Engineer Etido Inyang was the Special Adviser on Bureau of Technical Matters during the immediate past administration. Currently he is the Commissioner for Special Duties Akwa Ibom State. In this interview with journalists in Uyo, he clarified issues surrounding some key projects embarked by the last administration such as the Tropicana, the 20th Anniversary Hospital; the 4-Star hotel at Ikot Ekpene among others.

By Chioma Onuegbu

The 4-star hotel at Ikot Ekpene was among the projects commissioned towards the end of the last administration and it is yet to start. Why has it not started?

What we had before was a soft commissioning. In every hotel there is always a soft commissioning depending on the exit of that administration. When His Excellency Attah built the Le Meridien, and when we came in 2007 we found only 20 rooms that were done.

The lobby area was completed and then the workers were living in those rooms because they were international staff of the Le Meridien. So it was the last administration that came in and then cleaned up all the other 170 rooms and the guest houses. The workers now moved into the guest houses and then we started to have this place (Le Meridien) commissioned.

Now for the 4-star, all the rooms have been furnished completely. The restaurant, the kitchen, everything is running. The only thing remaining is what we call the ‘Small Operating Equipment’ things like cutlery, bed sheets, pillow cases.

Inyang

Now what we have done has been paid for, we have also paid the initial money for the training. You know there is what they call the ‘Start up running cost’, that has been done. We have registered the company but these things take time for you to customize them. Remember it is run by Sheraton, so what the Sheraton Group is doing is liaise with Le’ Meridien, Uyo. So, we are very sure that in April next year we will have the four-point Sheraton hotel running in full speed.

What about the 20th Anniversary Hospital also inaugurated by last administration, what is the situation now?

The situation now is very good. When people say there are no equipment in the 20th anniversary hospital I decided to ask the journalists,  didn’t you see the equipment on the day of inauguration? We went round the wards, and the same equipment were there. As I speak to you the doctors are arriving. By the end of the month there will be an opening of the 20th Anniversary hospital. First batch of the Doctors have started coming in.

Is the Specialist hospital going to be managed by the state government?

No, it is a PPP thing. There are the Americans, Asians and the rest of Europe. It is a conglomerate.

The Tropicana project is one project started by the last administration that the people are having the impression that is giving the government serious challenge because it can no longer fund it, what is the true story?

The story about the Tropicana is very simple. With the current financial situation, we need to think and re-strategise. In the shopping Mall, Shoprite is coming in because they appreciate what we have on ground. We have had discussions. We discussed with the owner, the Managing Director of Shoprite.

They are working on the design now, and what they promised us is that by first week of January there will be foundation right there. Also they are looking at working for 8-9months to complete that particular project.

For the hotel, we have the Hilton. What happened with the Hilton hotel is that initially we went to Hilton and Hilton gave us Hilton Garden. Hilton Garden is a 3-Star hotel whereas what we were building was a 5-Star. Now when the last governor persuaded Hilton, we had a meeting in the US, and they now accepted to come and take a look again.

When they came they brought in a consultant who now accepted to do the Hilton Garden 5-star. They have written to us that they have accepted but they have a lot to amend, to have a flow that is why you have a seemingly delayed project.