A stop at the gate gives you no idea of
the fun that goes on inside. Even the ROJENNY HOLIDAY VILLAGE engraved
boldly on the gate does not reveal much. But as you step into the
compound, you are amazed. First, the gentle breeze caresses your face,
as if to say ‘welcome to our world’.
You look straight ahead of you and
behold a massive expanse of land, long stretch of trees, beautiful
lawns, and gigantic structures dotting the entire landscape. You are
awe-stricken. Wow! you exclaim, and the person next to you says you
ain’t seen nothing yet.
This is where your tour begins. A walk
around is even more eye-opening. You discover immediately that a day is
not enough to see everything that there is to see. Where do you start?
The attractions are too numerous: the lush-green fields; the zoo, which
habours such wild life as baboon, python, the green monkey, tortoise,
lion, rare birds such as peacock, eagle, flamingo, ostrich, aquatic
animals like turtle, alligator, and crocodile; the Ozo Village and
Museum; the Rojenny International Stadium, which was said to have in the
past hosted seven continental matches involving Nigeria, Algeria,
Angola, Egypt, Morocco, and Cote d’Ivoire, and also camped Nigeria’s
Golden Eaglets under Fani Amun for two years and three months during the
military presidency of Ibrahim Babangida; the 1,000-capacity conference
hall; the amusement park for children; the joy rides; the lawn tennis
court; the basketball court; the volleyball court; the swimming pool
with elaborate and fully developed poolside; the Paradise Nite Club;
among others.
More interesting is the fact that you
never perspire while you are walking around. Though a manmade tourist
centre, Rojenny has a natural feel, which makes it an all-year-round
tourist delight. Coconut and other trees line the two sides of the
avenues and ensure a regular supply of cool and gentle breeze, giving
the environment the feel of a temperate climate.
In case you get hungry, there is the
newly developed Angelic Garden and Restaurant (which has sprung on the
ashes of the African Restaurant and Bar) for your quick relaxation and
refreshment, and there is also the English Bar for assorted wines. If
you decide to stay the night, which, of course, is the ideal thing in a
place like Rojenny, there is the newly completed Bat-Soneco Hotel and
Suites, which has enough beautiful and tastefully-furnished rooms for
all guests, plus the Nwaezeora Lodge that has been in existence since
the resort’s inception. Besides these, there are also neighbourhood
hotels which complement Rojenny in accommodating any number of visitors.
Again, Rojenny is a tourist destination.
Modelled closely after Disney World in the United States of America, it
provides at once all the things necessary for a tourist to stay busy as
long as his tour lasts.
Located in the serene town of Oba,
Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State, just on the
outskirts of the commercial city of Onitsha, along Owerri-Onitsha
Expressway, and occupying a stretch of land estimated at 8 sq. km,
Rojenny is developed in such a way to serve as a base for tourists
wishing to visit other tourist sites in South-East Nigeria, like the
Ogbunike Cave, the Umuahia War Museum, the Agulu Lake, the Igboukwu
archaeological sites, the Njaba River, and so on. The location of Oba is
also an added advantage. It is said to be at the centre of Igboland,
whether from Agbor in Delta State, from Nsukka in Enugu State, from
Ndoni/Ikwerre in Rivers State, or from Ozuitem Abriba in Abia State.
Rojenny is also a place for spiritual
tourism, irrespective of one’s religious conviction. The Blessed Michael
Cyprian Iwene Tansi Memorial Chapel provides a place of worship for
Catholics and Christians of other denominations. There is the African
traditional shrine for adherents of African Traditional Religion; and
there is a mosque for the Muslim brethren.
Rojenny’s serene ambience also makes it
conducive for writers and researchers. The tourist sites are enough
inspiration to any writer and can eliminate the so-called writer’s
block. Sitting very close to Tansian University, Oba, and just few
kilometres away from Madonna University Okija, Rojenny is certainly the
destination of many research students who may wish to use the library
facilities of both universities. Moreover, research students working on
Igbo culture may have no better place to go.
Conceived and developed by Rommy Amandi
Ezeonwuka, a native of Akpo in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra
State, Rojenny is indeed a wonderland, a multipurpose centre with a
complex mix of African culture and Western civilisation. It is a choice
destination for excursions, sports recreation, relaxation, picnics,
conferences and seminars, research, cultural entertainment, and so on.
The resort was constructed between 1983 and 1986 and opened to the
public in November 1986 and has continued to wax stronger and stronger
ever since.
Article accredit to http://www.businessdayonline.com
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