Travel/Tourism
Why Travel Abroad When You Can Visit Calabar For An Unforgettable Christmas?
By Adeniyi Ogunfowoke
December is a time when many Nigerians pack their bags and baggage to visit tourist destinations that Nigeria can compete favourably with. Nigerians travel to choice tourist havens like Zanzibar, Cape Verde, and Gambia, among other countries. With the economic recession, you can significantly save to visit Calabar this Christmas. There is no argument about this picturesque and pristine state. It is Nigeria’s biggest and most attractive tourist destination. Calabar was once Nigeria’s biggest slave port and a key hub where slavery thrived.
Calabar is located in South-South, Nigeria. It is the capital city of Cross Rivers and is also referred to as “Canaan City”. The original name for Calabar was Akwa Akpa, from the Efik. So, if you are looking for a wonderful destination beyond travelling, then Calabar is highly recommended for experiencing the vibrant atmosphere of Caribana. In light of this, if you have a few days to spare, we showcase how you can spend these few days.
Go to the Marina Resort
The Marina Resort in Calabar sits on a great historical site, the water mouth of Calabar. It is close to the old slave trade sites where nearly 30 percent of the slaves that left Africa were deported. Presently, Marina Resort is a preserved historical site, an ‘island’ having a cinema house, and recreation centre. The slave history museum is located right inside Marina Resort, and you tour the resort to have a fair understanding of Nigeria’s Slave Trade era. You can also enjoy a movie or two at the Filmhouse Cinema located inside the resort. Marina Resort, located at the end of Moore Road, Calabar, is on the coastline of the city, and that is where it derives its name. You can lodge at the Axari Hotel and Suites which is just 2.8 kilometres from the Resort. Alternatively, you can any of the best hotels in Calabar by visiting Jumia Travel.
Visit Afi Mountain Wildlife Centre
At the Afi Mountain, Uduak, a tourist who recently visited Calabar with a tour company Dontasha’s world said, “They were shown endangered primates that are kept there at the Afi Mountain Wildlife Centre. They include the Nigerian chimpanzee and the most endangered gorilla subspecies, the Cross River gorilla.”
Obudu Mountain Resort
It doesn’t matter if you are a local or international tourist, Obudu Mountain Resort is a must-visit if you are in Calabar. Some of the delightful activities to engage in are horse riding, bird watching, the sporting facilities, and the natural swimming pool.
Taste nightlife
Calabar has a very vibrant nightlife. Hence, if you are interested in nightlife and clubbing, nightlife in Calabar is fun as the clubs have amazing DJs. Some of the clubs are Jasper 131 (Marian Road), Mayfair Lounge (MCC Road), Quorum Lounge (Atekong Drive), Pinnacle Nightclub (MCC Road), Pete’s Ville Nightclub (2nd Avenue, State Housing Estate), Bay’s Bar (Diamond Hills), Beverly Heels Club (Calabar Municipal) amongst others. Freddy’s, Axari and Tinapa Lakeside Hotel are also among the best places to eat.
Round off by attending the Calabar Carnival
Your visit to Calabar is inconclusive in December if you don’t attend the Calabar Carnival. It is tagged Africa’s largest street party. Describing her experience, Chiamaka Obiekwe said: “I attended the carnival last year and it was a blast. The streets of Calabar were buzzing; it was full of life, colour and lots of people. Hundreds of thousands of people, if not millions attend the carnival yearly and this is a great revenue-making venture for Calabar. The theme for the Carnival last year was ‘Climate Change’ so the various bands wore costumes and had presentations that represented the theme. It was beautiful.” The carnival events are divided into 4 weeks which include the Millennium Week (1-10 Dec 2016), The Sports Fiesta (12-17 Dec 2016), The TINAPA Family Fun Festival (19-24 Dec 2016) and the Carnival Week (25-31 Dec 2016).
Adeniyi Ogunfowoke is a PR Associate at Jumia Travel.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
A travel card designed for tourists, business visitors, Diaspora returnees has been launched by Verve in partnership with Providus Bank.
Known as the ProvidusVerve Travel Card, the Naira-based travel card will allow inbound travellers to enjoy a smooth, secure, and convenient payment experience throughout their stay in Nigeria. It was powered by Verve’s secure.
Created to support the surge of tourists, expatriates, business visitors, conference delegates, and returning diaspora expected during the festive Detty December season, the ProvidusVerve Travel Card enables seamless payments for transportation, hotels, dining, shopping, entertainment, and everyday essentials nationwide.
The card also works on select global merchant platforms that accept Verve, including Netflix, Google Play, and other digital services, ensuring travellers enjoy uninterrupted access to familiar services.
