By Okorie Uguru
Radisson Blu Hotel Enyimba in Aba, Abia State will be ready to take in guests in 24 months. This was disclosed by Mr. Uche Ukeje, the Director General of Greater Aba Development Authority.
Ukeje disclosed this during the signing of the management agreement between the Abia State government and the Radisson Blu Group, an international hospitality management company. The hotel will be the first internationally branded hospitality outfit in Abia State. In addition, Ukeje said the hotel would create about 5000 direct and indirect jobs when fully functional.
Speaking on the project, Mr. Ukeje Uche said the plan was to have a 250-room hotel when completed. However, in the first phase, 125 rooms would be completed, while the second phase would see the number of rooms increased to 250. By the agreement, Radisson Blu would manage the hotel when completed as a Radisson Blu brand. The agreement was signed on Friday, February 11 at the Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos. Signing on behalf of the Abia state government, the state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Mr. Ikechukwu Uwanna said the revitalization of the Enyimba International Hotel project was part of Abia State Governor Alex Otti’s campaign promises to revitalize the city of Aba. On how the state government was able to get project back on track, Uwanna said: “Since his Excellency Dr. Alex Chioma Otti came on board, the team has been working very hard to ensure that we get to this point. First we had to deal with investors and owners of the property, the Enyimba International Hotels Group, also the Aba chamber of Commerce. I have to put it on record that we had to go through a lot of documentation with them, and we found them very supportive. That was one of the fundamental things we had to do to unwind the relationship surrounding that structure. We commend the Aba Chamber of Commerce for the support in getting through that phase.
“The next phase was to also engage the Radisson Blu Group. In the past weeks we have been engaging them. We have taken time to go through the agreement, back and forth, use a fine comb to ensure that that the contract is in the interest of Abians, and the mutual benefit of the Abia state government and the Radisson group. We are happy to say that we have gone through a lot of process to get to this point. We have found a middle ground that we think is a win-win situation between Abians and the Radisson group. I must put it on record that the governor was hands on at every point in time. He went through the final document and gave his final approval. The aim is to unlock the potentials of Aba and the hospitality space.”
While signing on behalf of Radisson Blu, Mr. Ervan Garnier, the group’s Director of Development for Africa, said Nigeria was a top priority market for Radisson hence the effort to expand the number of properties. His words: “Nigeria is one of the four countries, out of the 54 countries in Africa that we are focusing our expansion. You can see Nigeria is a top priority country for Radisson Blu. Our objective is to double our portfolio in Nigeria. For that we have created a very specific strategy where we focus on key cities, and key states. Obviously Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt have been on focus for us, and then we have identified Eastern cities which include Aba which is in Abia State. This is why we are partnering with Abia State. We often look at existing properties, in this case Enyimba, which have multiple benefits, the benefits of often being in a prime location although built a long time ago. Looking at existing property like the one in Abia State allows us, the owners and Aba city to have a product in the market much faster. “So, we are very excited by this opportunity and we believe that with the right team put in place, it will be a very successful and good journey for the state and the people of Aba.”