The Chairman of Ezza North Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Chief Moses Ogodo-Ali, has commended Governor Francis Nwifuru for his swift intervention that led to the unsealing of his hotel facility in Abakaliki.
The facility was reportedly sealed by officials of the Ministry of Capital City and Urban Development, allegedly over failure to obtain proper approval, an action that also saw occupants of the hotel forcefully ejected by suspected thugs.
Reacting to the development, Ogodo-Ali insisted that the hotel had long received government approval, noting that the facility was duly approved by the same ministry in 2013.
According to him, the issue raised by the ministry had more to do with space required for expansion rather than lack of approval.
“The commissioner was talking about the issue of space. He advised that I should acquire more land to expand the hotel, and we are already making arrangements to do that,” he said.
He explained that architectural drawings for the proposed expansion had already been submitted to the ministry for approval, adding that officials had not even commenced work on the documents before the sealing exercise was carried out.
“The main hotel was approved since 2013, and I have shown you the approval. What we are discussing now is the expansion. I don’t understand how they moved to seal the already approved facility,” Ogodo-Ali stated.
He expressed satisfaction with the governor’s intervention, stressing that the matter had been resolved amicably.
“The good news is that the Executive Governor, Francis Nwifuru, has intervened and ordered the unsealing of the hotel. We are one government and cannot fight ourselves. The hotel has been unsealed and is fully functioning,” he said.
Ogodo-Ali added that documents for the hotel’s expansion were already before the commissioner, urging the ministry to focus on supervising the quality of work rather than disrupting business activities.
“The commissioner himself admitted that the old building was approved and that the new one is awaiting approval, which is already on his table. So I am not quarrelling with him,” he noted.
He also called on occupants who were allegedly chased out during the sealing exercise to return, assuring them of safety and stability.
“Those who were chased out should come back. We have one system and one governor, and the governor has ordered that the hotel be opened,” he said.
The council chairman dismissed claims that the incident was politically motivated, describing such allegations as baseless.
“I don’t believe opponents are behind this. Naturally, every man has enemies. If a man has no enemies, he does not exist. I am not afraid of my enemies,” he said.
Ogodo-Ali further assured residents and guests of adequate security at the facility.
“There will never be any incident of insecurity here. It is one of the most secured hotels in town. Policemen are always stationed here. Security is not an issue,” he stressed.
