Pay your debt, Kwara Hotel workers beg COVID-19 committee

Workers of the Kwara Hotel Limited have appealed to all its debtors, including the state Technical Committee on COVID-19 and the state audit office to pay their outstanding debts to enable the management of the hotel to pay over six month salary currently owed them.

The appeal is coming as indication has emerged that the state government has reached out to some investors to take up a huge chunk of shares in the hotel in order to take over the running of the firm.

The workers who spoke with a NewsTrend correspondent in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, said life had become unbearable for them and their dependants as they could not meet their basic needs due to the inability of the hotel to pay their salaries for over six months.

A manager in the hotel, who spoke with our correspondent on condition of anonymity, gave the wage bill of the company as N4m monthly for about 80 staff left after about 50 workers were laid off during the COVID-19 lockdown.

He said the Kwara technical committee of COVID-19 led by the State Deputy Governor Kayode Alabi currently owed the hotel over N12m for the period it had used its facility for meetings and other related engagements.

He said the state audit group also owed the hotel several millions of naira for using the hotel facilities for its functions.

He said, “Our appeal to the state COVID-19 technical committee and audit office and our other clients of ours that owe us to pay all their debts so that we can pay the workers.

“The hotel workers are being owed six-month salary. How do you think these workers and their family members are faring now having not be paid a dime for six months?”

Efforts to get the deputy governor for reactions on the issue proved abortive.

But the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Rafiu Ajakaiye, confirmed in a message sent to NewsTrends, “Kwara Hoel is an autonomous body under Harmony Holdings that is responsible for its own salary. The state government is not responsible for its salary.”

Meanwhile, the state government is currently shopping for a reputable investor that would plough its resources into it and effectively manage the hotel.

Already, the state governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, is said to have spotted an investor and currently discussing with the state government on the investment details.

The over 30-year-old hotel with a Conference Center is situated in the heart of Ilorin GRA.

The hotel has 32 standard classic rooms, 106 superior rooms, 17 junior suites, 15 luxurious suites, one treble suite and a standard presidential suite.

It also has an olympic standard swimming pool, gymnasium with indoor and outdoor games facilities.