Metro

IGR of Enugu Tourism Board grew to 243 per cent in my one-year – former GM

Published

2 months ago

October 2, 2023

The former General Manager of Enugu State Tourism Board, Chief Steve Odo, says under his watch, the Internally-Generated Revenue (IGR) of the Board grew to 243 per cent increase in his first one year in office.

Odo disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu on Sunday while revealing the verifiable standard and other milestone achievements and records he set at the Board, which he said he met comatose.

According to him, during my first one year in office, the Board’s IGR increased from N2,571,000 in 2020 to N6,263,000 in 2021 (243.6 percent) representing 143.6 per cent increase.

“In 2022, we generated the sum of N5,591,000 which is less than the previous year due to sit-at-home syndrome etc. However, this amount represents 217.5 per cent and an increase of 117.5 per cent of what was generated in 2020 before I took over.

“In compliance with the Enugu State Tourism Law 2013 Section (18); I submitted detailed progress reports to his Excellency, the Governor, through the Honourable Commissioner for Culture and Tourism every year as required by Law for the two years of my service”.

“Before I took over, there was not even one hotel captured in the entire Enugu North and Enugu West Senatorial Zones as a result hotels and other tourism-related enterprises were not aware of their responsibilities to the board requiring first that we have to create awareness which we embarked on and achieved.

“We have captured about 150 hotels (big and small) in the two senatorial zones and registration/classification is ongoing.

“This, added to that of Enugu East Senatorial Zone, comes to about 494 hotels (big and small) captured in the entire state,” he said.

This, he said, was against a total of 150 hotels captured before I took over; while registration and classification of hotels were also ongoing before I handed over.

The former general manager said that the Board’s Audited Accounts by an External Auditor was last done in 2013, which was nine years in arrears.

“However, within my two years in office, the Board’s Audited Accounts have been completed up to Dec. 31, 2022, and the external auditors paid fully.

“I also met a workforce with the lowest ebb of staff morale with over 80 per cent record of absenteeism and left a highly-motivated workforce with less than 20 per cent of absenteeism,” he said.

Odo noted that before he took over, the Board’s monthly overhead/subvention was far less than the basic salary of workers, adding that through financial data collection and reports to relevant arms of government, we were able to secure adequate monthly subvention and overhead.

He revealed that the office had been in darkness since the closure of Hotel Presidential but he restored light (electricity) and procured a meter for the office.

He said: “There were no functional toilets in all the offices of the Board, but I resuscitated the eight toilets in the offices.

“It is on record that I initiated payment of staff pensions since the inception of the Board and have no record of arrears up to the month of May, 2023, when I handed over.

“No retired staff of tourism board was being owed up till the date we were all asked to handover.”

“The World Tourism Day, which is celebrated on Sept. 27 by tourism stakeholders all over the World, was first celebrated by the Board during my first year of service.”

Odo said that during his period in office, the Board launched a functional website on a special arrangement with a firm – Arichi Global Synergy – who have commenced registration and digitalization processes with the hotels before we were abruptly asked to land over.

The former general manager said that he started the remittance of staff salary (PAYE) deductions to the State Board of Internal Revenue Service (EBIRS), which hitherto was being retained due to paucity of funds.

According to him, “my passion for hospitality and interest in Staff Welfare made me introduce End-of -Year Christmas Party for members of staff every Dec. 22 for the period I served.”

He said that “Enugu State is a hidden treasure of tourism,” and urged the new state administration to focus on creating an enabling environment that will encourage private investors to partner with government to achieve sustainable tourism development in Enugu State.”

Metro

Navy Destroys 15,775 Litres Of Stolen Crude Oil In Ondo

Published

1 week ago

November 20, 2023

Desmond Ukafor

Men of the Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Igbokoda, Ondo State, over the weekend, intercepted and destroyed 15,775 litres of stolen crude oil in the Ilaje axis of the state.

The Commanding Officer of the base, Captain Wasuku Alushi, who estimated the value of the products to be N13,251,000, said the operation was carried out by the anti-Crude Oil Theft (COT) patrol team.

According to Commander Humphrey Nnaji, who spoke on behalf of Alushi, the products were destroyed in accordance with the mandate of the joint taskforce Operation Delta Safe on COT.

He emphasised that the team had received intel on illegal bunkering within the axis, after which a wooden boat popularly known as a “Cotonou” laden with crude oil was tracked and intercepted.

“The wooden boat was intercepted about 12 nautical miles (NM) off the coast of the adjoining Ojumole and Obe communities in the Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State. On sighting naval personnel, the crew abandoned the boat and fled,” he said.

While reiterating the commitment of the base to stamp out the menace of COT and other crimes in Igbokoda and its environs, he maintained that the base will intensify surveillance within the axis.

Headline

Car Crashes Into A Building In Lagos, four Hospitalized

Published

1 week ago

November 20, 2023

Alero Danjuma

No fewer than four male adults have sustained severe injuries in an accident involving a Lexus car along Liasu Road in the Idimu area of Lagos State.

The incident happened on Sunday at about 5 am.

The vehicle was said to be moving at top speed when it lost control, swerved off the road and rammed into a shop opposite a Catholic church in the area.

The impact of the crash also damaged a building behind the shop thereby affecting some of its occupants who were still asleep.

Eyewitnesses told our correspondent that the occupants sustained varying degrees of injury in the process.

An eyewitness, Sodiq Aderemi, said the injured victims were labourers who were employed to work in the building situated on the premises.

He said, “The vehicle was coming from the Council bus stop when it got to this point and crashed into the shop. It destroyed all the goods in the shop. The people living in the building behind the shop were labourers and they were close to 15. They work in an uncompleted building on the premises and sleep there at night. While four of them were seriously injured, two others fell unconscious. They were later resuscitated after a while. The bricks of the fence fell on them while they were still sleeping.”

Another resident who identified himself only as Abidemi said the car was stopped by an electric pole which was also damaged in the process.

He said, “The accident would have been fatal if not for an electric pole that stopped it. Thank God, it also happened in the daytime and not when the owner of the shop was in there. However, she was called this morning that her shop had been destroyed and she came around with her husband. They have gone to report the incident at the police station.

The injured victims were said to have been taken to the hospital where they are currently receiving treatment.

Although the driver escaped unhurt, he was nabbed by residents while trying to run away from the scene of the incident.

One of the residents, Adekunle Daisi, who stopped him from running away said, “The occupants of the car were three. Two of them escaped while one of them was caught. He was brought back to the point where the accident happened. Some aggrieved persons wanted to set the car on fire and also lynch him before they were later prevented from doing so. He was later forced to follow the injured victims to the hospital where he was told to pay for their hospital bills.”

Some of the victims who sustained minor injuries were also treated at the hospital and discharged immediately.

The police had yet to arrive as of the time our correspondent left the scene of the incident.