The Abia State Government has announced its decision to convert the unfinished Government House structure located at Ogurube Layout in Umuahia into a five-star hotel.
Speaking during a media tour of the site on Thursday, the state’s Commissioner for Information, Okey Kanu, explained that the current administration had opted to construct a new Governor’s Office and lodge within the existing Government House Complex instead.
Clarifying longstanding public speculation, Kanu said the claim that the current Government House is rented was false.
He stated: “And let me debunk another lie. Before now, they said that the current Government House was a rented apartment. But it is not a rented apartment. That property was acquired, duly acquired by the state government, but those people who were in office before now were busy paying themselves rent from government coffers, deceiving the public that they were paying rent for a Government House.”
Kanu further disclosed that the building, which had been portrayed as completed and commissioned by the past administration, was neither suitable for occupation nor originally designed to function as a residential space.
According to him, “This place appears inhabitable. There are no wardrobes anywhere. Most of what we saw were just halls, empty halls. Did anybody see any wardrobe on any of the floors? There were no wardrobes. So this place was never meant to be a residential house.”
He continued, questioning the rationale behind the structure’s design: “And one begins to wonder, the person or persons who designed this so-called Government House. One wonders what they had in mind when they designed this kind of Government House and expected a governor to come and live in this kind of place.”
Kanu noted that only the first floor seemed near completion, saying, “And there is only the first floor that appears to have been finished. The rest of the floors were not finished.”
In defending the governor’s earlier comments on the structure, the commissioner took a swipe at former commissioner John Okiyi Kalu for misrepresenting the facts in a television interview.
He stated, “Of course, when Dr. Alex Otti spoke about this Government House a few days ago, John Okiyi went to Arise, to, as usual, spew falsehood. Almost everything he said was a lie. Now I brought you people (pressmen) here to see for yourselves and to confirm what Dr. Alex Otti said.”
Highlighting the safety concerns surrounding the building, Kanu described it as structurally hazardous. He said, “You can see a lot of the places were not plastered, and the elevator was not installed. The whole place looks dangerous. If anybody missteps there, you can fall through the place to your death.”
He further alleged that the project was rushed by the previous administration merely for political optics rather than functionality.
According to him, “Granted, you will see a few furniture here. But that is as much as you can see. Nothing on the next floor. They misused the resources of the state to put up this gigantic edifice that is meant to achieve nothing, so to speak. This place is not habitable.”
Kanu also raised concerns about the building’s location, stating that it was surrounded by other structures and therefore posed security risks.
Calling for public support for the current administration, Kanu said Governor Alex Otti is committed to responsible governance. He concluded, “Otti, being a responsible governor, would not allow waste and would never misuse the resources of Abians.”