Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has laid the foundation for the construction of a five-star International Conference Centre Hotel in Enugu, the state capital.
During the groundbreaking ceremony held on Saturday, the governor also inspected the long-abandoned 5,000-capacity Enugu International Conference Centre which his administration is currently completing and upgrading to modern standards.
Speaking during the event, the governor said the five-star facility, which he described as an investment enabler, was in line with his administration’s vision to make Enugu the preferred destination for investment, business, tourism, and leisure, and to grow the state’s economy from $4.4bn to $30bn in four to eight years.
Mbah said his dream was to make Enugu the conferencing headquarters of Africa.
“What we are witnessing here today is just connecting the dots. Recall that we said to Ndi Enugu that our mission is to make Enugu state the premier destination for business, investment, tourism, living, and leisure.
“We know that there are key enablers if you truly want to make your state the number one destination for tourism. We know also that for the International Conference Centre to be attractive, there are also key enablers.
“You cannot be talking about using your 5,000-capacity conference centre optimally without having enough keys. For anybody coming to host a conference of 5,000 participants, the first question is where are the keys. At least, they would like to see a minimum of 10,000 keys because as they are coming, they are probably coming with their family, friends,“ he stated.
Emphasizing timely delivery, Mbah said the government had made all necessary arrangements to meet its commitment to the contractors, who must work day and night, as there would be no room for cost variation or time overrun.
“We have been assured by the contractor that this project will be ready in eleven months. So, we are hoping to come here by April next year to commission this project. We are going to be on them and we have been assured that they are going to work day and night because we are hoping that the International Conference Centre where work is already going on will be ready a few months from now.
“We want to optimise the Conference Centre and we have been assured that there will be no variation and there will be no time overrun,” he emphasized.
The state Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Mr Gerald Otiji, said the International Conference Centre Hotel had become most imperative, explaining that besides the main Conference Centre, which can seat over 5,000 persons, other adjoining facilities could seat over a thousand people.
Throwing more light on the project, the Project Consultant, Adibe Njoku said the hotel was the soul that would drive the conference centre.
“It contains 335 rooms made up of 224 single rooms, 64 business suites, 25 diplomatic suites, and two presidential suites and every other facility that will enable the hotel to function as a five-star hotel,” he explained.
Also, speaking, the Managing Director of China Communications Construction Company, CCCC, Henry Li, thanked the state for entrusting the monumental project to them, and pledged to bring the company’s knowledge, expertise, and deep commitment to excellence to bear on the project.
Our goal is not only to build a hotel but to create a landmark that will also stand as a beacon of hospitality and innovation in our city”, Li stated.
Meanwhile, touring the Enugu International Conference Centre to inspect the level and quality of ongoing work, Mbah said nothing should affect the completion date in any way.
He said his administration was eager to put the complex to good use and welcome the world.
