The Edo House of Assembly says the probe into the Museum of West African Arts and the Radisson Blu Hotel is not meant to victimise former Governor Godwin Obaseki.
The chairman of the ad hoc committee set up to investigate the two projects, Ibhamawu Aigbokhan, said this Tuesday at a news conference in Benin, organised to make the committee’s findings public.
Mr Aigbokhan said the probe was primarily intended to clarify ownership issues and safeguard state assets.
According to Mr Aigbokhan, Mr Obaseki failed to inform the assembly about the transfer of ownership of the Radisson Hotel to the Hospitality Investments and Management Company.
He said the lapse occurred despite the assembly’s approval of N2 billion for the purchase of the hotel.
Mr Aigbokhan said the committee discovered discrepancies in the claims made by the museum’s management regarding funds raised for the project.
He said MOWAA 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.
Mr Aigbokhan said the committee recommended that Governor Monday Okpebholo should take full possession of the MOWAA premises, given that the Edo government funded the project.
He mentioned 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,” Mr Aigbokhan said.
Regarding the hotel, Mr Aigbokhan said the committee recommended that the Edo government assume full control of the facility. He said the committee’s findings showed that the government received no payment for the hotel, despite the assembly approving N2 billion for its purchase.
Mr Aigbokhan said ownership of the hotel was never legally transferred from the Edo government to the Ministry of Finance Incorporated or HIMC.
He also said the committee recommended that the government engage competent contractors to complete the hotel renovation and put it to use.
Mr Aigbokhan said the committee also advised the government to immediately revoke what it described as a fraudulent certificate of occupancy issued to HIMC and return the property to the Edo government.
Mr Aigbokhan said the committee also recommended that the 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 the committee found that the funds were allegedly held in escrow by Meristem Trustees Limited and Emerging Africa Trustees Limited.
(NAN)
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