asaba. Her mother, Ojife, buried her alive as a sacrifice so that Asaba people would not die of thirst. Eyitu thus became a salvific river that saved waterless Asaba.

Asaba, also called Ahaba, a short form of ‘Ahabagom’ (‘I have chosen well’), a quote from the founding father of Asaba, has the nickname of Ani Mmili, meaning the land of water. According to the 2006 census, the city has an estimated population of 149,603. It is strategically located on a hill at the western edge of the majestic River Niger and forms a connector between western, eastern and northern Nigeria through the River Niger from the north and via the Asaba Niger Bridge, an east-west link and a Nigeria landmark.

Founded in 1884, Asaba was once the colonial capital of the Southern Nigeria Protectorate. It hosted the Royal Niger Company, which the British authorities set up to stimulate trade and the exportation of goods to England. The town is ruled by a monarch, the Asagba of Asaba, who is the traditional head. The present Asagba is Obi Joseph Chike Edozien, a professor emeritus of the University of North Carolina. He is the 13th in line of succession.