Patience Jonathan’s Hotel to Become Isolation Centre

Former First Lady Patience Jonathan made a deal to release her 200-bed hotel as a COVID-19 treatment and isolation center.

The Abuja hotel, which is believed to be worth around N2 billion, is under interim confiscation guaranteed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in court on April 30, 2018.

The former first lady, closed the deal with First Lady Aisha Buhari, which led to her release from the hotel, under litigation, for government use at a critical time.

The First Lady, through her pet project, the Guaranteed Future Program, entered into separate agreements with Ms. Jonathan and the Ministry of Health to convert the hotel into a COVID-19 treatment center.

Ms. Buhari made an offer to the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, to equip it as a treatment center by international standards.

Although the hotel will be formally handed over to the Minister of Health on Monday, it will be managed by the COVID-19 committee of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The Guaranteed Future Program provides facilities such as water, furniture, bedding, accessories and modern health equipment used to manage COVID-19 cases.

It was concluded that the “agreement” between the first lady and her predecessor was closed at a recent meeting by the pair in the Presidential Villa.

A source quoted Mrs. Jonathan saying: “This is the time when we must all come together, regardless of political differences, to help this nation fight the pandemic. It is a time to avoid politics.

“I will do anything to help this great country that has also given me the opportunity to serve.”

The investigation revealed that the First Lady decided to collaborate with Mrs. Jonathan to prevent the future guaranteed program from occurring any legal crisis.

A highly placed source added: “Since the dispute over the property is still in court, the First Lady chose to ask Ms. Patience Jonathan’s consent to the temporary use of the seized hotel. This mutual understanding removed all legal obstacles.

“After the country has overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, the hotel will be handed over to the Federal Ministry of Health, which in turn will return to the EFCC. Those involved are, therefore, the Guaranteed Future Program, the Ministry of Health, the EFCC and the former first lady, Ms. Patience Jonathan.

“All existing agreements are without prejudice to the court’s final decision on ownership, which the First Lady said was owned by a separate entity, the Aurora Foundation.”

Around 1:15 pm on Sunday, about 30 workers were seen putting the finishing touches on the center.

A team of 20 mobile police officers was on alert to protect the sophisticated equipment already installed.

A source said: “It is a five-story hotel that can be converted into 300 rooms. But so far, we have set up the ground floor and three of the other five floors.

“All the same, the hotel will be delivered on Monday by the first lady. We work day and night on this project.

Asked to be specific about the costs of upgrading the hotel to a medical center for COVID-19, the source added: “Only the First Lady and the Future Assured Program could handle this.”

The hotel is located in a valley in the Mabushi part of Abuja, close to the always busy Mabushi Kado Expressway.

According to the description of Abuja Geographic Information Systems (AGIS), an agency of the Federal Capital Administration, the property is located in lot 1758, Zona Cadastral, B06 Mabushi, and in lot 1350, cadastral zone, A00 Central Business District.

Being an area with reductions, the five-story hotel is unique with its gray paint.

It is easily noticed by shoppers following the path to one of Abuja’s largest shopping complexes, Jabi Lake Mall.

Less than two kilometers from Jabi, the lake’s evening breeze provides an additional setting for the facility.