EDHA Faults Obaseki’s Deal With MOWAA, Radisson Blu Hotel

BY FAVOUR PERCY-IDU­BOR/BENIN

THE Edo State House of Assembly (EDHA) has adopted a reso­lution calling on the state government to take over the ownership of the Mu­seum of West African Arts (MOWAA) and Radisson Blu Hotel in Benin.

The adoption of the resolution during plenary in Benin, followed the presentation and consid­eration of the reports of the two ad-hoc commit­tees constituted by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Blessing Agbebaku, to look into the ownership status of MOWAA and the Radisson Blu Hotel.

Presenting the report for consideration at the Committee of the Whole, Chairman of the ad-hoc committee on MOWAA, Hon. Isibor Addeh, said the report of the commit­tee had 11 findings and three recommendations.

Also at the plenary, the chairman of the ad-hoc committee on Radisson Blu Hotel, the Majority Leader of the House, Hon. Jonathan Ibhamawu, pre­sented the report of the committee with 13 find­ings and four recommen­dations.

During deliberations at the committee of the whole, the findings of the report revealed that the ti­tle of Central Hospital was not revoked by the Edo State Government in line with the Land Use Act be­fore the Certificate of Oc­cupancy was first issued to Legacy Restoration Trust and subsequently to MOWAA, the land on which the MOWAA In­stitute was built without any payment made for the 6.210 hectares of land.

The committee alleged that the state government provided N3.850 billion used to build and develop the MOWAA Institute Pavil­ion on the 6.210 hectares of the Central Hospital, saying there was no proof of any other funds donated in re­spect of the Museum.

Similarly, the committee held that Mr. Philip Iheana­cho George, the Director of MOWAA, is a long-time business partner of for­mer governor of Edo, Mr. Godwin Obaseki and also saying that along Obaseki, co-founded AfriInvest West Africa Limited and AfriIn­vest Capital Limited. The committee alleged that Ihe­anacho was “illegally gifted 55 per cent of the shares of the Edo State Government in Benin Enterprise Park by Mr. Godwin Obaseki through his company, Ama­ya Real Estate.”