BREAKING: Abia Government to Convert Government House Built By Ikpeazu into Five-Star Hotel
The Abia State Government has announced plans to convert the Government House built by the Okezie Ikpeazu’s administration that is located at Ogurube Layout, Umuahia, into a five-star hotel, citing its “uninhabitable condition.”
This was revealed by the State Commissioner for Information, Okey Kanu, during a tour of the facility.
He described the building as lacking the basic features required for use as a Government House and said it was unsafe for occupation.
He disclosed that the Governor Alex Otti-led administration has initiated plans to construct a new and befitting government house on the site of the former official residence.
“The structure at Ogurube Layout will be converted into a five-star hotel. Governor Otti is a responsible leader who will not allow state resources to be wasted. This place appears uninhabitable. There are no wardrobes anywhere. Most of what we saw were just empty halls. Did anybody see any wardrobe on any of the floors? There were none. So this place was never meant, from the outset, to be a residential house,” the Commissioner said.
The commissioner further emphasised that the structure was far from complete.
He explained: “Only the first floor appears to have been finished. The rest of the building remains incomplete. A lot of areas are not even plastered, and the elevator was never installed. The whole place looks unsafe. If anyone missteps in certain parts, they could fall through to their death.
“They rushed to erect this structure simply to deceive people into believing it was a functioning Government House. Yes, there are a few pieces of furniture here, but that’s all. The upper floors are completely empty. They misused state resources to put up a gigantic edifice that serves no real purpose.”
Kanu debunked claims that the previous Government House was a rented facility.
Meanwhile, in fulfilment of Otti’s earlier promise to revamp the long-abandoned Aba Mega Mall, the state government has acquired the huge commercial complex located at Osisioma Local Government.
To fully assert its ownership of the shopping mall the Otti’s administration has paid off all those with vested interests in the project strategically located within the commercial city of Aba.
Otti announced his government’s acquisition and full takeover of the mega-mall during a 3-day Mega Crusade of the Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries, which was held within the premises of Aba Mega Mall.
“I want to say that the place where you are (Aba Mega Mall complex), before now, there was a dispute. But just about three weeks ago, we resolved the dispute, paid off everybody that was being owed, and the place has reverted to the State Government,” he said.
The Abia Governor, who addressed the religious gathering amidst cheers from the faithful, stated that despite the initial dispute, no force was applied in the takeover of the mall.
“We didn’t want to use force. We called all of them and asked them, “how much are you being owed?” We paid all, even paid their bankers.
“So, this place has become full property of Abia State Government,” he affirmed.
The Aba Mega Mall, a multimillion-dollar investment, has been in comatose for 10 years now, thereby wasting the huge investments of the investors who had engaged with the previous administrations.
But in a strategic move, Otti initiated the process of bringing the long-abandoned project back to life, ensuring that its multimillion dollar assets are put into industrial use for the benefit of the people of Abia.
He said the mall sitting on a vast expanse of land would be put to effective use in the coming months, adding that with the way the Abia government works today, “in a few months, you would know that this place belongs to Abia State Government.”