Hi-Impact’s 12 days of magic, Tuface’s unveiling, others herald Christmas

With freezing Christmas in Europe and parts of the U.S., local but impressive alternative theme park, HI-IMPACT Planet Amusement Park and Resort, holds the prospect of great fun for the adventurous in spirit this holiday season. And managers of the world-class entertainment park on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ibafo, Ogun State, have rolled out spectacular events to celebrate Christmas in what they tag ’12 Days of Magic’ that include ‘Tuface’s Unveiling’ among other special offerings.

According to the Chairman of the theme park, Prince Adeyanju Lipide, “The vision is that every quarter, something new must be created in this park. This Christmas, we decided to do ‘12 Days of Magic,’ starting from December 22 through January 6. We want something that would keep people here in Nigeria so they don’t have to travel to Europe or America for entertainment. That is the standard we have brought to this place. We want the planet to be the destination of choice for entertainment for Nigerians and others. Ticket alone to Europe or America is enough for you to spend a week here with your family! This isn’t just a park; it’s a resort, with fully furnished accommodation.”

Music karaoke will kick off Christmas celebration activities on December 22 at the park while on December 23, there will be ‘African Nite,’ which LIpide said would be a celebration of African culture in its totality. Activities include an African night setting with lots of food, wine, fashion, costumes that are essentially African on display.

“That is what we want to sell to the world,” Lipide asserted, noting that it was wrong for Nigerians to copy western or foreign culture and display them in Nigeria, adding, “Rather, things that are essentially African are what give attraction to foreign visitors instead of serving them what they already know.”

Santa Claus will be at the park on December 24 to give children gifts. ‘Praise Blast,’ a gospel music ministration, is scheduled for December 26 and will feature such gospel acts like Tope Alabi, Seun Jesu, Chioma Jesus, Bukky, Daystar, TREM and Lagos City Choral Choirs, with Bishop Mike Okonkwo of TREM ministering. ‘Praise Blast’ is free concert.

However, on December 27, there would be music at the executive lounge while live music at the poolside will hold on December 28 in an interactive session. The Karaoke Nite on December 29 will feature only Nigerian music to make it a completely Naija evening for guests.

On December 30, Hi-Impact Planet would ‘Unveil Tuface’ in what is suspected to be the making of the park’s brand ambassador with a ‘Shutdown Concert.’ To herald the event will be massive 30-minute fireworks, followed by another 30-minute firework after the unveiling. In fact, the main host of December 30 is Dance Afrique, the international music concert tour arm of Solution Media and Infotech, which has concert experiences in London and Dubai. Other stars billed for the night include Vector, Adekunle Gold, Kiss Daniel and Flavour, with Tuface bringing the show to a climax.

For this show, access will be through being a visitor or a residence of the park.December 31 has been dubbed ‘Festival of Lights’ that will feature a fantastic laser lights’ display synchronised with sound. January 1 is ‘New Year Carnival’ while January 6 is ‘Magic Moments that Lasts a Lifetime.’

The catch of Hi-Impact Planet Amusement Park and Resort, according to Lipide is simple: “What you get here is much more than what you get in Europe and America. You avoid the long queues in Europe just to get a shot. Also, Europe and America are too cold in winter for any kind of outdoor fun except you go to Orlando and Texas.”

Lipide, who expressed sadness at the lip-service government officials usually paid to issues about developing local tourism in the country, said the sector would experience a boom once government copies successful models that have worked elsewhere.

According to him, “Nigeria is a good market for entertainment, as an average Nigerian loves entertainment and enjoyment. Nigeria has the population to fill in whatever you want to do; it makes your project viable. Nigeria is a leader in terms of following football, film and music.”

He, however, stated that there are also some negatives that impede entertainment businesses in the country. First on his list is “lack of government support; they don’t even create an enabling environment for you to operate. Cote d’Voire wanted to give us five years tax holiday to set up there. Here in Nigeria, they terrorise you with taxes. Also, power is a problem. You can’t put amusement park like this on National Grid, otherwise you will hand people in the air. Nigerian Custom Service (NCS) won’t allow you bring your equipment in.

“In an economy that is depressed, you develop tourism to create jobs locally and also earn foreign exchange through visa issuance to visitors, who come and enjoy what you have to offer!”