Akwa Ibom To Turn State-Owned Hospitality Facilities Into Profit-Making Ventures — Gov. Eno
Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno, has assured that state-owned hospitality facilities will no longer operate at a loss under his administration.
Speaking with Government House correspondents after inspecting the ongoing renovation at the Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort, Eno said his government would reposition all state hospitality assets to function as profit-oriented ventures.
He listed the facilities to include the Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort, the Four Points by Sheraton in Ikot Ekpene, the ongoing ARISE Resort, as well as properties in Lagos and Abuja.
To achieve this goal, the governor — a Fellow of the Nigerian Hotel and Catering Institute (NHCI) — disclosed plans to establish a Strategic Hospitality Management Group to develop and manage a distinct Akwa Ibom hospitality 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 every one of us has an identity. It is now left for us to develop ours,” he said.
Eno urged indigenous professional hoteliers at home and in the diaspora to partner with the state in building the brand, adding that experienced Akwa Ibom hoteliers would be given opportunities to showcase their expertise in running state-owned facilities.
He explained that the ongoing upgrade of the Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort would be carried out in phases, with prototype rooms ready for use by December as planned.
Highlighting the state’s hospitality potential, Eno said the sector required expertise in front desk management, housekeeping, engineering, reservations and auditing to form a strong team that would develop an operational manual for all state-owned facilities.
“This is necessary and important so that whether I am in Uyo or in Abuja, we already know the standard and it would be the same. Uniforms, attitude, and other operational details must be consistent. It takes a lot of training and retraining to achieve that,” he added.
