After 15 years of being moribund, the famous Hotel Presidential in Enugu is bubbling again, thanks to the vision of Gov Peter Mbah. CHUKS NWEZE reports that since it was reopened, accolades have been pouring in for the governor.
On Thursday, August 21, 2025, history was made in Enugu state as Gov Peter Ndubisi Mbah unveiled the rehabilitated, revitalised and rejuvenated Hotel Presidential, Enugu that had gone into comatose for 15 years having been inhabited by rodents and a decrepit for Marijuana smokers.
After many years of neglect Hotel Presidential that used to be pride of the Eastern Nigeria is standing tall in dignity and imposing again. This is because the pragmatic governor, Peter Mbah has beamed his developmental searchlight on the edifice that had been in decay from the days of former Governor Chimaroke Nnamani of which instead of resuscitating it, allowed it to deteriorate.
Neglect by past administrations
Nnamani ‘s successor, Sullivan Chime, instead of visiting the hotel, allegedly attempted to sell it off to the highest bidder. The deal was shrouded in secrecy until his successor, former Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi came into the picture. Ugwuanyi, like his predecessors, did not summon the political will to turn around the hotel but allowed it to further decay and outright neglect.
So it was a thing of joy that Gov Mbah came and promised to bring Enugu back to its heyday of boom and glory. He promised in his campaign days over two years ago to turn around abandoned government projects like Niger Gas, Oil Palm, Sunrise Flour Mills, International Conference Centre (ICC) as well as the Hotel Presidential.
True to his avowed promise to bring Enugu to economic boom, today, the many years of neglected Hotel Presidential is wearing a new look and ready to receive tourists and people that would use the halls for socio-economic functions and political rallies.
In precise terms, nobody knows how much it costs the state government to revive the hotel, but it could be seen that billions of Naira went into its rehabilitation. Though at the official unveiling last Thursday, there were still finishing touches to be made to make the hotel viable and habitable. Gov Mbah who has shown that he is in a hurry to develop the state deemed it fit to unveil it, the near completion notwithstanding.
Gov Mbah speaking at the unveiling
Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, Gov Mbah described the revival of the 62-year-old edifice built during the reign of late Dr Michael Okpara, then Premier of Eastern Nigeria as a homecoming for history.
Mbah, who performed the unveiling himself, extolled the foresight of the former premier but regretted that the monument of pride had rotted away for the past 15 years, explaining that Hotel Presidential’s revival was in line with his campaign promise to recover Enugu’s moribund assets and also grow the state’s economy sevenfold.
“Sixty-two years ago, our forebears under the visionary leadership of Dr Michael Okpara built this landmark as a symbol of Eastern Region’s resilience, elegance and enterprise.
“Over the decades, time and neglect dimmed that light. For about 15 years, this glorious edifice stood as an affront to our pride as something contrary to what we represent.
“We came into office with a strong pledge: to recover what belongs to our people, convert dormant assets into productive assets; turn liabilities into engines of growth.
“That is why this unveiling is more than opening the doors of a hotel; it is the reopening of Enugu’s confidence. It is a tangible sign that when we say Enugu is open for business, we mean business.
“This hotel is a strategic enabler of our growth plan, comprising the ambitious target to grow Enugu’s economy seven-fold to at least $30 billion and to achieve a zero percent poverty headcount rate,” he said.
Mbah noted that the standards for the hotel’s revamp were truly world-class, because his administration, he said, insisted on it so that when Enugu says, ‘welcome’ to its investors, the hospitality infrastructure would speak with the same credibility as the state policies.
“Our hospitality ecosystem today is simply inspiring: the 5,000-seat International Conference Centre (ICC) now anchors Enugu’s conferencing ambitions; the adjacent 5-star, 345-room ICC hotel under construction would deliver premium ‘keys’ for large events; Enugu Air, which has given wings to our dreams and announced the scale of our vision to the world; and now, the renewed Hotel Presidential adds a full-service icon back into the mix.
“None of this is a whimsical project; they are connecting dots on a large canvas. These assets are crucial to our aim to welcome up to three million annual tourist visits and to make Enugu the conferencing capital of Africa.
“The economic value is already visible. This hotel alone supports hundreds of direct jobs, culinary and events teams, engineering, landscaping, suppliers and several other opportunities.
“Every conference day books our taxis and CNG buses; every visiting family discovers our art, our music, our cuisine and our warmth.
“And the signal to investors is even bigger: when government shows it can recover assets, fix the fundamentals and protect investments, private capital follows. That is why you see momentum across other moribund assets like UPPL, Sunrise Flour Mill, Nigergas; International Conference Centre and a host of others,” he added.
He thanked the managers and concessionaire of the reconstructed hotel, Amber Hospitality, for believing in Enugu’s potential.
He said that, “They bring on board an enviable pedigree, earned through the efficient management of about 12 successful brands in the hospitality sector.”
He equally commended the contractors, Dilworth, for their attention to detail as well as the successive commissioners for works and infrastructure and their culture and tourism counterpart for working to realise the project.
The governor, from the way he extolled the revamping of the hotel, exhibited his zeal to ensure that Enugu under his watch witnesses exponential growth in economy, education, health and even aesthetic ambience as a state capital.
A goodwill message
He fell short of campaigning for a second term in office but the former deputy governor to Sullivan Chime, Dr Sunday Onyebuchi did the trumpet-blowing for him.
Onyebuchi apart from hailing Mbah for resuscitating Hotel Presidential, praised him for other laudable projects such as the 260 Smart Green Schools, the International Conference Centre, as well as the launching of the Air transport, the Enugu Air. “When we were boarding Ibom Air, I was imagining when Enugu would have her own airline, but today, Gov Mbah has done it,” he extolled.
The former deputy governor, while lauding the governor said that he has resurrected dead projects.
“Your mantra says that tomorrow is here, but you have resurrected yesterday today,” he said.
Commissioner’s show of appreciation
In her address at the occasion, the commissioner for culture and tourism, Dame Ugochi Madueke, while extolling Mbah’s leadership said, “The silence has been broken; the lights are on and never to dim again; the doors are open never to shut again and the spirit of Enugu is back, stronger and brighter than ever.”
She noted that the rehabilitated hotel has added to tourism attraction in the state, pointing out that the hotel would create about 100 jobs for youths in the state.
Royal appreciation
The chairman Enugu State Traditional Rulers Council HRH Igwe Samuel Asadu, could not hide his joy that a hitherto dead hotel has come to life. He praised the governor’s work rate, who had commissioned Enugu Air, five transport terminals, 100 CNG buses and now the reconstructed Hotel Presidential in succession under one month.
“If you are not tired of commissioning projects, we would not be tired of coming out. We have never seen it this way. Your leadership in Enugu state is legendary and monumental. There is no vacancy in Lion Building in 2027,” he assured.
Excitements galore
The chairman of Enugu North LGA, Dr Ibenaku Onoh acclaimed the governor’s transformative leadership, assuring him of the people’s continued support for his administration.
The way different cultural troupe exhibited their trade at the unveiling ceremony showed that they indeed were happy that Enugu, like a sleeping giant, is waking again under the able leadership of Gov Mbah.
Different youth and women groups were so happy at the feat achieved by Governor Mbah that they would interrupt him on several occasions during his address, to hail him by calling pet names. They also sang songs of praises as they assured him of a seamless transition into his second term in office in 2027.