By Imelda Osayande
The Edo House of Assembly says the probe into the Museum of West African Arts (MOWAA) and the Radisson Blu Hotel is not meant to victimise former Gov. Godwin Obaseki.
The Chairman of the ad-hoc committee set up to investigate the two projects, Mr Ibhamawu Aigbokhan, said this Tuesday at a news conference in Benin, organised to make the committee’s findings public.
Aigbokhan said that the probe was primarily intended to clarify ownership issues and safeguard state assets.
According to him, Obaseki failed to inform the Assembly about the transfer of ownership of the Radisson Hotel to the Hospitality Investments and Management Company (HIMC).
He said the lapse was in spite of the Assembly’s approval of N2 billion for the purchase of the hotel.
Aigbokhan said the committee discovered some discrepancies in the claims made by the museum’s management, regarding funds raised for the project.
He said that MOWAA had claimed it raised about N37 billion for the project, but the committee found that the figure did not align with the museum’s audited financial statements.
He said the committee recommended that Gov. Monday Okpebholo should take over full possession of the premises where MOWAA is located, given that the Edo Government funded the project.
He further said that the committee also recommended that the property should revert to the Central Hospital “because the land allocation was never formally revoked”.
“The Edo State Government should immediately take steps to put the property to good use in the overriding interest of the people of the state,” Aigbokhan said.
On the Radisson Blu Hotel, he said the committee recommended that the Edo State Government should assume full and total control of the facility.
He said that the committee’s findings showed that the State Government did not receive any payment for the hotel, in spite of the approval of N2 billion by the Assembly for its purchase.
Aigbokhan said that ownership of the hotel was never legally transferred from the Edo Government to the Ministry of Finance Incorporated or HIMC.
He also said that the committee recommended that the State Government should engage competent contractors to complete the ongoing renovation at the hotel and put it to use.
He said the committee also advised the government to “immediately revoke what it described as a fraudulent Certificate of Occupancy issued to HIMC and revert the property to the Edo Government.
He said the committee also recommended that the State Government should initiate legal action and collaborate with relevant anti-graft agencies to recover the outstanding balance of N17.5 billion bond proceeds.
He said that the committee found out that the funds were allegedly being held by escrow agents, Meristem Trustees Limited and Emerging Africa Trustees Limited.
(NAN)
