The All Progressives Congress said it has observed with dismay the agreement to lease out the newly constructed Niger State Government Hotel opposite the Government House to a private firm owned by Alhaji Ibahim Aliyu, the elder brother of the state Governor, Dr. Babangida Aliyu.
The APC alleged that the lease was for 30 years.
The APC in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Jonathan Vatsa, and made available to The Eagle Online on Tuesday, said it was aimed at creating problems for the incoming government in the state.
However, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Aliyu, Israel Ebije, in his response to the APC’s statement maintained that the NSDC has entered into a five-year maintenance arrangement and not 30 years as peddled by the APC.
According to Vatsa: “The APC wants to state categorically to the people of the state that it has been revealed to the party that the said hotel built from the SURE-P funds to the state is being leased to a private firm, Urban Shelter, belonging to governor Aliyu’s elder brother, Ibrahim Aliyu.
Refuting this claim, Ebije said: “It is indeed very worrisome that Niger APC is in haste to blackmail the government of Dr. Aliyu and will only end up exposing the extent of their ignorance in basic administrative knowledge.
“The hotel will be managed for five years and not 30 years for better service delivery and the terms of agreement is flexible.”
Vatsa stated: “All these charades is being perpetrated through the Niger State Development Company managed by governor Aliyu’s younger brother Barrister Ciroma Aliyu.
“The NSDC is supposed to promote investment, but has been turned into a conduit pipe and avenue to sign shoddy agreement to give out the investments of the state.
“We would have disregarded this last minute moves of the government but in our guiding principle of laying every thing bare before the people to promote accountability and fight corruption, we feel that the people of the state should be aware before our party takes over government.”
It should be noted that all the Memorandums of Understanding and agreements signed at rush hours that are outright rip-off of the state scarce resources and/or against the interest of the state will be duly revisited.
“We will not allow few individuals to make the majority of Nigerlites to suffer rather it will be that the few will suffer for the good of the majority of the people of Niger state, this is even divine, we will by the grace of God restore the glory of Niger state even if few people are to suffer for it.
“The era of digital charades aimed at benefiting the few is over, we shall not be party to unrealistic agenda in the name of setting the state in the path of development, we know we can not do it alone; as such we will carry along all Nigerlites in the path of change for restoration.”