by Isi Esene

The Sunborn Yacht Hotel proudly christened the ‘first African luxury hotel on water’ has somehow disappeared from the Lagos Marina where it has moored on the water for over four years.

The N4.5bn luxury yacht with 102 elegantly furnished suites has continued to attract criticism over its ownership leading to its abandonment on the waterway.

While answering questions over the sudden disappearance of the yacht, the commissioner for tourism, Oladisun Holloway denied knowledge of it present location.

Holloway said, “As citizens of the state can’t find it, so is the state government also. The government can’t say precisely where the yacht is berthed at present.

“The state government doesn’t have any commitment in the yacht. And I don’t know why the residents of the state should be interested in whereabouts of the Sunborn yacht,” he reportedly said.

The four-star hotel yacht, originally owned by the City of London, was conceptualised as a leisure and  business centre to service the higher echelon of Lagos society.

With the state government’s denial of the ownership of the yacht, attention has again been beamed at a former commissioner for tourism in the state during the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration, Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi who was said to have been the brain behind the procurement of the yacht.

Afikuyomi had explained that the purchase of the boat was a public private partnership (PPP) initiative saying that winning the bid for the yacht, over other cities who sent bids for it is a reflection of the “combination of talents, assets, resources and potentials” of the state government and private sector.

At the launch of the Sunborn Yacht in Lagos, Afikuyomi had stated that it will be the first of its kind in Africa and it would put the state in the league of the first five leading economies of the world with similar hospitality facility and tourism earnings capabilities.

So, if anyone knows the whereabouts of the luxury yacht please get us informed, we would love to know.