Tinapa: Nigeria's $450 million white elephant
The commercial zone at Tinapa stands dormant. Bassey Ndem, who was once in charge of the project, said the resort faced a lot of resistance from customs, who didn't want the tax-free area to work The movie studio is just one of the many attractions at the $450 million Tinapa resort that stands idle 10 years after opening Calabar (Nigeria) With its futuristic film studios, luxury shops and elevated light railway, Tinapa should be a showcase of Nigerian dynamism, a commercial hub for West Africa raking in millions of dollars. But 10 years after it opened, the resort in southeast Nigeria is a ghost town and has become a symbol of monumental waste. Its majestic contours and avant-garde domes rise defiantly out of the bush and palm trees. At the entrance, a giant signboard proclaims: "Tinapa back on track!" But the few visitors who venture inside are quickly disillusioned. Apart from a few idle employees, not a soul stirs in the endless aisles of ...