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Drama as Rivers govt seals Wike’s ally hotel building
Nwasinoke and his sealed hotes
Published By: Ayorinde Oluokun
…Nwanosike pleads with Rivers govt to accept fine so that construction could continue.
By Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
Staff of Rivers State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development have sealed a multi-million naira hotel under construction in New GRA, Port Harcourt owned by Samuel Nwanosike, immediate past Chairman of Ikwerre Local government area of the state and an ally of Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike.
The Hotel which sealed on Wednesday, July 24 was approved by the Ministry to be a 4-storey building but illegally redesigned and being constructed into a 5-storey building, an action which the Ministry officials claim is a violation of the law.
The Commissioner for Urban and Physical Development, Isaac Umejuru, said the owner of the building applied to build a four-storey building, but constructed five-storey structure, an action she described as a violation and illegal.
In a viral video of the sealing of the hotel building that went viral of Thursday, Samuel Nwanosike was seen in a verbal confrontation with the staff Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development as he owned up that he violated the state Urban planning laws.
He, however, accused the officials of the Ministry of not responding to his correspondences on the issue.
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But the officials insisted they responded and despite the response, Nwanosike continued the illegal construction of the building is now at completion stage.
Nwanosike was spotted in the trending video pleading to be allowed to pay the penalties so that he can continue the construction, as the facility was being sealed off by officials of the Ministry of Physical and Urban Planning.
However, some observers believe that Governor Siminalayi Fubara to baring his fangs against Nwanosike, who is the immediate past chairman of Ikwerre Local Government Area (LGA) and one of his unrepentant critics as a loyalist of Governor Wike.
But the revelation that the former local government council boss, who vacated office on June 17, 2024, could muster stupendous resources to acquire the mighty structure has also left not a few in shock in Rivers.
Our correspondent recalls that during the swearing in of the Caretaker Committee Chairmen of the 23 local government areas, Governor Fubara had directed that the there should be a probe into the finances of the Councils to ascertain how funds were managed by ex-LGA Chairmen.
Since the news of the sealing of five-storey hotel building broke, some people have been calling on anti-graft agencies like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC and Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, to commence investigation into Nwasinoke’s sources of wealth.
