UMUAHIA, Nigeria — The Abia State Government has announced its decision to convert the controversial new Government House — commissioned by the Okezie Ikpeazu administration a day before it left office — into a five-star hotel, citing serious security and structural deficiencies.
Speaking to journalists during a tour of the facility on Thursday, May 8, 2025, the state’s Commissioner for Information, Okey Kanu, said the building lacked essential features, was structurally incomplete, and posed a significant security threat due to its location in a densely populated private residential area.
“This place is not habitable. From the point of security, it is not even ideal for the Governor to live in. It could pose a serious risk for the Governor,” Kanu stated.
According to the Commissioner, only the ground floor of the multi-level building was completed and furnished, while the upper floors remain unfinished, with glaring structural defects and absent facilities such as elevators.
“The government of the day has decided to turn this place into a five-star hotel. The reason is that this place was not well built,” he added.
He described the project as a misuse of public funds, noting that despite the “gigantic” nature of the structure, it was grossly unfit for the purpose it was built for.
Kanu also debunked recent claims made by former Information Commissioner John Okiyi Kalu, who accused Governor Alex Otti of running his administration with propaganda.
Kanu insisted that the current government was only stating verifiable facts about the state of inherited projects.
He urged the public to disregard any reports suggesting the Government House was completed and fit for occupation.
