Former President Goodluck Jonathan has lamented the abandonment of key projects he initiated as Governor of Bayelsa State, blaming successive administrations for failing to sustain his development agenda.
At the inauguration of the Best Western Plus Hotel in Yenagoa, the state capital, on Wednesday, Jonathan said he had begun several hotel projects, to attract tourism and investment to the state before he became Vice President in 2007.
He noted that those projects were left unattended after he left office, describing the trend as a major source of waste in governance.
‘When a governor leaves office, the next governor doesn’t want to follow up, and most of the money spent goes to waste’, Jonathan said.
The former president recalled that his administration had invested in the hospitality sector to make Yenagoa more appealing to visitors, especially during the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), which Bayelsa hosted at the time.
‘During the first AMAA event, most of the international guests stayed in Port Harcourt because Bayelsa had no suitable hotels,” he said. “So we supported local hoteliers with loans of N10 million to N15 million to upgrade their facilities, but after I left office, nobody refunded the money, and the initiative died’.
He added that his government had also awarded contracts for the construction of three major hotels, including the Tower Hotel and two three-star facilities, which were never completed.
‘If they had done these three hotels, by now visitors coming to Bayelsa State would have had comfortable places to stay, but somehow when I left, even people I mobilised, we didn’t see what they have done.
‘That is the problem of government, when a governor leaves, the next governor doesn’t want to follow up, most of those money spent will go’.
Jonathan commended the management of Best Western Plus for bringing a world-class hospitality brand to the state, saying it fulfilled the vision he had for Bayelsa’s tourism industry.
In his remarks, Governor Douye Diri praised the hotel’s founder, Dr. Harcourt Adukeh, for his investment and commitment to the state’s economic growth.
Diri described the project as a landmark development that would boost the hospitality sector, create jobs, and encourage more private investment.
He urged Bayelsans to emulate Adukeh by investing in their home state to drive sustainable development.
Also speaking, the Executive Director of the hotel, Mrs. Initeme Aduke-Eromhonsele, and Dr. Adukeh highlighted the facility’s blend of elegance, comfort, and modern design, noting its serene view of the Oxbow Lake.
The launch of the Best Western Plus Hotel, an affiliate of the global Best Western brand, marks a new phase in Yenagoa’s emergence as a destination for tourism, investment, and premium hospitality in the Niger Delta.
