NIGERIA: Abia Government To Convert Abandoned Govt House Into Five-Star Hotel

By Onoja Baba, Nigerian

The Abia State Government has announced plans to convert the abandoned “New Government House” project at Ogurube Layout, Umuahia, into a five-star hotel.

This decision was revealed by the Commissioner for Information, Okey Kanu, during a media tour of the premises on Thursday.

According to Kanu, what was initially touted as a completed Government House by the previous administration is structurally incomplete, grossly unsuitable for residential use, and riddled with design flaws and safety concerns.

“What we met here was a ghost of governance, a massive structure filled with empty halls, unfinished floors, no wardrobes, and no elevators. It is unsafe, impractical, and unfit to house any public officer,” Kanu said.

In what appears to be a shift toward economic pragmatism, the Alex Otti-led administration is flipping the script: rather than continue investing in a dysfunctional building, the government intends to repurpose it into a luxury hotel, tapping into Umuahia’s hospitality potential and bolstering internally generated revenue (IGR).

Critics have long alleged that the current Government House was being rented by the state a claim the commissioner firmly debunked.

“It was duly acquired by the state. But former officials created a false narrative and were busy paying themselves rent from government coffers,” he alleged.

The plan also includes building a new, functional Governor’s Office and lodge within the current Government House complex, an approach the commissioner described as cost-effective and security-conscious.

The abandoned structure, once a symbol of political showmanship, has now become a case study in poor planning and public deception.

“The previous government, in a rush to impress, poured funds into a hollow project that now stands as a monument to misplaced priorities,” Kanu added.

He accused former commissioner John Okiyi Kalu of misleading the public in recent media interviews and challenged the press to “see the truth with their own eyes.”

More than just a real estate maneuver, the conversion of the failed edifice into a five-star hotel signals a strategic shift: one that turns past waste into future wealth, repurposing failure into opportunity.

“Governor Otti is not in office to pamper white elephants,” Kanu emphasized. “He’s here to drive value, block waste, and give Abians reason to believe in governance again.”