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Sunburn Yacht: Lagos Assembly Summons Commissioners, Others
- By Lucky George
- Published October 26th, 2009
- TravelWorld
- Unrated
LAGOS State House of Assembly has summoned the commissioners for Tourism and Inter-governmental relations, budget and economic planning; finance and justice, Tokunbo Afikuyomi, Ben Akabueze, Rotimi Oyekan and Supo Sasore to appear before it to clarify grey areas in the procurement of a Sunburn Yacht.
The call came when chief whip of the Assembly, Rasak Balogun, under Matter of Urgent Public Importance, brought a publication in a national daily on procurement of the yacht to the attention of the house. Balogun said the publication is an issue that affects Lagos State, adding that the Democratic Peoples Alliance (DPA) in the publication said the state government invested a huge amount in the purchase of the yacht.
He said there is the need to investigate the procurement process, to let Lagosians know the real facts. DPA, in the publication, said the cost of acquisition, transportation and upgrade was put at 20 million pounds. “The deal initiated through the Ministry of Tourism, and bankrolled by an investment banker, was facilitated by MIDC Ltd and Westcom Ltd, two Nigerian venture capital advisory firms.
The party, in the publication, also accused the state government of double-speak on the issue, as Afikuyomi had reportedly boasted that it was a state acquisition with private participation. “When the 102-bedroom custom-built boat hotel acquired at the sum of N4.75billion first arrived at Marina in 2008, the commissioner displayed it as a state government acquisition, but few days later, the state governor said it was a purely private initiative with no financial commitment from the state,” DPA stated.
Other lawmakers, who expressed their views on the issue, commended their colleague who brought the issue up and described it as an embarrassment to the state. “Initially, we were made to understand that the procurement of the yacht was financed by some consortium of banks. We need to be furnished with facts about the procurement and what the contract entails.
We need to know the terms of contract concerning the yacht,” said Babatunde Ogala. The Assembly resolved that the four commissioners, including representatives of Diamond Capital and MIDC, the companies that were part of the procurement of the yacht, should appear before it on October 20, 2009.
Sunburn Yacht Hotel is the first custom built hotel in the world. It was set in a beautiful waterfront environment of Royal Victoria Dock, near Canary Wharf and offers a unique experience to everyone who decides to stay there before it was sold to the Nigerian buyers.
The hotel has a total of 102 luxury suites and two royal suites both equipped with their own saunas. Each guest room features all modern amenities you could imagine including air-conditioning, personal safes, high-speed internet access, mini bars, satellite TV and en-suite showers. For corporate guests the hotel has fully equipped meeting rooms and an auditorium. For this journalist, it has served as a venue for the regular meetings of Association of African Journalists in the United Kingdom, courtesy of Allister Soyode, Chief Executive Officer of BEN Television, and UK and of course known to the many Nigerians who participate at the yearly World Travel Market [WTM] I London.
Information left on [www.sunbornhotels.com], reads, “ Sunborn Yacht Hotel London has relocated outside of the UK from it’s London mooring” and stated “we thank our customers and clients for the successful years”.
Concluding, the statement said, Sunborn is in process of replacing the relocated London Yacht Hotel with a brand new vessel soon.
The call came when chief whip of the Assembly, Rasak Balogun, under Matter of Urgent Public Importance, brought a publication in a national daily on procurement of the yacht to the attention of the house. Balogun said the publication is an issue that affects Lagos State, adding that the Democratic Peoples Alliance (DPA) in the publication said the state government invested a huge amount in the purchase of the yacht.
He said there is the need to investigate the procurement process, to let Lagosians know the real facts. DPA, in the publication, said the cost of acquisition, transportation and upgrade was put at 20 million pounds. “The deal initiated through the Ministry of Tourism, and bankrolled by an investment banker, was facilitated by MIDC Ltd and Westcom Ltd, two Nigerian venture capital advisory firms.
The party, in the publication, also accused the state government of double-speak on the issue, as Afikuyomi had reportedly boasted that it was a state acquisition with private participation. “When the 102-bedroom custom-built boat hotel acquired at the sum of N4.75billion first arrived at Marina in 2008, the commissioner displayed it as a state government acquisition, but few days later, the state governor said it was a purely private initiative with no financial commitment from the state,” DPA stated.
Other lawmakers, who expressed their views on the issue, commended their colleague who brought the issue up and described it as an embarrassment to the state. “Initially, we were made to understand that the procurement of the yacht was financed by some consortium of banks. We need to be furnished with facts about the procurement and what the contract entails.
We need to know the terms of contract concerning the yacht,” said Babatunde Ogala. The Assembly resolved that the four commissioners, including representatives of Diamond Capital and MIDC, the companies that were part of the procurement of the yacht, should appear before it on October 20, 2009.
Sunburn Yacht Hotel is the first custom built hotel in the world. It was set in a beautiful waterfront environment of Royal Victoria Dock, near Canary Wharf and offers a unique experience to everyone who decides to stay there before it was sold to the Nigerian buyers.
The hotel has a total of 102 luxury suites and two royal suites both equipped with their own saunas. Each guest room features all modern amenities you could imagine including air-conditioning, personal safes, high-speed internet access, mini bars, satellite TV and en-suite showers. For corporate guests the hotel has fully equipped meeting rooms and an auditorium. For this journalist, it has served as a venue for the regular meetings of Association of African Journalists in the United Kingdom, courtesy of Allister Soyode, Chief Executive Officer of BEN Television, and UK and of course known to the many Nigerians who participate at the yearly World Travel Market [WTM] I London.
Information left on [www.sunbornhotels.com], reads, “ Sunborn Yacht Hotel London has relocated outside of the UK from it’s London mooring” and stated “we thank our customers and clients for the successful years”.
Concluding, the statement said, Sunborn is in process of replacing the relocated London Yacht Hotel with a brand new vessel soon.
