PROFILE OF ECWA GUEST HOUSE, MUSHIN – LAGOS
Like some of the other ECWA Guest Houses, ECWA Guest House, Mushin, was inherited from the SIM.
Prior to 1989, the buildings were used as residential quarters for ECWA Production Limited staff (EPL) but were later released for use as Guest House. Flat 10 was the first to be released for use as a Guest House while the other two were later added. There was no written document available showing precisely when the structures were handed over and to whom. However, as pointed out above, the structures were built by the SIM missionaries and later handed over to ECWA.
In 1989, the Guest House started as an offshoot of ECWA Productions Limited (EPL) to accommodate missionaries and EPL staff on transit. At that time, Mr. Gara was the Managing Director of ECWA Productions Limited (EPL) and so the Guest House was managed by him. Mrs. Gara served as the receptionist and cleaner while Mr. Noah was the laundryman cum gardener, the Guest House was not run as a business venture but as accommodation for missionaries and EPL staff.
In 1993, Mr. Gara left EPL so the Guest House was handed over to Mrs. Rhoda Funmilayo Omidiji who served as manager / receptionist. Two other staff worked with her: Mr. Noah, who was the Gardener, and Mrs. Abosede Adediran (late) who was the cleaner and laundry steward.
The three flats of ten rooms were all in use and a room was one hundred naira (N100.00) per night per person.
In 1994, the gardener retired and a casual staff, Miss Idowu Olatunde, was employed to replace him.
The following year, 1995, two of the three flats were released to Oasis Missionaries who went into business partnership with Challenge Bookshop. So the Guest House was left with only one flat. This led to personnel auditing to reduce the overhead cost. Mrs. Rhoda Funmilayo Omidiji the manager / receptionist was the only remaining staff at the end of the personnel audit exercise.
In 1997, Mrs. Comfort Omowumi Akubiojo was transferred from ECWA Guest House, Yaba, to Mushin to work with Mrs. Rhoda F. Omidiji as the cleaner/ laundry steward. That same year, there was a vacant flat of three rooms in the compound. This was released to the Guest House in addition to the existing single flat. This brought the number of rooms available to the Guest House to seven.
In 2000, Mrs. Rhoda F. Omidiji, the manager/receptionist, was transferred to ECWA Guest House, Yaba, and Mrs. Janet Olabisi Ogunleye, from Yaba, took over as the Manager.
In 2001, while the Oasis Missionaries were still occupying the two flats, one of the structures was gutted by fire and up till now (2018) it has not been rebuilt.
It should be noted that the structures were not built as Guest Houses. So the guests shared the toilet facilities. This became a big challenge, but as time went on, the Guest House management provided toilets for some of the rooms to make them en suite.
The stake holders in the compound (ECWA Mushin DCC and her staff) joined hands with the Guest House and sank a borehole. This attracted more customers to the Guest House.
In 2002, another vacant flat in the compound was released to the Guest House. This increased the number of rooms to ten.
In 2010, Mrs. Janet O. Ogunleye was transferred to Jos Guest House while Mrs. Comfort O. Akubiojo was made a Cleaner/receptionist.
ECWA Guest House Mushin was made annex of the Guest House in Yaba, hence, Mrs. Rhoda F. Omidiji the Manager in Yaba Guest House was given additional responsibility of overseeing it.
In 2012, Mrs. Comfort O. Akubiojo was promoted to the position of house keeper and mandated to manage the Guest House until it became buoyant enough to employ a manager.
Later, some renovation work was carried out on the flats and some facilities provided which added value to the rooms. These facilities included a 22 KVA generator and a smaller one of 6.5KVA, televisions, air conditioners, refrigerators, separate borehole to ensure regular water supply and Digital Satellite Television (DSTV). All of these facilities improved attracted more patronage thereby boosting the financial position of the Guest House.
Currently, there are ten rooms, five of which are en suites, fully air conditioned. The remaining five rooms still share the toilet facilities. One of the flats, usually referred to as ‘flat 8’ was rented from EPL. Presently, three staff are on the payroll of ECWA Guest House Mushin. Mrs. Comfort O. Akubiojo is the House Keeper who oversees its maintenance and general operations.
In September 2017, Mrs. Comfort O. Akubiojo was moved to ECWA Guest House, Yaba, as house keeper while Mrs. Marion F. Ajibola was transferred from Yaba to Mushin to replace the former house keeper in the same capacity.
Below is the list of persons who have served as managers/House keeper between 1989 to date (2018) and the number of years they served :
