Tourism: Jonathan Condemns Successors For Abandoning Hotels Constructions He Started As Bayelsa Governor

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 world Optimal Western brand, marks a new phase in Yenagoa’s emergence as a destination for tourism, investment, and premium hospitality in the Niger Delta.

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Initeme Aduke-Eromhonsele,  and Dr. Harcourt Adukeh, for his investment and commitment to the state’s economic growth.

Diri described the project as a landmark development that would improve the hospitality sector, create jobs, and support 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.

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.

Speaking on Wednesday at the inauguration of the Best Western Plus Hotel in Yenagoa, Jonathan said he had begun several hotel projects, to engage 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 prefer to observe 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 create Yenagoa more appealing to visitors, especially during the Africa Movie Academy Awards, which Bayelsa hosted at the time.

“During the initial AMAA event, most of the multinational guests stayed in Port Harcourt because Bayelsa had no suitable hotels,” he said. “So we supported local hoteliers with loans of N10m to N15m to upgrade their facilities, but once I left office, nobody refunded the capital, and the initiative died.”

He added that his government had furthermore 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 public I mobilised, we didn’t see what they have done.

“That is the difficulty 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 direction of Optimal Western Plus for bringing a world-class hospitality brand to the situation, saying it fulfilled the vision he had for Bayelsa’s tourism industry.

In his remarks, Governor Douye Diri praised the hotel’s founder, Dr.

Source: Tourism: Jonathan Condemns Successors For Abandoning Hotels Constructions He Started As Bayelsa Governor

Terfa Ukende

Terfa Ukende is a Nigerian travel writer, blogger, and the founder of Watch Nigeria. Combining an analytical background in Computer Science and Statistics from Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Makurdi (JOSTUM) with years of on-the-ground fieldwork, Terfa has crossed dozens of Nigerian cities—from Kano and Yola to Lagos and Port Harcourt. He founded Watch Nigeria to counter regurgitated travel advice with firsthand, independently verified reporting on routes, accommodations, and local culture. When not on the road, he is planning his next cross-country expedition.

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