Moved by the need to investigate reasons behind the abandonment of Qua River Hotel, Eket the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly has beamed it's searchlight with a view to it's reactivation for use.
Coming under a Notice of Motion presented before the House during Plenary yesterday, the member representing Eket State Constituency, Hon. Nsidibe Akata informed the House that the hotel which was established by the then Governor of the then South Eastern State, General U. J. Esuene was the home of first choice for expatriates, consultants, engineers and allied professionals in Mobil Producing Nigeria Unltd now Exxon Mobil and other companies that operated in Eket and its environs.
He noted that Qua River Hotel was functioning and growing even when the State was renamed Cross River State however expressed worry that the Hotel nose-dived due to bad management like most other government businesses after the creation of Akwa lbom State and in 1996, the Hotel went under completely.
"Aware that sometime in 1996 Akwa Ibom State Government listed the Hotel as one of the ailing government-owned Companies for reactivation through the Akwa lbom Investment and Industrial Promotion Council (AKIPOC)" and added that Akwa Ibom Investment and Industrial Promotion Council (AKIIPOC) now Akwa lbom Investment Corporation (AKICORP) had privatized the Hotel for reactivation, upgrade and repositioning to EKPOUDIAN ENTERPRISE Ltd. on 20 July 2001.
Hon. Akata however expressed dismay that about 22 years after the so-called sale/privatization, Qua River Hotel has neither been reactivated, upgraded nor repositioned even when its physical assets are dilapidated and balkanized and the abandoned building asre now den for robbers, hideouts for kidnappers and other criminal activities.
The Lawmaker in his motion informed the House that the host community that donated the land for the specific purpose of development of Qua River Hotel and who were also never consulted about the sale are now agitating as well as threatening to recover possession and ownership of their land and put it to other valuable uses that will benefit the people since the purpose of the donation has been defeated.
He called on the House to direct the House Committee on Industry, Commerce and Tourism to invite the Akwa Ibom Investment Corporation (AKICORP) and EKPOUDIA ENTERPRISES Ltd. for interrogation and fact finding on the failed reactivation of the Hotel.
After due deliberation on the motion, the Speaker refered the matter to the House Committee on Industry, Commerce and Tourism to laise with relevant Ministries and Agencies in the Tourism sector and report back to it for immediate action.
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