Ibom Icon Hotel: CLO seeks investigation into feud between management and staff
On the 6th of March, 2021, the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), Akwa Ibom State Branch received a petition dated 6th March, 2021 from two management staff of Ibom Icon Hotel and Golf Resort, to wit, the Director of Engineering, Mr. Terry Lawrence Etuk, and the Head, Leisure and Entertainment, Mrs. Nkoyo Ekpo, against the management of the Hotel.
The petition raised the issues of intimidation, victimisation, harassment, tax evasion, forceful eviction and threat to life.
On the 8th of March, 2021, the CLO set up a Fact Finding Committee (“The CLO Committee”) to look into the petition. The CLO Committee invited the two petitioners to a meeting where the petitioners confirmed the contents of their petition and went further to offer more insight into the crisis in the Hotel.
In a letter dated 8th March, 2021 and addressed to Mr. Fred Maina, the Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Hotel, the CLO Committee wrote and sought audience to interface with the Ibom Icon Hotel management to enable it hear the Hotel management’s side of the story. Till this moment, the CLO’s letter has not been responded to.
As a follow up, the CLO sent another letter, dated 16th March, 2021, to the Board Chairman of the Hotel seeking audience for the CLO Fact Finding Committee. Till this moment, this second CLO’s letter has not been responded to by the Hotel.
Since the complaint by the workers of the Ibom Icon Hotel touches on harassment by Operatives of the State Security Services (SSS), allegedly hired by the management of the Hotel, the CLO wrote to the State Director of the Department of State Services (DSS) seeking audience.
A tentative date of Wednesday, 17th March, 2021 was fixed for a meeting but the meeting could not hold due to other engagements. A meeting has been scheduled for next week between the DSS Director and the CLO Fact Finding Committee on this matter.
Concerned about the aspect of the petition that alleges tax evasion by expatriates working in the Hotel, the CLO on 16th March, 2021, wrote and submitted a letter to the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Akwa Ibom State Command calling for investigation into the allegation.
On the allegation of non-remittance of income tax (Pay As You Earn) by expatriates employed by the Hotel, the CLO urges the State Internal Revenue Service (SIRS) and or other relevant government agencies to investigate.
The CLO has written to the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, who is the supervising Commissioner of the Hotel, requesting audience. A date is yet to be fixed.
CLO is disturbed that while His Excellency the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, is engaged in the implementation of the avowed policy thrust of his administration, which centers on industrialisation, job creation, and expansion of the economy of the State, an investor in an important sector of the economy is allegedly promoting Capital Flight.
Of even greater concern to the CLO is the human rights violations allegedly committed by the Hotel management against its staff mainly of Akwa Ibom State origin.
OUR RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. CLO urges the State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, to order an investigation into the running of the premier State-owned Hotel, the Ibom Icon Hotel and Golf Resort, in order to ensure that the Hotel, which is a prime legacy of the State, is not run aground.
2. CLO urges the Speaker and members of the Seventh Assembly to, as a matter of urgency, set up an investigative panel into the issues raised in this petition as well as into the running of the Ibom Icon Hotel and Golf Resort.
3. As a matter of urgent public importance, and in order to forestall the witch-hunt and further harassment, intimidation and victimisation of the petitioners and other indigenous workers of the Hotel.
CLO calls on the House of Assembly to immediately set in motion an investigation into the alleged use of security agencies by the management of the Hotel to harass and intimidate the petitioners.
Dated 18th March, 2021
Civil Liberties Organisation, Akwa Ibom State Branch
Otuekong Franklyn Isong
(Chairman)
Comrade (Barr.) Christopher Ekpo
(Secretary)
Comrade (Barr.) Godknows Njoku
(Treasurer and Chairman, Inter-governmental Committee)
Comrade (Rev.) David Essien
(Member, CLO Fact Finding Committee)
Cc:
1. His Excellency the Governor of Akwa Ibom State.
2. His Excellency the Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State.
3. The Secretary to the Government of Akwa Ibom State.
4. The Chief of Staff to the Governor of Akwa Ibom State.
5. The Honourable Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly.
6. The Chairman, House Committee on Justice, Human Rights and Public Petitions, Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly.
7. The Chairman, House Committee on Labour and Productivity, Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly.
8. The Chairman, House Committee on Culture and Tourism, Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly.
9. The Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Akwa Ibom State.
10.The Commissioner of Police, Akwa Ibom State Command.
11.The Director, Department of State Services, Akwa Ibom State.
12. The State Comptroller, Nigerian Immigration Service, Akwa Ibom State.
13.The Chairman, Nigerian Lanour Congress, Akwa Ibom State.
14.The Board Chairman, Ibom Icon Hotel and Golf Resort.
15.The Group Chief Executive Officer, Ibom Icon Hotel and Golf Resort.
16. The Zonal Chairman, Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), South South, Port
Harcourt, Rivers State.
BEING CLO PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE CRISIS BETWEEN THE MANAGEMENT OF IBOM ICON HOTEL AND GOLF RESORT AND ITS WORKERS