It is said that a good name is better than silver and gold. But it must also be said that a bad name is not made any better by silver and gold. Talking of names, a particular hotel’s name is in dire need of rehabilitation following negative publicity arising from its owner’s pursuit of political power and the accompanying financial empowerment expected by most Nigerian politicians.
It is food for thought that the hotel’s name came up again while a former Minister of State (Defence) was being questioned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in connection with the distribution of over N4billion taken from the Office of the National Security Adviser. The former Minister, Musiliu Obanikoro, and a former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, are in the soup; and those stained by the soup include Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose and a former Osun State gubernatorial candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore.
Obanikoro was quoted as saying: “Out of N4.685billon transferred to Sylva McNamara Limited, N3.880billion was transferred to both Ayodele Fayose and Senator Omisore through cash and bank transfers. The dollars contents were handed over to Fayose personally by me in the presence of some party leaders and he collected it and took it to the room next to where we were all seated.”
Then Obanokoro interestingly introduced the name of a hotel reportedly owned by Fayose: “The location where I gave the dollars to him is called Spotless Hotel, Ado-Ekiti. One of the party leaders that were present is Dr. Tope Aluko, who was then the secretary of our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).”
He continued: “I transferred N1.7 billion to Omisore. The money was paid into his account and companies nominated by him. He gave the list of companies for the transfer of the N1.7billion that was released by the NSA to him. The funds were therefore transferred as prescribed by Omisore in full. That is to the account of the companies he provided. Details can be obtained from the bank that transferred the money. I, Musiliu Obanikoro, did not buy or sell any landed property from Sen. Omisore. The National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd) did not disclose to me what the funds were meant for and neither did I ask or I did not know the source of the funds.”
The funds allegedly given to Fayose are believed to be part of the war chest used in fighting for votes and fighting for victory at all costs in the 2014 election that brought him to office. Fayose’s reported reaction: “Let me believe that Obanikoro did not say all these because whatever you say, you would have to prove it in court. It is not enough to just say it. If he’s saying all these to get out of trouble, it is just a drama of the moment. I know he is looking for ways out of the quagmire as his house was seized, his bank accounts were frozen and all that.”
While the story is developing, it is noteworthy that the hotel named by Obanikoro had been named earlier by another participant in another context equally connected with corruption. In February 2015, revelations by a Nigerian Army Captain, Sagir Koli, rocked the country. In a statement titled “How Nigerian Army personnel were used to rig Ekiti and Osun States Gubernatorial Elections 2014,” Koli gave first-hand details of corrupt activities involving his commanding officer, two ministers and some politicians towards election rigging in Ekiti State, and also mentioned a plot to corruptly achieve electoral success in Osun State. Audio evidence leaked by Koli implicated some top officials of the then Federal Government and the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Captain Koli said in his statement: “I was officially deployed as the 32, Artillery Brigade Intelligence Officer to provide credible Intelligence to the success of Ekiti State governorship election. At about 2030 hours on June 2014, a day to the election proper, the commander, Brigadier General A.A. Momoh told me to escort him to a place where the State Minister for Defence wanted to see him. Reaching the place (Spotless Hotel in Ado- Ekiti), which serves as coordinating campaign office for the PDP candidate Mr. Ayodele Fayose, we met the Minister himself, Minister of Police Affairs, Mr. Fayose, Mr. Iyiola Omisore, one Honoruable Abdulkareem and host of other top PDP chieftains.” He added: “The outcome of what was discussed…gave the party victory during the election.”
Against the background of these significant instances of moral impurity, it is apt to ponder the appropriateness of the name of the hotel concerned. It is unclear why the hotel was given the name it is called, but the place has been clearly unworthy of its name. Obviously, there are sufficient spots on the structure to crush its claim to spotlessness.
From the look of things, Spotless Hotel, Ado-Ekiti, has secured a sure place in the expanse of infamy. It has a bad name, no doubt. The country’s political history, especially that aspect of it relating to political corruption and politically corrupt actors, cannot be complete without a mention of this hotel and its unsightly spots. Additionally, the hotel’s defining marks of dishonour are tough stains that would require more than an ocean to wipe off.
It is worth considering whether those who use the hotel’s space are conscious of its story and its place in the narrative of negativity. It would be interesting to know what goes on in the hotel during its normal business hours. Does the hotel’s history and historical stains mean anything to its regular patrons? Does it indeed matter whether events of such negative national impact ever happened there?
Perhaps the hotel’s name is no more than a statement of aspiration, in which case it does not necessarily mean a declaration by its owner to live up to the hotel’s billing. In other words, it is just hype; no more, no less.
But the hotel’s name has its uses as a metaphor for the desirable. The country certainly needs politicians that are spotless, which is a hyperbolic way of calling for a culture of anti-corruption.
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