Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi has described the alleged abandonment of the famous Ikogosi Warm Spring resort by his predecessor, Mr. Ayo Fayose as a “flagrant and brazen destruction of Ekiti heritage.”
The governor said a project that generates revenue into the coffers of the government should not have been deliberately left to rot away because of petty politics.
He regretted that more than half of the 110 rooms in the resort are no longer habitable promising to do everything possible to revive tourist destination.
The Nations reports that the governor contended that it was wrong for the Fayose administration to abandon the Ikogosi Warm Spring and Gossy Water Factory because the projects were midwifed by previous administrations.
Describing government as a continuum, Fayemi promised to maintain and not to abandon projects executed by Fayose including the Ado-Ekiti flyover, International Academy for Gifted Children in Afao, new Governor’s Office, among others.
Fayemi spoke on Monday while paying a visit to the tourist centre on the first day of inspection of projects which kicked off with a tour to Ekiti West Local Government Area.
The governor also visited the Arinta Waterfalls site in nearby Ipole Iloro, in the Ekiti tourism corridor in his bid to put the facilities back to life to boost Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
FAYEMI AT IKOGOSI WARM SPRING
The first administration of Fayemi spent billions of Naira for the first phase of the redevelopment of Ikogosi Tourist resort in partnership with a South African firm, Mantis Group.
The Ikogosi Warm Spring thereafter hosted many local and international conferences including the 2013 National Media Merit Award.
Fayemi said: “I want to express my anger with what I have seen here today. I am really upset. You all witnessed the spate of development here in 2014, you knew the patronage this facility was enjoying.
“What I met here today means to me a destruction of Ekiti’s heritage, destruction of our commonwealth. It was unfortunate that our government had become so careless to allow this major tourist attraction and revenue earners for Ekiti to destroy and decay.
“This could have been avoided if the last government had maintained the facilities therein, because it involved Ekiti’s money. It is not only the leadership that was culpable, the management of this place too should be held accountable, though I agree that leadership defines everything. Now, everything is in shambles.