The ProvidusVerve Travel Card eliminates the hassle of sourcing naira or converting foreign currency on arrival. It enables instant, secure transactions, reduces reliance on cash, and supports compliance with the cashless policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
It also mitigates the risks associated with carrying physical cash such as loss, theft, or fraud, offering a safe, regulation-aligned option for both online and in-person payments.
“The ProvidusVerve Travel Card is a timely solution for inbound travellers seeking reliability, security, and simplicity while navigating Nigeria.
“Together with Providus Bank, we have created a product that eliminates the friction traditionally associated with accessing local payments.
“Whether for tourism, business, or festive activities, this card ensures a smooth financial experience from the moment visitors land,” the Vice President for Issuing and Acquiring Management for Africa at Verve International, Mr Paul Ohakim, stated.
On his part, the Divisional Head for Product Management and Solution Delivery at Interswitch, Mr Ademola Adeniran, described the partnership as a reflection of “Verve’s commitment to designing products that respond to real user needs.”
“The ProvidusVerve Travel Card supports everyday experiences — from booking rides and hotels to shopping, streaming, and dining. It provides inbound travellers with a secure, compliant, digital-first way to experience Nigeria without financial barriers,” he added.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, has disclosed that the federal government may recover and sell the assets of Dana Air to refund passengers and travel agents whose funds remain trapped following the suspension of the airline’s operations.
The Minister disclosed this in Abuja on Tuesday at the Ministry’s fourth quarter stakeholders’ engagement to enhance governance for effective service delivery in aviation.
Speaking at the event themed “leveraging public feedback to drive excellence in aviation services, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) will be directed to probe why funds trapped by the airline are yet to be refunded.
He revealed that the authority suspended the operations of the airline as a matter of choice between safety and disaster.
“For Dana, the problem is that it was a choice between safety and disaster. So we didn’t take the commercial thing as priority. The priority was safety, and we all looked at the damning reports that we had met on the table.
“It was a decision of the NCAA to suspend them, but I pushed them to say, look, these are the reports we are seeing on the table about safety record, about lack of standards that put the lives of Nigerians at risk. If they continue flying, I don’t know whether most of us will be here. Many of us would have been victims of one of those flights. God forbid.”
According to him, “I have asked Najomo (NCAA director general) to dig deep to find out how those passengers and agents will be refunded. He has to dig deep on that.
“One solution will also be that if that same individual or those entities are trying to come back to aviation under any guise, whether to go and register a new AOC or use any business within the aviation sector, they have to go and settle their debts first.
“We should look at their assets. There are assets that are still available. Let them sell their assets. Let’s cannibalize their revenue and pay people. Let’s find a way to go after their assets and get money to pay Nigerians who are owed.
“NCAA should do that because they can’t get away with it.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) said it has imposed a N5 million penalty on Qatar Airways for consumer protection violations.
The announcement was made on Wednesday by the NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs & Consumer Protection, Mr Michael Achimugu, on X, adding that there may be other sanctions depending on how the airline treats other cases.
“Glad to announce that, today, the NCAA has sanctioned @qatarairways to the tune of five million naira being penalty for consumer protection-related infractions. In addition, the letters of investigation (LOI) written to the airline over other cases may lead to further sanctions if not treated satisfactorily,” Mr Achimugu wrote.
The fine followed an incident when a Nigerian passenger was accused by a Qatar Airways cabin crew member of sexual harassment during boarding in Lagos for a flight to the United States via Doha, Qatar.
The allegation was only reported in Doha, where the passenger was arrested, detained for 18 hours, fined, and compelled to sign a document written solely in Arabic.
Qatar Airways allegedly refused to continue his journey, forcing him to purchase another ticket at considerable financial and reputational cost.
The NCAA said it invited Qatar Airways’ country manager to a meeting over the incident, but he failed to attend, sending subordinates instead.
“I understand that some countries do not have advanced aviation consumer protection regulations like Nigeria does. In certain cases, some countries don’t even have any. This creates a situation where airlines operating out of those countries (mostly national carriers) act with disdain towards consumer protection enforcement in Nigeria.
“This is not a situation that we would accept here. It is against the law for ANY Airlines not to respond to the NCAA. It is against the law to provide false information to the NCAA. It is against the law to fail to comply with the provisions of Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023,” Mr Achimugu said in an earlier post.
In September, the NCAA accused Qatar Airways of mistreating Nigerian passengers and failing to comply with consumer protection regulations under Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023.
The regulator then threatened stiff penalties against the airline for repeatedly disregarding its directives.
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