•Action has nothing to do with party affiliation

By Peter Okutu

Ebonyi State Government, yesterday, sealed four Hotels within the Abakaliki metropolis, for refusing to pay it’s ground rates in the state.

Addressing newsmen on the development, the Special Adviser to Governor David Nweze Umahi on Lands and Survey, Emmanuel Igwe stated that the enforcement for the payment of ground rates has commenced in earnest as any hotel or property owner that fails to comply with government directive will have his or her property sealed without delay.

The affected hotels include: CEVERO Hotel,  Abuson Hotel, Inland Comfort and City Pride Hotel.

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According to him: “We are in the process of enforcing the payment of ground rate by landlords and property owners.

“Ground rate is the annual due that those who have Certificate of Occupancy, C of O, pay to the state government on yearly basis.

“We have given notice to hotels to pay their ground rates but for those that are yet to pay, we have commemced the process  of  sealing their hotels until all necessary payments are made.

“Today (yesterday), my office was able to seal CEVERO Hotel,  Abuson Hotel, Inland Comfort, and City Pride Hotel. It’s a continuous process. We are still going to seal more. The remaining ones that we are to visit, if   they are yet to pay, we will seal them off.

“And I want to use this opportunity to call on Landlords, especially business owners, filling station owners to pay up, because very soon, I will visit them and if they don’t pay, we will seal their property.

“It has nothing to do with party affiliation. It has nothing to do with status in the society.”