CSO demands probe of Akwa Ibom state-owned hotel management

A Civil Society Organisation, CSO, Center for Human Rights and Accountability Network (CHRAN) has called for immediate probe of the Akwa Ibom State government’s Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort, to ascertain how the facility has been managed in the past 19 years.

The state government, in a public notice announced an interim closure of the Ibom Icon by August 22, 2026, to allow for the completion of ongoing renovation works and the handover of its management to a private hospitality firm.

However, CHRAN in a statement signed by its Director, Otuekong Franklyn Isong and the Secretary, Research & Documentation, Comrade Etimbuk Ekpenyong, in Uyo on Wednesday, said the state government’s drive to reposition the hotel would be incomplete without a financial probe.

The CSO also expressed worry that after successive changes in management and brand identity, the Hotel has consistently failed to live up to its potential as one of the state’s flagship tourism assets, noting, “that Pastor Umo Eno, Governor of Akwa Ibom State himself have acknowledged in a public function that the facility has repeatedly operated at a loss.” 

The statement read in parts, “CHRAN, therefore, calls on the government of Akwa Ibom State to commission an independent financial audit of the hotel covering its full management history, to determine how revenues were generated, accounted for, and utilised, in order to establish the true financial position of the facility before being handed over.

“Commission a personnel audit of the Hotel’s staffing and management structure in the past 19 years, to determine how staffing decisions were made, whether the right skills and competencies were in place, and how this may have contributed to the facility’s underperformance.

“Conduct and publish a probe into the reasons for the Hotel’s repeated failure to perform maximally under successive brand management arrangements, so that the lessons learned can properly constitute the new management framework and prevent a repeat of the same failures under Aleph Hospitality brand.

“CHRAN emphasises that a comprehensive audit and probe are not exercises in mere fault-finding, but essential steps to ensure that the new management is not set up to fail.”