By Lawal Akanbi Sharafadeen
Have you seen latest photos of Kwara Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazak and team while inspecting the 18billion Naira Kwara Hotel project? The photos were everywhere, broadcast proudly across social media platforms, planted on news websites, and shared by government media team. And like many Kwarans watching with dismay, we have a very simple question: Is this it? Is this your ₦18 billion naira worth hotel?
For a project that started on a very controversial note, burdened with a jaw-dropping N18 billion contract sum with an alleged additional ₦5 Billion naira in the supplementary budget, bringing the overall total budget to ₦23 billion Naira , the expectations were monumental!!!
Kwarans were told that the Kwara Hotel would be transformed into an architectural marvel, an international standard hospitality centre to rival the likes of Transcorp Hilton, Radisson Blu, Marriott, and Sheraton.
What we have now, based on the photo evidence you yourself have provided, is a watered-down renovation that doesn’t pass even the most basic quality test of such luxury brands.
Let’s not pretend, Your Excellency, Kwarans are not fools.
We saw the rooms you proudly walked into. The tiles, fittings, ceiling finishing, and furnishing all scream mediocrity. Basic. Local. Subpar. If these are the best samples your project managers could display during your inspection, what should we expect when the hotel actually opens to the public? The images betrayed a clear lack of elegance, grandeur, or even the modern flair that befits a state-owned flagship hospitality business.
And just so we’re clear, the old Kwara Hotel before this so-called renovation looked more dignified than what we’re seeing now. That’s the painful irony. ₦18 billion later, and the standard appears lower than before.
So we ask again, Governor AbdulRazaq: What exactly was running through your mind when you walked through those rooms? Does it align with the standards you’re exposed to when you travel abroad with the state’s money, staying at five-star establishments, where luxury is defined not by how much is spent but by the value delivered?
Does it meet the globally accepted aesthetics of Hilton? The finish of InterContinental? The prestige of Four Seasons? Even the functionality of Protea Hotels by Marriott?
This is supposed to be your legacy. One of the big-ticket projects to define your time as governor. But this doesn’t look like a legacy, it looks like a leaky pipe, draining billions into the pockets of contractors and politicians who have mastered the art of appearances without substance.
Let’s put it bluntly, Kwarans were waiting for an Eldorado. Instead, what we are witnessing is a glorified guest house renovation.
The fear of many from the beginning was that this project, like many others, would become a conduit for siphoning scarce public resources under the guise of transformation. Unfortunately, what we are seeing confirms this fear. The excuses will come, no doubt. “It’s not finished yet.” “Don’t judge it now.” “There are phases.” But when ₦18 billion is announced as the cost from Day One, Kwarans have every right to start judging from Day One.
Here’s a reality check, Governor, ₦18 billion can construct an entirely new five-star hotel, from foundation to finish, anywhere in Nigeria. ₦18 billion can build at least three world-class hospitals or dozens of rural roads. ₦18 billion can uplift the tourism industry of the state if used transparently and wisely.
But this? This smells like deception dressed in white tiles.
The state deserves more. Kwarans deserve better. If this project collapses into scandal or mediocrity, it won’t just be a failed hotel, it will be a monument to betrayal. A billboard of how not to manage public trust. And that will stain your record forever.
It’s not too late to save face. Go back to the drawing board. Involve professionals. Open the process to scrutiny. Show the real value for money. Otherwise, the hotel will become yet another white elephant project, and you, Governor AbdulRahman, will be remembered not as the leader who rebuilt Kwara Hotel, but the one who turned it into a billion-naira embarrassment.
This state is ours and we must not stop standing guard!
Lawal Akanbi Sharafadeen writes from Kwara State Capital
