By Els William
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has expressed strong optimism over the timely completion of the five-star Radisson Hotel and Conference Centre in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, with a target commissioning date set for December 2026.
Speaking during a project management tour and stakeholder workshop held at the Nigerian Content Tower in Yenagoa, the Executive Secretary of the Board, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, described the hospitality project as a strategic priority with far-reaching economic implications.
“This project is critical to the Board, critical to Yenagoa, and to Bayelsa State and Nigeria,” Ogbe said, adding that its completion would catalyse tourism and investment in the region. “With this hotel becoming functional at the end of the year, I believe there will be tourism in Bayelsa State; and that’s one of my dreams.”
The NCDMB boss underscored his personal commitment to the project’s delivery, stating: “When I took up this job, I said I must make this hotel work,” while assuring stakeholders that progress would be closely monitored “every day, every week.”
According to him, major technical and financial bottlenecks have largely been addressed. “Most of the critical aspects of the project have been resolved in terms of mark-up room, scope of work in terms of financing and contracting strategies,” he noted, expressing confidence that all parties involved would ensure seamless execution going forward.
The project, being delivered in collaboration with Edison Corporation and Radisson Hotel Group, is designed to meet international five-star standards and position Yenagoa as a hub for high-level business engagements.
In his remarks, the Chief Executive Officer of Edison Corporation, Vivian Reddy, said the partnership signals global confidence in the region’s potential.
“Radisson Hotel and Conference Centre, Yenagoa, will put this place on the world map,” Reddy stated. “If anyone around the world looks for Radisson Yenagoa, they will see this place pop up, and it’s going to help to uplift the area in terms of visitors and tourism.”
He further assured that the project would deliver on global quality benchmarks. “Our role is to make sure we deliver a world-class quality hotel; from start to finish, we will open the hotel; we will furnish it,” he said, noting that his team is working closely with contractors to ensure strict compliance with international standards.
Reddy also revealed that securing the Radisson partnership required extensive negotiations. “Getting Radisson in here wasn’t easy: It took months and months – in fact over one and a half years – of discussions and thousands of pages of documentation,” he said, describing the eventual agreement as a strong vote of confidence in Bayelsa State and Nigeria.
The facility, according to the Board, is expected to serve as a strategic hub for industry conferences, investor engagements and high-level business meetings, thereby boosting economic activities across the Niger Delta and Nigeria’s oil and gas value chain.
Stakeholders at the workshop—including representatives of Edison Corporation, Radisson Hotel Group, and Megastar Technical and Construction Company—reviewed project milestones and participated in technical sessions on hotel management and delivery frameworks, before concluding with a guided tour of the facility. The NCDMB reiterated that the project aligns with its broader mandate to deepen local content and support infrastructure that enhances industrial growth, investment inflows and regional development.