Interview: Why Ife Grand Resort is unique to others – GM, Reuben Abib reveals

 

Ife Grand Resort & Leisure, one of the best hospitality-care centers in Africa, located on an expansive hilltop, adjacent to the Ife-Ibadan Expressway at about 4 km from the heart of the ancient and culturally important city of Ile-Ife, in Osun State, Southwest Nigeria, is the right place to be not only for tourists, fun-seekers, holidaymakers, travellers; but also for government institutions and individuals seeking exciting and memorable experience.

Reuben Abib, the General Manager, of Ife Grand Resort & Leisure, in a chat with Idowu Ayodele, reveals the intrinsic values that set the hospitality center apart from others.

Excerpts:

Why is Ife Grand Resort & Leisure described as the people’s palace?

It is, indeed; the people’s palace! You know not everyone can enter the Enuwa palace of the Ooni of Ife, but Ife Grand Resort & Leisure is the extension of that same palace. Here, at the People’s Palace, everyone can feel and be treated like royalty. We set up on over 328 acres of land, over a hundred rooms with chalets of different categories.

We actually have tree houses as well, very interestingly, they are all air-conditioned, we have Eclipse nightclub, a zoo, African Village, which hosts a Bamboo Restaurant and a local kitchen where guests can visit to witness how local food menus are prepared and served to them in local pots, the Adire Oodua Textile Hub where they make traditional adire clothes (tie-and-dye).

The resort also houses a 200-capacity cinema hall nearing completion and would be commissioned soon, an event centre, a conference hall, an indoor spa centre for manicures and pedicures, swimming pools, restaurants and bar, barbecue, where you can get your catfish, bush meat, palm wine among other facilities. Honestly, there is so much to do here, this is a place to be.

Considering the huge staff strength, both permanent and casual workers, how have you been able to manage and coordinate them for optimal productivity?

We are very much like a family here. So, I see myself like a father figure to all my staff, even a father figure to my customers. We may not always agree on some issues, but the fact is that if you realise you have a relationship that you want it to be extended beyond this present moment, then you have to manage yourself to protect such relationships. There is one Yoruba proverb I owe dearly to my heart is that when a child knows how to wash his hands well, he eats with the elders.

Interestingly, it is something the Yoruba culture has taught me which is the way we treat each other, the respect we give each other, we love each other so much that we bow to each other, in simple greetings, you must adopt humility to succeed. The secret I am trying to bring to the table is that you must love your children even if you must discipline them, binding it together, I think things are working fine here with us.

I am able to manage a diverse group of individuals with unique talents, skills, and abilities.

There are many resorts and hotels in Nigeria, what exactly sets Ife Grand Resort & Leisure apart from others?

We are the source, the cradle of the Yoruba race. The resort itself exemplifies everything that is housed within the Yoruba culture. One of our unique advantages is the pristine rain forest which is just a three-minute walk, and a tropical utopia for leisure seekers and discerning guests who cherish tranquility and communion with nature amid personalised hospitality services.

We are surrounded by nature , both flora and fauna.

We have more than enough facilities, stable security and fantastic personnel that will make your visit to this destination an exciting and memorable experience. In addition to everything you can do here, we are just a few minutes away from the 401 historical and religious sites in Ile Ife, so if you want to see culture first hand, this is the best place to be. There is so much to do here, so much to learn, there is no way even once in a lifetime you can take everything away. We are just a few weeks to Olojo festival, literally there is always a festival in Ile-Ife.

If you really want to get in touch with yourself and your culture, Ile-Ife is the only place to do that, this is the source.

How affordable is Ife Grand Resort & Leisure?

We are the most affordable four-star resort in Nigeria, I can assure you of that. This is the people’s palace, we want it accessible and affordable for all, the reason we deliberately splashed the prices by half. Can you imagine a standard room for N10,000 in a four-star resort?

Having spent some quality and eventful years in Africa, particularly Southwest Nigeria, how would you describe the Yoruba culture?

I am an African American. Growing up in Canada and the US, they will be telling us that our culture is dead. In 2017, when I met the Ooni of Ife and I saw living culture, I saw the culture of the Emeses, the culture of the cult, I saw the culture of the Yoruba people, prostrating before this amazing King, and I was touched to the soul. I am actually a born orphan, and one thing about orphans is that not only that people adopt us, we also adopt people. I must say that I have adopted Yoruba because it resonates with me – the history, the culture, proverbs, and wisdom of the Yoruba people, is something that I feel it is within my soul and it is wonderful.

Likewise, I spent 11 years in the Gambian and I already spent over 5 years in Nigeria, I can always see that for we the repatriated Africans, it is actually easy to find our home here and this is very welcoming. Thank you for sharing your culture with me.