Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola, yesterday, unveiled the N30
billion tallest hotel in West Africa, the Intercontinental Lagos.
The
hotel located at Kofo Abayomi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, is a
23-storey building with 358 rooms, 37 suites and a presidential suite.
The Intercontinental Lagos, a subsidiary of the Intercontinental Hotel Group, IHG, is owned by the Milan Group.
Fashola
said the new hotel showed that the economy of the country was
witnessing growth daily but without corresponding employment.
According
to him, “The new sector is the tourism sector. This is the only virgin
sector in the country, and it will help address the challenges of
unemployment in the country.”
The governor noted that the new
hotel had helped to create new 650 direct jobs in the state, adding that
with the construction of more hotels and hospitality outfits, more
direct jobs would be created as well as numerous indirect jobs.
Chairman, Milan Group, Ramesh Valechha said the hotel will change the
landscape of Lagos and boost the hospitality industry in the state.
He
noted that the Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, for the project was
signed on March 31, 2004 while it took two years to complete the design
work before the conceptualisation of the project began.
He revealed that the Lagos State Government, Skye Bank and Wema Bank were supportive of the project.
According to Valechha, building of the hotel cost over N30 billion, while 650 jobs were created for Nigerians.
The
unveiling ceremony was attended by the Governor of Central Bank of
Nigeria, CBN, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi; Oba of Lagos, Oba Riliwan
Akiolu 1; ex-governor of CBN, Joseph Sanusi, and other dignitaries.
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