From ONYEKACHUKWU MELUWA, Yenagoa
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has expressed disappointment that most of the projects he initiated as governor of Bayelsa State were abandoned shortly after he left office to become vice president.
Jonathan, who spoke yesterday during the commissioning of Best Western Plus Hotel, a world-class hospitality facility located at Oxbow Lake in Yenagoa, said the culture of discontinuity in governance remains one of the biggest setbacks to development at the state level.
He noted that governors often neglect projects initiated by their predecessors, even when state resources had already been invested in them.
“The problem of governance in this country is that when governors leave office, their successors don’t want to continue with projects they did not start. Most of the funds already spent end up being wasted,” he said.
The former president commended the management of Best Western Plus for investing in Bayelsa and helping to advance his earlier vision of developing the state’s hospitality and tourism sector.
He recalled the efforts made during his tenure to attract private investors to Yenagoa, including initiatives aimed at improving local hotels to accommodate international guests during major events such as the African Movie Awards.
“As the first elected deputy governor under Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, we started hosting the African Movie Awards that brought people from America, South Africa and other countries. But most visitors stayed in Port Harcourt because Bayelsa had no standard hotel.
“To address this, we supported small hotel owners with loans of N10 to N15 million to upgrade their facilities, but after I left office, no one repaid the loans and no one followed up on the programme. We also awarded contract for three new hotels, including Tower Hotel and two three-star hotels, but they were abandoned.”
He lamented that had those projects been completed, visitors coming to Bayelsa today would have enjoyed more comfortable accommodation options.
The Executive Director of Best Western Plus Hotel, Mrs Initeme Aduke-Eromhonsele, and the hotel’s founder, Dr Harcourt Aduke, described the new facility as a fusion of elegance, comfort and modern convenience, with breathtaking lakefront views of the Oxbow Lake.
They said the hotel, which is an affiliate of the globally recognised Best Western brand, marks Yenagoa’s emergence as a growing hub for tourism, investments and hospitality in the Niger Delta.
In his remarks, Governor Douye Diri commended Dr Aduke for his vision and commitment to invest in the state’s economy through the establishment of such a landmark project.
Diri described the development as a milestone that would boost the hospitality sector, create jobs for youths and promote community growth in Bayelsa.
