So it happened that Tony Attah, erstwhile Managing Director of the Nigeria LNG, and some of his management staff visited Dagogo Wilcox, ex-soldier, diplomat and incumbent Chairman of the Bonny Chiefs Council, at his country home in Bonny Island and saw the picture of the defunct Bonny Consulate on the wall of his living room.
The aesthetic value of that picture depicting an effete era of colonial administration in Bonny and Nigeria thrilled Attah and his team so much that he promised the traditional ruler that his company was going to replicate it as a Tourism legacy for the Bonny people. Perhaps, it was for the global community to sustain that reminiscence of the strategic place Bonny Kingdom occupied in the dispensation of burgeoning international trade and the colonial era in Nigeria, Africa and the Third World.
Fast forward to three years later, the Nigeria LNG has put action to the words of its then leader, the Bonny Consulate has metamorphosed from an idea in a living room to a glorious edifice on a royal road, the King Asimini Bypass. The nexus between the replica of an old colonial relic sited on a road named after one of Bonny’s first kings who ruled around an eon when European incursion into Africa and other Third World environments started is striking. According to historical records, King Asimini was the last of the first four founding rulers of Bonny Kingdom, after Alagbarigha, Opuamakuba and Okpara Ndoli.
As Nyesom Wike, Rivers State Governor, and other special guests converge in Bonny, Rivers State, Nigeria on Saturday, March 5, 2022 to commission this elegant edifice, it is instructive to note that the Bonny Consulate Building is one of the initiatives onboarded by the Nigeria LNG to transform Bonny Kingdom into a major Tourism destination comparable to any other across the world. Like the old Consulate Building, this new edifice is styled after the colonial style three storey building, which was decorated with metal railings on roofs, with two exterior staircases in front of the building.
According to the NLNG, which signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Julius Berger Nigeria PLC to build and donate it to Bonny Kingdom as corporate social responsibility (CSR) deliverable, the new Bonny Consulate Building will “serve as a hub for the Tourism Initiative in Bonny Kingdom which is expected to constitute a huge revenue earner for Bonny Kingdom; recreate the structure with its rich history and significance not only in Bonny but in Nigeria; and serve as a one-stop shop for exploring the rich history of Bonny Kingdom”.
Key features of the novel and striking edifice, which is envisaged to have the potential to propel the growth of Tourism on the island, include a land area of circa 10,000m2, space for the Bonny FM Radio Station, Office of the Amanyanabo of Bonny Kingdom, staff offices, Movie Hall, Conference Room/Hall, Souvenir Shop, Library, Museum, Café, Security House, and a Car Park.
Expectations are high that the new Bonny Consulate Building, which was the centre of administrative power in the past will now serve as the hub of Tourism in the present.
Tony is a consummate Engineer and a people’s man in thoughts, principles and action.
Wherever the Elephant steps, a brook springs up for for others to drink.
Many thanks to Tony for his great work for the LNG and Bonny kingdom.
I thank the King and people of Bonny for recognising this Icon and a great guy.
Best wishes to Tony as he matches on.