Hotel Shut As Workers Cart Away Properties Over Unpaid Salary
CYRIACUS IZUEKWE
A popular hotel has been shut down after the staff reportedly carted away properties in a bid to recover the arrears of salary that the management was owing them.
The incident happened at the popular Micdeb Suites and Hotel located in Ejigbo in the outskirt of Lagos.
P.M.EXPRESS gathered that the hotel management was owing about 100 staff almost one year arrears of their salaries and they envisaged there was no plan to pay them in the immediate future.
It was also gathered that the management had incurred huge debt aside the staff salary. They included debt for drinks, diesel, electricity bills and their operational license, to the tune of millions of Naira and it appeared there was no effort to offset them.
The workers then sensed that the hotel may soon be closed down and they quickly carted away whatever they could lay their hands on and escaped.
Among the items carted away were television sets, fridges, ceiling fans, electrical gadgets, kitchen utensils, beds, foams, power generating set and other movable items found in the hotel.
Our correspondent went to the hotel to know what would have led to the looting and what made the management to owe such arrears of salary despite the fact it had good customers patronage. It was gathered that the owner leased the hotel to a consultant to manage and it was grounded due to debts.
Some of the staff who were unlucky not to recover anything before the owner shut down the hotel, said that the hotel was deliberately run down by the management.
Another staff said everything was working well when the hotel was opened initially and workers were paid promptly until the owner ceded the hotel to a consultant.
The owner of the hotel identified as Mr. Michael got the information about the action of the staff, went to the place but met an empty structure to his surprise. He shut the place, went to the police, reported the looting and left disappointed.
P.M.EXPRESS gathered that the police has commenced investigation into the matter but no arrests had been made as both the staff and the consultant were said to be at large.
