Hotel workers besiege Lagos Assembly, accuse Speaker of ‘corruption’

Lagos State House of Assembly was on Thursday besieged by over 100 hotel workers over what they described as “corrupt and deliberate diversion of Lagos commonwealth” by the Speaker, Mr. Mudashiru Obasa.

The hotel workers under the auspices of Lagos State Junior Hotel Workers’ Association converged in front of the State Assembly bemoaning actions of the Speaker, which according to them was inimical to hotel business in the state.

The protest attracted the attention of reporters who were at the Assembly premises to cover the state budget presentation by Governor Akinwumi Ambode to the lawmakers.

Addressing newsmen, Comrade Ishola Adeshina who led the protest accused Obasa of indulging in an act he said was injurious “to the state’s economy and hotel industry.”

According to Adeshina, Obasa has since emerging as the Speaker of the State Assembly been fond of taking the Assembly’s events to Ogun State for reasons that the protesters alleged “border on corruption and political patronage to be in the good books of Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State” which, in effect, negatively affect the hotel and tourism industry of Lagos State.

The petition, the protesters later submitted to the Assembly after security personnel at the place calmed them down read in part, “While we support the APC government in Lagos state … we however wish to draw your attention to our displeasure on the practice of the State Assembly under your leadership taking crucial events of the House to host in hotels outside Lagos like the recently concluded “Budget Retreat” held in Ogun State.

“This was the same situation last year when such event was also held in Ogun State.

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“The main question is, if Lagos government institutions, especially such a critical government institution like the state’s House of Assembly is not patronising Lagos Hotels, where are they expected to generate the huge taxes and VATs that they pay to the Lagos State government?

“We call on your leadership to reconsider this practice and start patronising hotels within Lagos State for the activities of this honourable House henceforth.”

Inscriptions on some of the placards the angry hotel workers displayed during the protest that lasted over two hours read:
“Asiwaju and Governor Ambode, call Obasa to order now!
APC must put Obasa under check now! Obasa stop diverting Lagos Commonwealth to your state of origin! Obasa don’t kill Lagos hotel business.”

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