Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has said hospitality facilities belonging to the state government would no longer be run at a loss, under his administration.
Governor Eno gave the assurance while fielding questions from Government House Correspondents shortly after his inspection tour of the ongoing renovation of facilities at the Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort.
The Governor who said the State has numerous hospitality facilities including; the Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort, the Four Points by Sheraton in Ikot Ekpene, the ongoing ARISE Resort, and facilities in Lagos and Abuja, insisted that they must be strategically managed as profit-making ventures.
“We can’t put so much money into facilities like this, and they keep reporting deficit because we want an international brand. We can be our own brand,” he stated.
To ensure that the State hospitality facilities are delivering efficiently and profitably, the Governor, who is a Fellow of the Nigerian Hotel and Catering Institute (NHCI), said government would put in place a strategic hospitality management group to properly develop a State brand.
“Five or six years ago, Ibom Air was not a brand, but today, it is a brand to reckon with. You can create your brand. Each and everyone of us has our identity. It is now left for us to develop our identity,” he said.
Governor Eno called on indigenous professional hoteliers both at home and in the diaspora to look inward and be part of the Akwa Ibom hospitality brand.
“There is no hotel in this country that you will not find an Akwa Ibom son or daughter at the hierarchy of management. So we call on them to return home and put that same energy in turning around our hotel facilities.”
The Governor emphasized that experienced indigenous hoteliers who have made their marks in the hospitality industry will be given a chance to showcase their proficiency in the running of the hotel.
Pastor Eno explained that he came to see the prototype rooms to ensure its readiness for usage come December as expected.
“Once we sort this out, I am told we should be able to deliver the first 40 rooms in October, so that we can start using it in December, preparatory for Christmas.”
He disclosed that the ongoing upgrade of facilities in the hotel will be done in phases to meet up its total overhaul.
Governor Eno further highlighted that the State has an amazing hospitality assets that require expertise in different areas including; front desk management, house keeping, engineering, reservation and audit to form a strong group that would develop the State’s operational manual in the sector.
“This is necessary and important so that if I am here in Uyo or in Abuja, we already know the standard and it would be the same. Uniforms, attitude, and the likes must be the same. It takes a lot of training and retraining to achieve that,” he said.
The Governor who took time to move round the facility, especially the areas of the undergoing renovation, was accompanied by the Secretary to the State Government Prince Enobong Uwah, members of the State Executive Council, Delivery Advisors, and others.
