The once glamorous and famous tourist site of recreation Isaac Boro Park owned and managed by the Rivers State Government has been abandoned to the homeless hoodlums in the state.
A visit to the tourist site of relaxation remains an eyesore as all sorts of characters are seen using the state owned tourist site with reckless abandon without caring that the site is owned by the state for a purposeful service to the well meaning public.
Our correspondent who had been monitoring activities of the tourist site for recreational purpose reports that one could not differentiate between the hoodlums and the Rivers State government who owns the facility as the state government the original owner of the facility too has surrendered the site to them courtesy of the state government silence over the tourist site, when even as the Nigeria police are there to capably take care of the facility for the state. But to the surprise of well meaning citizens of the state, the government had remained silent over the hoodlums.
Claiming ownership of the facility, the hoodlums play football, sleep on the benches provided for tourists at will. As if that is not enough, they wash their clothes and spread them inside the premises of Isaac Boro Park. Worse still, was the way they play gambling in the premises, making use of the benches meant for tourists to sit for relaxation. These actions strictly portray ownership of the facility.
When the ticketers at the gate attempted to stop them they were visited with brutality hence, for fear of their lives, the ticketers too only mind their business while these (good-for-nothing) fellows are doing their thing in the premises.
This had given them the wherewithal to freely do all sorts of things since no one comes to disturb their actions though Mrs. Chituruchisa Tasie Amadi, the special adviser on urban beautification to Governor Amaechi had in many occasions attempted to curb the activities of these hoodlums by involving the Nigeria Police, GRA Forces Avenue Division to no avail, as the hoodlums are still having a field day just like the owners of the facility.
The activities of these hoodlums have scared away tourists for fear of being robbed and molested, if not attacked. Rivers State is fast losing some amount of money which is supposed to have come into the coffers of the state revenue as Isaac Boro as a place of relaxation, as they hold back their hard earned money to themselves and shut themselves out of tourism activities in that place.
The activities of the hoodlums have further been on the rise since the demolition of Abonnema wharf settlement in Port Harcourt. Fighting amongst themselves is another eyesore that had become a daily occurrence in that place. Just last week two were stabbed without pity, the cause of their fight yet to be ascertained, but some who are close to the Isaac Boro flyover park attribute it to gambling. Again, on a particular day during a press briefing, these hoodlums came into the park with chimpanzees and with their tricks used the chimps to scare away people and under the stampede many people lost valuables including a visitor who claimed to have lost N500, 000.
In most cases the ticketers too may be afraid of their lives and so would keep the gate open without any ticketers at the gate as our correspondent reports. The Isaac Boro park facility sincerely needs heavy security presence to curb their activities. ####
Allanso Jonathan Allanso
