Friday, 29th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search
Breaking News:

K.O Mbadiwe resurrects in King Celia tourist centre

By Chuks Nwanne
08 July 2017   |   4:03 am
In spite of the early morning rain that lasted for the better part of Thursday, July 4, friends, colleagues, associates and family members of Chief K.O Mbadiwe, converged in Yaba, Lagos...

Aerial view of the newly-opened King Celia Hotel, Lagos

In spite of the early morning rain that lasted for the better part of Thursday, July 4, friends, colleagues, associates and family members of Chief K.O Mbadiwe, converged in Yaba, Lagos, to honour the late nationalist, politician, statesman and former minister, whose children immortalised with a new hospitality and tourist centre, King Celia Hotel & Suite.

Located on Jibowu Street, Yaba, the formal unveiling attracted dignitaries, including former president Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, former Secretary General of Commonwealth Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Chief Oladipo Ogunbanjo, former Minister of Defence Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi, Bisi Olatilo and others, who witnessed the event that commenced with a press briefing, before guests were ushered into the hotel’s main event centre.

A unique and historic building, King Celia has a total of 50 rooms, ranging from standard, deluxe, executive rooms and suites. It also boasts of facilities such as well-designed parking space, 24hour electricity supply, room service and Internet facility for guests. For recreation, there’s a swimming pool right in the middle of the hotel, gymnasium, onsite bar and restaurant, conference room and a standard event center, which hosted the unveiling party.

The facility aims to set a new standard in the industry with a distinct hotel experience rooted in quality, excellence and culture, with particular attention to detail and high caliber customer satisfaction goal.

Meanwhile, in what seems like a deliberate attempt to bring back memories of the late grammarian to the building, which happens to be his first house in Lagos, late Mbadiwe’s archival pictures were framed and placed at strategic positions within the hotel. From the reception area to the lobby, dinning area, corridors… the pictures adorned the walls.

“It is with great honor and privilege that we have invited you all to witness this event. We also want to sincerely appreciate our fathers, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Secretary General, Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku and chief Oladipo Ogunbanjo, who have remained the strong pillars to progress and growth of the nation as they graciously decided to be part of this great history and the legacy of our parents,” Chairman of King Celia and first son of the late politician, Greg Mbadiwe said.

He informed that his venture into hospitality business is to make the dream of his father a reality.

“My late father wanted to build a hotel in our hometown before his death; the project is still awaiting attention right now. Also, having partnered with some Congolese to set up Brassaville Beach Hotel, I felt it is important to boast the hospitality and tourism of my country too with this initiative,” he said.

Sharing fond memories of the building that has hosted Nigeria’s political heavy weights, including former president Shehu Shagari, Mbadiwe said, “I’m happy we’ve been able to achieve this; I was born in this house. The pedigree of this house is such that he donated part of it to the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) then in 1979. It would interest you to know that Alhaji Shehu Shagari lived in this house. So, my siblings and I thought of immortalising our parents in our father’s first house, where he participated fully in Nigerian politics,” he said.

According to Madiwe, a former Nigerian Ambassador to Congo DRC, King Celia is beyond just hotel; it’s a historic tourist centre.

“Yaba was the end of Western Region then and the beginning of Lagos. We decided to reconstruct the house to a hotel and tourist centre in memory of our parents, Kingsley and Cecilia Mbadiwe and also to complement the efforts of Lagos and Nigeria for honouring our dad. We plan to provide our guests with an unforgettable experience matched by our very high standards and fully equipped facilities to even challenge those on the Island.

“The initiative, without doubt, would also project the values and great influence of the geographical area, mostly as a silicon valley of Nigeria and also remind visitors with various displays of national leaders and pictorial displays indicating that Yaba was part of Nigeria’s political history,” he said.

The project, according to Mbadiwe, will foster the development of the hospitality industry, as well as bring a section of Nigeria’s history into peoples’ heart.

“Without doubt, we are convinced that our parents, late Dr Kingsley Ozumba and late Lady Cecilia Mbadiwe will be happy with the Lord at the moment. Aside the fact that this project was made in their honour, our father’s dream to venture into hospitality business has become a reality,” he enthused.

Having partnered with some Congolese to set up Brazzaville Beach Hotel in Congo DRC, Mbadiwe is confident that King Celia will be a success story.

“We believe this project will not only add greater value to this geographical area where I was born, but also be the silicon valley of Nigeria. If I may quote from the views express by the founder of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg that ‘Yaba is the silicon valley of Lagos’ and also remind visitors with various displays of national leaders and pictorial displays indicating that Yaba was part of Nigeria’s political history.”

He continued: “Kings Celia Hotel and Suites is very unique and committed to treat our guests with utmost respect and an unforgettable experience matched by our very high standards and fully equipped facilities to even challenge those on the Island and anywhere in the federation,” he said.

In this article

0 Comments