New Office Building Project: PDP Asks Kwara Govt To Make ‘Project Cost’ Public

Kwara State PDP on Wednesday asked the Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq administration to come clean by publicly disclosing the new government house secretariat’s ‘project cost’.

The party noted that this is now being referred to as ‘new offices’ project.

While adding that the project is being constructed within the Government House premises ,Ilorin, the party insisted that the project in question is a misplaced priority and fell short of global best practices. 

In a statement made available to Team@orientactualmags.com by its State Publicity Secretary, Mr Olusegun Olusola Adewara, the party said the governor’s alleged refusal to disclose the financial details of the project coupled with its timing, has confirmed alleged growing suspicions that it is yet another conduit pipe designed to allegedly divert public funds . 

The party submitted that Governor Abdulrahman seems to prioritize his personal comfort and that of his appointees more than the suffering Kwarans, noting that the project in question is coming just a few days after the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria had 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 project cost 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 administration’ s 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 the project cost  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’ the statement added- Team@orientactualmags.com  Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08035023079,  08059100286, 09094171980 or get in touch via orientactualmag@gmail.com.  Thank you