National Wire About Nigerians, Nigerian Business and Other Stories
By Folake Sokoya
Former Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel has said that if the wealthy can invest in the country like he is doing, the growing youth unemployment and poverty would have been tackled in our nation.
The Ogun state two time governor gave this advice in Abeokuta on Friday, November 22,2019 while fielding questions from reporters during a facility tour of his new Conference Hotel, ahead of its official opening on December 6,2019.
Otunba Daniel disclosed that the new Conference hotel which has about 200 rooms, a standard swimming pool, terrace, one in town underground lounge and a very serene environment has been able to employ 200 permanent staffs in addition to the 300 workers engaged when work started again six months ago after the Amosun led administration shut down the hotel eight years ago.
He observed that if one investment from a single individual could provide such number of jobs to the youth, it is then left to the imagination, the quantum of Nigerians that would be empowered across the country if many of the nation’s wealthy individuals resolved to invest their monies in Nigeria instead of overseas countries.
Daniel stated further that he has forgiven everybody that had a hand in the shutting down of his multimillion Naira five star Hotel located in a choice area of Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital, for eight years said he does not have any difficulty with forgiving people.
“To forgive is divine. You all know I don’t waste time to forgive and I guess everybody connected with my hotel closure has regretted it. The most important thing is that I am alive. Some other people that found themselves in such situation never made it alive. I took everything as the way God has planned it and I thank God for everything.” Daniel said.
It will be recalled ,that shortly after the administration of Senator Ibikunle Amosun was inaugurated in May 2011, the hotel project which was nearing completion was sealed up and it remained under lock and keys till May 29, 2019 after governor Dapo Abiodun went straight to the hotel immediately he was sworn into office as the new governor of the state.
While the siege on the facility lasted, burglars, allegedly, had field days, routinely looting the electrical fittings, electronics and other valuables even as they vandalised some of the window panes.
Also responding to a question, Otunba Daniel said he accidentally became an hotelier in the bid to enhance tourism and sport development and also to expand the state and national economy.
“I was challenged to become an hotelier. Institution in Ogun state produce over a thousand graduate and we needed to open out the economy and so as governors then, I started inviting investors and individuals to come invest in the state and when the opportunity came, I also decided to put my input by erecting this edifice and it didn’t just start today. It is my passion.”. Otunba stated.
