by the immediate past governor of the state, Senator Godswill Akpabio
that the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel in Ikot Ekpene was over 98 per
cent completed as at the time he left office in 2015.
The reaction came following publications in some national dailies of
Saturday, August 25,
2018 where the All Progressives Congress (APC) alleged that the Four
Points by Sheraton Hotel, Ikot Ekpene was over 98 per cent completed
as at the time Senator Godswill Akpabio vacated office in 2015.
In a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and
Strategy, Mr. Charles Udoh and made available to DAILY POST, the
Commissioner said it sounded ludicrous for the immediate past governor
to allege that his administration fulfilled all franchise requirements
with Starwood Hotels and Resort for the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel
and that the current administration was only expected to pay the fees
when it fell due in 2015.
Udoh, who said that the present state government would not have
dignified "such brazen lies" with a response but that it was expedient
to react in order to set the record straight, disclosed that the
immediate past governor commissioned the Four Points by Sheraton
Hotel, Ikot Ekpene without a signed Franchise agreement and full
complement of requisite furniture and fittings.
He further said that 95 per cent of the total contract sum was
approved and disbursed by the immediate past governor as building and
site improvement cost and the worldwide standard for building and site
improvement cost component of a full-service 4-star hotel in an
emerging market is 64 per cent of the total cost of the hotel –
(Hospitality Valuation Services HSV)
The Akwa Ibom government therefore challenged Senator Akpabio to
validate his claims of having fulfilled the requisite contractual
obligations with Starwood Hotel & Resort for the Four Points by
Sheraton franchise by publishing a copy of the signed management
agreement and a copy of the Certificate of Incorporation of the
Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) he used for the transaction, stressing
that the SPV that manages the transaction on behalf of the Akwa Ibom
State Government; Raffia City Hotels and Tours Limited, was
incorporated on June 11, 2015; more than one month after Senator
Akpabio had commissioned the hotel.
Pressing further, Udoh queried Senator Akpabio on why the hotel which
he claimed to have commissioned was unable to start operations before
the end of his administration? and why there were no guest traffic
count and/or feasibility study carried out to justify the N25.4bn
investment in a 146 room hotel?
He also asked: Why were external caterers hired to bring in food if
the kitchen and dining facilities were ready, equipped and
commissioned? and why the hotel is a subject of discussion now; three
years after it was supposedly commissioned?
Part of the statement read, "It has become necessary for the public to
know who is telling a lie and we feel obligated to state as follows:
1. That immediate past Governor commissioned the Four Points by
Sheraton Hotel, Ikot Ekpene without a signed Franchise agreement and
full complement of requisite furniture and fittings.
We challenge immediate past Governor to validate his claims of having
fulfilled the requisite contractual obligations with Starwood Hotel &
Resort for the Four Points by Sheraton franchise by publishing a copy
of the signed management agreement.
When was the agreement signed? Who were the signatories and witnesses
to the transaction?
Which Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) was used in signing the agreement
before vacating office.
The SPV that manages the transaction on behalf of the Akwa Ibom State
Government; Raffia City Hotels and Tours Limited was incorporated on
June 11, 2015; more than one month after Senator Akpabio had
commissioned the hotel. (Certificate of Incorporation attached).
To set the records straight, the Senator should also publish a copy of
the Certificate of Incorporation of the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV)
he used for the transaction.
Regrettably, it paints an unpalatable picture of mischief for the
immediate past Governor; a lawyer by profession, to present an
unsigned and unverified press statement in the Nation newspaper of
July 12, 2014 as evidence of a legal contractual obligation on a high
networth project as one in question. This is a brazen and unremorseful
attempt at demeaning the intelligence of the good people of Akwa Ibom
State.
Who benefited from the over 95% payment his administration disbursed
on a half-completed hotel?
While the Akwa Ibom State Government is reluctant to engage in a
mudslinging combat with anybody, we will provide more facts to justify
who is telling the truth and who is lying when the questions asked are
answered."
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