The Edo State House of Assembly has recommended that the Edo State Government take full control of the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) and the Radisson Blu Hotel in Benin City following investigations by its ad hoc committees on the two projects.
Presenting the report of the Committee on MOWAA during the public presentation of findings, the Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Addeh Isibor, said claims by the management of the museum that it raised ₦37 billion were inconsistent with the organisation’s audited financial statements.
The Committee therefore recommended that the Edo State Government, under the leadership of Governor Monday Okpebholo, take over possession of the entire premises on which the museum is built, noting that the project was fully funded by the state government. The Committee also maintained that the property remains that of the Central Hospital as the land was never formally revoked.
According to the Committee, the state government should immediately take all necessary steps to ensure that the property is put to good use in the overriding public interest of the people of Edo State.
Similarly, the Committee investigating the Radisson Blu Hotel project, chaired by Hon. Ibhamawu Aigbokhan, reported that the Edo State Government purchased the fully built hotel complex for ₦2 billion. The Committee, however, alleged that the administration of former Governor Godwin Obaseki did not inform the House of Assembly when it moved to transfer ownership of the hotel to the Hospitality Investment and Management Company Limited (HIMC), despite earlier approval granted by the Assembly for the purchase.
The Committee further stated that the title to the hotel was never legally transferred from the Edo State Government to either the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI) or the Hospitality Investment and Management Company Limited.
Among its key recommendations, the Committee called on the state government to take full control of the hotel, engage competent contractors to complete ongoing renovations, and ensure the facility is put to use for the benefit of the people of Edo State and the wider public.
The Committee also recommended the immediate revocation of what it described as a fraudulent Certificate of Occupancy issued in the name of Hospitality Investment and Management Company Limited and its reversion to the Edo State Government.
In addition, the Assembly urged the state government to initiate legal action and collaborate with relevant anti-graft agencies to recover the balance of ₦17.5 billion in bond proceeds allegedly still held by escrow agents, Meristem Trustees Limited and Emerging Africa Trustees Limited.
The House emphasized that its recommendations are aimed at protecting public assets and ensuring transparency and accountability in the management of state resources.
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