The Enugu State Commissioner for Culture, Arts and Tourism, Dame Ugochi Madueke, has described the unveiling of the reconstructed Hotel Presidential as the “resurrection of Enugu’s lost glory,” praising Governor Peter Mbah’s visionary leadership for restoring pride to the people of the state.
Speaking during the commissioning ceremony, Madueke expressed deep emotion at the rebirth of the historic hotel, which she said had long symbolized the cultural and social heartbeat of Enugu.
“History is being remade in Enugu. I feel happy, I feel excited, and I feel proud of my Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah. We are happy,” she said.
According to the Commissioner, the decades-long decline of Hotel Presidential had left Enugu residents with a sense of loss. “When we lost this hotel decades ago, we lost a part of ourselves. Each time Ndi Enugu passed here, we felt pain because this place had become a shadow of itself. We lost the glory,” she lamented.
She, however, hailed the present administration for rewriting the story. “Today, through the visionary leadership of His Excellency, Dr. Mbah, the glory is back. The pride is back. Our lost glory has returned. For us, it is not just an unveiling; it is resurrection. Hotel Presidential lives again,” Madueke declared.
Highlighting the broader significance of the hotel, the Commissioner said it would serve as the “headquarters” of her ministry, encompassing culture, tourism, creative economy, and gastronomy.
“My ministry is not just Arts and Culture; it is Arts, Culture, Tourism, Creative Economy, and of course, Gastronomy—our gastronomic delight. From art galleries and exhibitions, to our foods like Abacha and Okpa, to entertainment and creative economy, everything will happen here,” she explained.
Madueke concluded by noting that the reconstructed facility was more than a hospitality project—it was a cultural renaissance for Ndi Enugu.
