June 17, 2022

Kaduna State government has shut Holiday Conference Hotel in Kaduna for accommodating drug dealers and for failing to pay its statutory land lease for five years.

Prof. Kabir Mato, Commissioner for Business, Innovation and Technology told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Kaduna that the hotel, shut on June 15, had become a centre for anti-social activities.

He said young people often walked into the hotel to buy and use illicit drugs.

He explained that the lease agreement the hotel’s management signed with the state government was to run the business for 15years on a lease expiring in February 2023.

The commissioner added, however, that the hotel had failed to pay anything to government since 2017.

“It signed an agreement for a 15-year lease which expires in February 2023; it has been in default of payment of statutory fees for about five years.

“The agreement is mature; that is why we sealed it up because it’s a government property, government has taken over the place,’’ he said.

The commissioner commended business owners in Kaduna State for registering their business premises saying it would lead to effective and quality services by the ministry.

He urged owners of unregistered businesses to register quickly as failure to register infringed on the state’s laws and could lead to reduced access to business enhancement opportunities.

“We provide platforms and infrastructure for businesses to thrive, so business owners should reciprocate by ensuring that they register or renew their licences annually,’’ Mato said. (NAN)