YIBO KOKO – A LEGEND IN THE MAKING
The man buy me rice and plantain for Presidential Hotel in Port Harcourt so I must call am legend na. After the exciting and powerful showcasing of my new play Aremu, I flew into Port Harcourt to meet up with this very influential culture ambassador Yibo Koko. Please do not say that I am calling him just like that o, remember he is now the Director General Tourism in Rivers State so no be small man. I had watched his dance play, ‘Seki’ at the Eko Hotel sometime ago and was blown away with the extent of creativity and vision he put on display. Yibo is a very influential member of the team that is curating our cultural essence as a people so the opportunity to meet up with him was one I was grabbling with both hands. As I landed, he asked me to meet up with him at the very prestigious Presidential Hotel. I went with my friend and brother Ovie. The place fine no be small. Expansive and well apportioned. We sat at the swimming pool side marveling at the scenery especially how the Rivers State government had turned around the edifice. The waiters came and Ovie was afraid to order when he saw the bill. Me, the gambler I say Ovie let’s order one plate and one Coke to share in case Yibo no gree pay. At least we go pay that one and I go back to Lagos with God is Good night bus. We should not have worried because he came down and asked us to take anything we wanted. We embarked on a spree. You know how free things dey do person na. Anyways, Yibo took us on a cursory journey on his plans for tourism in Rivers State and beyond hinging the vision on what he called – soft tourism as against infrastructural tourism. He spoke so eloquently and passionately that you begin to wonder where he gets all the energies from. He came across as a man with verve. His clarity and strong sense of purpose left us with the sense that he was going places with his agenda. Welldone my brother, with people like you it can only get better.