The Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), Akwa Ibom State Branch wants Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly to set up an investigative panel of inquiry into the running of the State-owned Five-Star Hotel located in Nwaniba in Uruan Local Government Area of the state.
The request was contained in a letter of July 26, 2021, signed by its State Chairman and State Secretary, Otuekong Franklyn Isong and Comrade (Barr.) Christopher Ekpo, respectively, and addressed to the Hon. Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Aniekan Bassey.
In the letter which was made available to Straightnews in Uyo, the group stated that its request is based on the report of its Fact-Finding Committee on a petition to it by two management staff of the Hotel against the management of the Ibom Icon Hotel and Golf Resort.
The CLO instructed the investigative panel to carry out thorough investigation, including forensic and personnel audit, into the running of the hotel from its inception as Le Meridien and Golf Resort to Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort and now as Ibom Icon Hotel and Golf Resort.
Before now, the CLO had faulted the EndSARS Panel of Investigation constituted by the Akwa Ibom State Government to into incidences of police brutality and infractions of the rights of Nigerians in the state for submitting its report to the State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, without making public its recommendations.
CLO, in a press release dated Thursday, July 29, 2021, and signed by its State Chairman, Otuekong Franklyn Isong and State Secretary, Comrade (Barr.) Christopher Ekpo, noted that the manner in which the EndSARS Panel shrouded its recommendations in secrecy leaves room for the suppression of the recommendations.
CLO stated that it was worried given the unsavoury manner in which the current state administration suppressed the recommendations and white paper of the 2017 Reigners Bible Church Panel of Inquiry.
While commending the Chairman of EndSARS Panel, Justice Ifiok Ukana and members for their dedication and commitment, CLO called on the Panel to clear the haze by making public its recommendations.
