Western Metal Products Company (WEMPCO) Group, owners of Lagos Oriental Hotel, has denied insinuations in some quarters that it is owned by the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
In a statement by Taiwo Alli, Executive Director Corporate Affairs, Wempco Group the hotel’s management said: “Western Metal Products Company (WEMPCO) Group, owners of Lagos Oriental Hotel, formally acknowledge that there was an attack on our property on October 20, 2020, when hoodlums armed with guns, knives and bottles, forcefully gained entrance to our facility, assaulted some of our security personnel and damaged properties.
“Unidentified individuals whose motives remain unknown to us have gone to town with a rather unfortunate narrative claiming that the Lagos Oriental Hotel is the investment of politicians, thereby exposing it to unwarranted attacks.
“Lagos Oriental Hotel is owned by the WEMPCO Group with 99percent shareholding. The WEMPCO Group of Companies was founded by businessman and entrepreneur Mr. K.F. Tung over fifty (50) years ago.
“The Lagos Oriental Hotel is a flagship in the Nigerian hospitality business but is not a flagship of the WEMPCO Group. It is an investment made by the Group in 2008, but not part of their core manufacturing business.
“At present, WEMPCO Group provides jobs for over 25,000 young Nigerians, affording them the opportunity to earn a living and gain useful experience. It is therefore unfortunate the attempt to disrupt our business and tarnish our image painstakingly built over the years.
“Speaking on the development, the Managing Director, Mr. Lawrence Tung noted that ‘like other responsible businesses operating in Nigeria, Lagos Oriental Hotel is hopeful that closure will be brought to cases of injustice identified in the country. It is however important to protect our businesses from unwarranted attacks by individuals who may not be aware of the facts around our existence.
‘We are fully cooperating with the authorities in their investigations into the remote and immediate causes of the incident that occurred on 20, October 2020 and assure our numerous clients and partners that we are working to ensure that normalcy returns to the hotel.”