The Akwa Ibom State Government is in search of restoration experts to preserve and restore the Amalgamation House in the Ikot Abasi Local Government Area of the state. The Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Mr Charles Udoh, disclosed this on Wednesday, in Uyo, the state capital, while briefing journalists. He said, “Immediately I assumed office, I went on a tour of tourist sites.
The reason was to ascertain the state of those tourist sites we have, and I began to map out plans on how to restore and preserve them. “Work has been ongoing on a few of them, but some of them, like the Amalgamation House, when you renovate it, it is gone. “By restoring, it means that if this is what was there in 1914, you need to replicate it as closely as possible in terms of materials, paints, and finishing.
If you bring in modern materials, it’s no longer an Amalgamation House, that’s why we are looking for experts. “So, we found a Lebanese, an expert in restoration, but somehow he didn’t feel comfortable staying in the country. We all feel the pain.
” Speaking on efforts to promote Mary Slessor’s legacies, the commissioner said the state government had commenced the renovation of the road leading to Mary House, adding that the Presbyterian church and Mary Slessor Akan-Glo Foundation had been contacted on how they would partner with the state to resuscitate the place. “The state government is constructing the road leading to the Mary Slessor House because there was no road .