The owner of Prudent Hotel in Eleme which was demolished by the Rivers state government on Sunday, Promise Gogorodari, has said he did not breach the lockdown order in the state.
Gogorodari said he did not violate any law with his business to warrant the demolition of the property.
In an interview with Punch, Gogorodari accused the government of not giving him a fair hearing, adding that no investigation was carried out before the demolition of his property.
The hotel owner said the incident has made his staff members lose their jobs, and that it is a negative development for investors in the state.
“I am based in Lagos but I am not in the right frame of mind to speak now. There is nobody who will not feel bad about this. It is a hotel that I built for the past seven years. The demolition of hotels is a setback to the state in terms of investment,” he said.
“That was an investment that was taking care of my family and relatives and people around me. There was no fair hearing before the demolition took place. With this, many people are out of jobs.
“I did not violate any order. The government was supposed to do some investigations before doing that. And if they found me wanting, then another procedure should be followed; not demolishing a structure like that.”
