It’s often said that fortune favours the bold, but it may well be added that it also favours the unassuming. A few months ago, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi (now Ooni of Ife) was mostly preoccupied with ideas that would make the Inagbe Grand Resort and Leisure a choice destination. Today, the scope of his thoughts are much wider as the monarch of Ife, a town to which the Yoruba trace their ancestry. DGossip247 was at the private resort situated on the Lagos Atlantic coastline, and had written of his encounter with its then chief executive officer published in the December 6, 2014 issue.
Lagos boasts pockets of islands, most of them in their rustic and pristine stage. Until over a year ago, Inagbe Island, at least, the portion where Inagbe Grand Resort and Leisure has now made its home, was in that class and almost one of the best kept secrets as not many people knew of its existence.
But not anymore, as the island, which sits between Tarkwa Bay and the Atlantic City – accessible by sea from either Victoria Island or Ikoyi end of the city – is now experiencing a new lease of life and a new existence of its own as Grand Imperio Group, a real estate development firm, has opened up the island to the world.
A picturesque and serene environment, once in here, one is cocooned in a natural and a different world where you are totally oblivious of the bustle and hustle of Lagos some hundred metres away.
Resort’s facilities
The resort is envisioned to be completed in three phases. The first phase, which is ongoing, has 125 chalets. One interesting and appealing attraction of the resort and the island itself is the fact that nearly all the facilities and amenities utilised Nigerian products. The 125 chalets are of different categories, from standard, deluxe to ocean view executive rooms and two bedroom bungalow as well as six bedroom villa.
Besides, other well apportioned facilities include multipurpose hall (seating over 1,500 people), conference centre, floating lounge to the lagoon, nine course golf range and an indoor sports hall with table tennis and snooker board. Others are tennis court, basketball and volleyball courts, horse ranch, swimming pool with ocean view, standard lagoon view swimming pool, beach volley ball, beach soccer and health spa, which offers different treatment options and an outdoor platform by the ocean as well as ongoing construction of 18-hole golf course.
“We are currently at hole number 2. We are going to extend it to the second phase and the third because 18-hole golf course stretches along the three phases. To have a standard 18-hole golf course is a lot of work. By February next year, we should be done with the first phase, but it is now open to the public,” he said.
The restaurant and bars offer the best culinary experience with African and continental themed cuisines on the bill. The bar and the lounge come with an array of choice wine. Guests could hop on one of several quad bikes and ride along the beach front that offers an ample space for people to savour the bliss of nature and enjoy the leisure packages of the resort, which come with live band performances to the bargain.
Services
It is a full service resort with many services available on request, from lodging, leisure and entertainment packages of all sorts. It also caters to those who crave destination wedding and honeymoon. Party and conference planners will surely find the resort’s available options quite attractive and appealing because they come with different incentives. With a planned 10,000-square metre theme park for children, the resort would surely prove a huge hit for families.
“What we are doing here is to set up a sports centre. Since a lot of companies do corporate social responsibility, we would set up competitions here and get companies to sponsor them. So we have different things we can do at this resort; maybe other resorts are limited in what they offer. We have a lot to offer, we want to set up industries here too.
There is so many diversified ways we intend to promote this place than its destination appeal.” Grand Imperio Group has identified over 35 industries which it hopes hope would be sited at the island. Ogunwusi offers a glimpse of the scope of ongoing work at the facility and the job prospects he reckons they would yield.
The journey
Grand Imperio Group is a major player in the real estate sector. They are involved in over two thousand homes development with a strong presence along the Lekki-Epe corridor. The journey into the once virgin Inagbe Island has not been an easy task. But their partnership with the Esinmikan Royal Family, the original owners of the island stretching over 300 hectares, has helped greatly.
Ogunwusi was full of praises for the monarch, Oba Mobadele Oyekan, whom he said has displayed a lot of passion for the project and also helped to stave off opposition particularly from the “omo oni le” (presumed offspring of traditional land owners who demand payment from developers with threat to disrupt construction if such payments are not made).
“Yes, we had issues initially, but we were able to address it by working in conjunction with the royal family. We also sold the dream of this place to the omo oni le that it was better we build together than to destroy. In terms of our possession, partnership and development of this place, there was no issue.
We told them we were going to generate a lot of employment. It was a deserted land; no electricity supply and nobody wanted to live here,” he explained. With that hurdle crossed then came the issue of financing. None of the financial institutions approached believed in the project.
They considered it too gigantic and unrealisable, he recalled. But Ogunwusi and his team where undaunted by the bland reactions from the banks and instead worked out alternative financing plan, which today seemed to have paid off as the project is on its feet and running according to plan.
Accessing the resort
The island and the resort can be accessed only by water and to make it easier for people to visit, the company has acquired several boats. Given the phobia many Nigerians have for water, one would assume it affects patronage. By no means, says Ogunwusi. “We have not finished yet and we already have bookings from a lot of corporate organisations. Don’t forget for over 20 years now there is a place known as Ilashe beach that people go to.
Don’t forget that a lot of wealthy Nigerians are now investing in yachts and boats. “It is a gradual thing and Nigerians are waking up to it. Unfortunately, more foreigners are enjoying our waterways because we are always afraid. We have good patronage because what we are doing is great and the proximity too is helping us. It is very close to Victoria Island and Ikoyi; just 15-minute boat drive,” said Ogunwusi.
