Kwara Hotel project may exceed ₦30bn — ENetSuD
The Elites Network for Sustainable Development (ENetSuD) has raised fresh concerns over financial discrepancies in the Kwara State Government’s handling of the controversial Kwara Hotel renovation, alleging that the project’s cost may now have risen above ₦30 billion.
In a statement issued on Sunday by its Director of Investigation and Public Petition (Kwara Central), Comrade Gambari Volvo, the group faulted what it described as “inconsistent and misleading” records contained in government budget documents and financial statements.
It also accused the Kwara State House of Assembly (KWHA) of legislative recklessness for failing to properly scrutinise the figures.
ENetSuD said despite writing a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Technology, the Commissioner has yet to respond.
The group, however, claimed its independent analysis of official financial records published on the state government’s website revealed contradictions.
According to ENetSuD, the 2025 approved budget indicated that ₦4.66 billion was spent on the project in 2023, while the Accountant-General’s 2024 financial statement recorded ₦4.69 billion expenditure for the same year, leaving about ₦30 million unaccounted for.
The group further noted that while the Governor’s 2025 budget showed ₦13 billion was appropriated for 2024, the Accountant-General’s statement put the figure at ₦15.17 billion, out of which ₦13.83 billion was spent.
This, ENetSuD argued, suggested that the government’s public records were “undervalued and misleading,” raising questions about how ₦7.3 billion could have been spent between October and December 2024 alone.
“Despite spending a total of ₦18.52 billion on Kwara Hotel in 2023 and 2024, the government has again earmarked ₦13.94 billion for 2025. Does this mean the contract sum is now above ₦30 billion, contrary to the ₦17 billion earlier disclosed to the public?” the statement read in part.
ENetSuD also questioned the timeline for the project’s completion, warning that continuous discrepancies in the budgeting process eroded public trust and accountability in governance.
The group vowed to sustain its advocacy for transparency and accountability in Kwara State, urging the government to come clean on the true cost and completion date of the Kwara Hotel project.
