Disclose The Contract Sum For Your New Gov't House Secretariat — Kwara PDP To Abdulrazaq
...Says despite U.S Embassy Condemnation, Gov Abdulrazaq Still Embarks on such misplaced priority
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State has again challenged Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq to come clean by publicly disclosing the total contract sum for the new government house secretariat which he now called “new offices” project being constructed within the Government House premises in Ilorin, maintaining that the project is a misplaced priority and fell short of global best practices.
In a statement signed by the State Publicity Secretary, Olusegun Olusola Adewara, the party said the Governor’s refusal to reveal the financial details of the project coupled with timing of the project confirm growing suspicions that the venture is yet another conduit pipe designed to divert public funds .
The party disclosed that Governor Abdulrahman seems to prioritize his personal comfort and that of his appointees more than the suffering Kwarans, noting that this government house project is coming just few days after the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria condemned some Nigerian governors for wasteful spending on buildings instead of investing in human capital and economic productivity.
A recent report by the U.S. Embassy publicly indicted some state Governors for squandering billions on luxurious government buildings while their citizens suffer in poverty. The U.S. report described the trend as “misplaced priority, poor governance orientation” and called for a shift in focus toward more people-centered development.
Yet, rather than reflect on this global condemnation, Governor Abdulrazaq, who's the chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum—has doubled down on the same error by initiating a new Government building project and without disclosing the contract amount or justifying its necessity.
As Chairman of the NGF, one would have expected the Governor to lead by example, promoting transparency and responsible governance. Instead, he has ignored both the suffering of the Kwara people and the views of the international community, choosing to pursue a project that reeks of secrecy, extravagance, and self-serving motives.
Our party considers it laughable, that Abdulrahman government response to public outrage, now claims the project is “not a new Government House” but “new offices.” This clever wordplay does nothing to change the substance of the matter. If the intent is noble, and the project justifiable, why is the US Embassy condemning such for financial recklessness and why is contract sum hidden from the public? The people of Kwara, whose tax money is being deployed, deserve to know how much of their fund is being poured into this white elephant project
Even more questionable is the choice of contractor. Our party believes that the construction of a one-storey building is well within the capacity of numerous indigenous contractors in Kwara, who have been deliberately relegated by this government in favor of politically connected outsiders.
This project is not only a betrayal of the Otoge promise, but also an insult to the intelligence and needs of the people of Kwara, who are facing widespread infrastructural collapse in schools, hospitals, and roads and especially the people who are facing serious insecurity across both urban and rural communities.
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