Jutha Gupah, Maiduguri July 11, 2018
Members of the Association of Borno Hoteliers (ABOH) have appealed to the state government for payments of compensations for the demolition of 40 hotels in Maiduguri metropolis. The association in the alternative also demanded for new hotel structures to replace the destroyed ones by the Kaka Shehu Demolition Committee (KSDC) in June. Secretary of the Association, Abraham Kaanti made the “demands and alternatives” on Monday at the news conference in Maiduguri, the state capital. He said that at this critical post-insurgency period, when the Federal Government is creating jobs for the teeming youths, the Borno state government is destroying several properties of 57 hoteliers that create jobs in the metropolis. The Borno state demolition committee on June 2, 2018, embarked on demolition of all the hotels operating in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC) without legal documents. Kaanti however; said that the demolition exercise has also affected non-hoteliers, including operators of restaurants, provision stores, and fast food joints, among others. His words: “We are operators affected by the demolition exercise. We have been operating hotel business for almost 40 years, and suddenly the Borno state government started the demolition of our properties without adequate notice. “Our properties such as refrigerators, televisions, chairs among others were looted while the demolishing was ongoing on June 2, 2018. We have been paying taxes to the State and Federal Governments.” According to him, the demolition exercise made us to feel being treated as non-Nigerians not withstanding that our operations as hoteliers provided jobs for the indigenes. Kaanti continued: “Some of our staff are managers, waiters, guards, cleaners among others in our hotels. We also felt that we are being treated this way because most of us are not from Borno state. “We are Nigerians and the Constitution empowers us to live and do business in the Federation. Our efforts to hear from the state government on the way forward after the demolition exercise proved abortive. We have written letters to the state government, but there was no response.” He also called we call on state government to look into the issue with a view to compensating them as soon as possible. He further disclosed that three of his members died of high blood pressure; as a result of trauma over the demolished of several hotel structures. Responding, the Borno State Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Kaka Shehu Lawan; who is also Chairman of KSDC said government’s concern over new trend of crimes, especially in the Galadima area, where most of the hotels are located necessitated the action. He stressed that the situation if not checked would breed social ills more devastating than the Boko Haram insurgency that had ravaged the state for nine years. He said that the affected hoteliers in the demolition exercise were notified on government’s intention in January, March and April this year. According to him, there was no response from any of the affected hoteliers before the three-day demolition notice in June this year that expired on June 2, 2018.
