Is Kwara Hotel Contract Sum Now Over 30 Billion Naira? Group Asks KWSG
• says KWSG financial records on Kwara Hotel are inconsistent, misleading
• decries KWHA legislative recklessness that erodes accountability in Kwara State
ENetSuD is following the spending on the controversial Kwara Hotel contract. While the Freedom of Information (FOI) request written to the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Technology remains ignored by the Commissioner, we conducted some analysis of the financial details contained in the document available on the website of the Kwara State Government.
*Information on the approved 2025 budget*
• Actual amount spent in 2023 (₦ 4,660,642,174.50)
• Amount appropriated in the 2024 revised budget (₦ 13,000,000,000)
• Amount spent between January and September 2024 (₦ 6,527,399,044)
• Amount budgeted in 2025 (₦ 10,000,000,000)
*Information in the 2025 budget performance report (Q1 + Q2)*
• 2025 original budget (₦ 13,942,363,480)
• Actual Amount spent between January and June 2025 (₦ 50,544,388.00)
*Information in the 2024 Accountant General Financial Statement*
• Amount budgeted in 2024 (₦ 15,171,265,582.00)
• Actual amount spent in 2024 (₦ 13,830,310,217.21)
• Actual Amount spent in 2023 (₦ 4,690,078,481.93)
*Issues arising from the analysis*
1. There is an inconsistency in the amount spent in 2023, as disclosed by the Accountant General and the approved 2025 budget signed by the Governor. The Accountant General’s 2024 Financial Statement disclosed that ₦ 4,690,078,481.93 was spent in 2023; however, the 2025 budget, signed by the Governor, claimed that ₦ 4,660,642,174.50 was spent in 2023. This shows that a sum of about 30 million naira can’t be accounted for in 2023, and this escaped the scrutiny of the Kwara State House of Assembly (KWHA) before passing the 2025 budget.
2. The 2025 Budget signed by the Governor also claimed that a sum of ₦ 13,000,000,000.00 was budgeted in 2024, out of which ₦ 6,527,399,044.00 was spent between January and September 2024 as of the time the 2025 budget was expectedly prepared. However, the Accountant General’s Financial Statement negated the Governor’s budget by disclosing that ₦ 15,171,265,582.00 was budgeted in 2024, out of which ₦ 13,830,310,217.21 was actually spent between January and December 2024. This shows that the 2024 appropriated amount contained in the Governor’s approved budget available to the public is misleading and undervalued, while the spending on the project is shrouded in secrecy without accountability measures. Could the KWSG have spent 7,302,911,173.21 between October and December 2024, an amount far above ₦ 6,527,399,044 it spent between January and September 2024? These financial discrepancies also escaped the scrutiny of the reckless KWHA before passing the 2025 budget.
3. Despite spending a total of ₦ 18,520,388,699.14 on the project in 2023 and 2024, the KWSG has again appropriated ₦ 13,942,363,480.00 for spending in 2025. Does that mean the project contract sum is worth over 30 billion naira?
4. Considering the budgeting and release of fund for the Kwara Hotel project in the successive years, when is the project going to be completed? How much is the new contract sum of the project, contrary to the 17 billion naira that was previously known to the public?
ENetSuD is not relenting in its efforts to seek transparency and accountability in Kwara state.
No comments