Edo State House of Assembly Ad hoc Committees on Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) and Radisson Blu Hotel have asked the state governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, to take over the two institutions.
The committees were constituted by the Assembly to look into the ownership of the two projects, initiated by the Governor Godwin Obaseki’sadministration, but had been mired in controversy.
The Okpebholo government had consistently insisted that there was no handover note from his predecessor, Obaseki, which would have clarified the ownership of the projects.
On Tuesday, the chairmen of the committees on MOWAA and Radisson Blu Hotel, Hon. Addeh Isibor and Hon. Ibhamawu Aigbokhan, respectively, officially made public the committees’ findings.
Isibor, who presented the report on MOWAA, said claims by MOWAA’s management that it raised N37 billion was in direct contrast to MOWAA’s audited financial statement.
Isibor said the committee, in its recommendation, asked Okpebholo to take possession of the entire premises on which MOWAA was built since the state government funded the entire project.
Another recommendation, according to Isibor, was that the property remained that of the Central Hospital, as it was never revoked.
He said the committee recommended, “That the Edo State Government should immediately take all steps to put the property to good use in the best and overriding public interest of the people.”
On his part, Aigbokhan said the committee recommended full and total control of Radisson Hotel because it did not receive a kobo for the hotel.
He said the title to the hotel was never transferred from Edo State Government to either Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI) or Hospitality Investment and Management Company (HIMC).
Aigbokhan said the committee recommended, “The Edo State Government should contract competent hands to complete the renovation of the hotel and take all steps to put the hotel to use for the benefit of the good people of Edo State, in particular, and the world, in general.
“The Edo State Government should immediately revoke the fraudulent Certificate of Occupancy to the property issued in the name of Hospitality Investment and Management Company Limited and revert same to the Edo State Government that purchased the property.
“That the Edo State Government initiate legal action and work with relevant anti-graft agencies to retrieve the balance of the N17.5 billion proceeds still in the possession of the Escrow Agents, Meristem Trustees Limited and Emerging Africa Trustees Limited.”
The committee said they were not out to victimise Obaseki.
The committees’ chairmen said Obaseki did not inform the Assembly when he wanted to transfer ownership of Radisson Blu Hotel to Hospitality Investments and Management Company (HIMC), even when the Assembly gave approval for N2 billion to be used to purchase the hotel.
Felix Omoh-Asun
