Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State has put in place structures for the resuscitation of the moribund Gateway Hotel, which has long been taken over by rodents and weeds.
The governor had to make the move after indigenes of the state called on him to ensure that the glory of the hospitality centre, which was once the pride of the state, is restored.
The State Ministry of Housing has included the rehabilitation of the edifice in its budget proposal to the governor. The hotel was established by a former governor of the state, late Chief Olabisi Onabanjo in the 1980s. He established three of its kind in three geo-political zones of the state: Ijebu, Egba and Yewa/Awori with Gateway Hotel being the biggest of them all.
Gateway Hotel was a favourite hang-out for fun seekers. it became a shadow of itself due to the years of neglect and abandonment. Built as a five-star hotel with world-class facilities, beautiful landscape, Olympic swimming pool, conference room, event halls and shopping plaza, it has about 350 rooms and a parking space that can accomodate about 1,000 cars.
During the tenure of former Governor Gbenga Daniel, the hotel was concessioned to a private investor for 25 years because it was being run at a loss. It was given to MIDC Limited and sub leased to ARTEE limited. The companies were expected to refurbish the hotel within 18 months, but they failed to do anything to it for two and half years.
When Ibikunle Amosun took over the administration of the state, he set up a judicial commission of inquiry to look into the state of the hospitality centre. He had to terminate the concession and promised to resuscitate the hospitality center but didn’t do so till the end of his administration. Since it was abandoned, miscreants looted and vandalized the facility while traders, vulcanisers, food vendors and horticulturists took up space to ply their trade.
