Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq is pouring cash into fixing up Kwara Hotel. In 2024, the state spent ₦13 billion on it, including a huge ₦6.4 billion chunk between October and December. Now, he’s set aside another ₦10 billion for 2025. That’s ₦23 billion total over two years way more than the ₦17.8 billion first planned for the job.
But here’s the kicker: in 2024, not a single naira went to building public schools. Hospitals and health centers got ₦6.5 billion, water fixes got just ₦491 million, and roads scored ₦10.8 billion. The hotel’s eating up cash while kids go without classrooms.
Back in April 2024, a local group called Elites Network for Sustainable Development (ENetSuD) got fed up. They sent a complaint to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the state government, saying something’s fishy. Signed by their boss, Alagbonsi Abdullateef, the letter listed seven big problems: a sneaky contract switch, picking a pricey company over a cheap one, fuzzy details about the work, the hotel’s low value (₦3.95 billion in 2017, ₦5.42 billion in 2022), and no clear plan to finish or pay back the money.
ENetSuD asked the EFCC to dig into three things: Did the state follow its own rules when handing out this secret deal? Does spending ₦17.8 billion on a hotel worth way less make sense? And why ditch a ₦3 billion offer for a ₦17.8 billion one? People are wondering why Kwara’s betting so big on a hotel when basic needs are left hanging.