The Centre for Human Rights and Accountability Network (CHRAN), a civil society organisation, has called for an immediate probe into the management of the Akwa Ibom State-owned Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort over the past 19 years.

The demand followed the state government’s announcement of an interim closure of the Ibom Icon Hotel from August 22, 2026, to enable the completion of ongoing renovation works and facilitate the transfer of its management to a private hospitality company.

In a statement issued in Uyo on Wednesday, CHRAN said the government’s plan to reposition the hotel would not be complete without a comprehensive investigation into its financial and administrative history.

The statement was signed by the organisation’s Director, Otuekong Franklyn Isong, and Secretary, Research and Documentation, Comrade Etimbuk Ekpenyong.

CHRAN expressed concern that despite several changes in management and brand identity, the hotel had consistently failed to reach its full potential as one of Akwa Ibom’s major tourism assets.

The organisation noted that Governor Umo Eno had publicly acknowledged that the facility had repeatedly operated at a loss.

The CSO therefore urged the state government to commission an independent financial audit covering the hotel’s entire 19-year management history.

According to CHRAN, the audit should determine how the hotel generated, accounted for and utilised its revenues, as well as establish its actual financial position before the facility is handed over to the new management.

The group also called for a comprehensive personnel audit to examine the hotel’s staffing and management structure over the years.

It said the exercise should determine whether appropriate skills and competencies were available and whether staffing decisions contributed to the hotel’s underperformance.

CHRAN further urged the government to investigate the reasons behind the hotel’s repeated failure under successive management and branding arrangements.

The organisation said the findings should guide the new management framework and help prevent a recurrence of past challenges under Aleph Hospitality, the incoming management company.

The CSO stressed that the proposed audit and probe should not be viewed merely as an exercise in assigning blame, but as necessary measures to ensure that the hotel’s new management has the right foundation to succeed.