Daily Trust (Abuja)
Femi Akinola
1 November 2009
analysis
Lagos — The Sunborn Yacht Hotel was acquired in February 2008 for N4.4 billion and brought from London to Lagos in December. Since its arrival in the country, it has not been put into use neither has the true owner of the floating hotel become known to members of the public.
The 'Pride of London' , as the yacht was dubbed by Tokunbo Afikuyomi, the Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism and Inter-Governmental, before the hotel arrived the country, has since its arrival in Lagos almost a year ago, left Marina for once to Naval Dockyard, Apapa, for minor repair that lasted less than three weeks. It has since returned to its position on Marina, Lagos where it was going through another round of renovation.
There has been controversy regarding the true owner of the Lagos Sunborn Yacht which is yet to be resolve. However, the facilitator of the deal that led to acquiring the yacht, Multipurpose Infrastructural Development Company (MIDC) had accused Diamond Capital, a subsidiary of Diamond Bank Plc, the financial of the project of trying to take over the property from it through what was described as 'fraudulent means.'
Also, the state government that initiated the idea has washed its hands clean of investing tax payer's money in the deal while it disowned the yacht but Senator Afikuyomi who represented the state when the yacht was about leaving London for Nigeria did not help matters as he was not saying all he knows about the deal thereby enmeshed the state and his image in the controversial deal.
The controversy surrounding the ownership of the floating hotel has taken a new twist recently when the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) formed to facilitate the loan with which the yacht was acquired, Loan Seed Limited allegedly sued Afikuyomi over the ownership of the yacht and MIDC also accused Diamond Capital of attempting to take over ownership of the yacht through a 'fraudulent 'means.
Investigations by Daily Trust reveal that in the beginning, it was the state government represented by Tokunbo Afikuyomi who was the Commissioner in -charge of Tourism that initiated the idea of the yacht and invited MIDC to make the deal a Private-Public Partnership (PPP) initiative. It was later that MIDC sought for financial support from Diamond Bank and the deal was sealed.
The main opposition parties in Lagos State, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Democratic Peoples Alliance (DPA) had, in the past couple of week, made acquisition of the Sunborn Yacht a public debate as both parties alleged that the state government was being economical with truth, adding that the state did not only paid the cost of the yacht but paid for its transportation from London to Lagos.
Due to the repeated allegation by the opposition parties and Afikuyomi sealed lips on the matter, the State House of Assembly last Tuesday, invited the Commissioner for Tourism and others that involved in the Sunborn yacht deal to unravel the real owner of the hotel and possibly, determine involvement of the state government in the deal as Afikuyomi had decline comment on the issue.
The Sunborn Yacht Hotel voted 'Best Hotel' in the food and drinks categories in the United Kingdom for 2005 and 2006 respectively. It was purchased through a deal that involved the state government in a designed PPP programme between the state and some private firms which include Diamond Capital Ltd.
It was recalled that after the floating hotel arrived the country and berthed on Marina waterfront, Lagos, Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi, described the transfer of the hotel to Lagos as a landmark achievement of Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola. He said its procurement was meant to reposition Lagos as a tourism destination. Then he said: "For Lagos, Africa and indeed the Middle East, this has now become the flagship and a project heralding the dawn of a new era in the Nigerian tourism sector."
Afikuyomi explained that the project was fully funded through private sector initiative adding that the state involved in the deal to achieve the set objectives of the administration for the development of tourism in the state. He said the yacht hotel was expected to commence operation in the third quarter of 2009.
The yacht is one of the very few floating hotels in the world putting Lagos in the league of cities like New York, Barcelona, Paris and Finland just as it has already put the state ahead of cities like Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha which are said to be at various stages of setting up similar floating hotels.
Built in 1999 and refitted in the year 2002, the Sunborn Yacht Hotel combines contemporary class and comfort being 18.4m wide, 106.5m in length and 17.6m in height from the sea level. The edifice with a total of six decks and an interior space of approximately 5000 Sq.m provides a breathtaking ambience for corporate guests, conference delegates, wedding parties and leisure guests to hold their exclusive events. It presently boasts of such facilities such as conference halls, restaurants, meeting rooms, spas, saunas and lounges.
Trouble started with the yacht some months back when Governor Babatunde Fashola denied the state ownership of the yacht. Fashola argued that the state has not invested a kobo in the floating hotel deal. His comment has since created another dimension to the hotel which members of the public has looked forward to have start operation by now.
The big question on every lip in Lagos is: Who is the real owner of the controversial Sunborn Hotel? Concerned members of the public, particularly the main opposition parties in the state has continue to ask who Afikuyomi represented in London when the yacht was about to depart U.K. and why the statement he made at the receiving ceremony after the floating hotel has berthed on Marina waterfront if it is true the state did not commit a kobo in the initiative.
The on-going tussle had exhibited claims and counter-claims for and against the yacht among all that involved in purchase and transportation of the second-hand floating hotel to Lagos. The Lagos State House of Assembly, according to the Speaker, is determined to get to the root of the controversy and determine who truly own the controversial yacht.
But, the man at the center of the controversy, two terms Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi on Tuesday (Tuesday October 27th, 2009) shunned invitation by the Assembly to appear once again and clarify cogent issues raised during the first appearance at the House last week.
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