The Real Cost Of Kwara’s Elephant Projects

Last week, the Kwara State Government inaugurated the Kwara Revenue House, a building that is impressive in appearance but raises questions about its real value to the average Kwaran. The Kwara Internal Revenue Service (KWIRS) exists to collect taxes and generate revenue for the state, and its effectiveness is determined by its systems, personnel, technology, and compliance framework, not by the size of its building.

The government has failed to disclose how much the Revenue House cost, making the expenditure a scandal. There is no record that the project was subjected to competitive public tender, and the cost is hidden from public view. Kwara officials claimed the project was funded by savings from consultancy fees, but this claim needs scrutiny, especially when considering the budgetary allocations for consultancy payments.

KWIRS continues to pay consultants at an escalating rate, larger than the budgeted salaries for its staff. The government's claim of using consultancy savings to finance the Revenue House is a deliberate lie, meant to prevent Kwarans from questioning the building's hidden cost.

The Kwara Hotel renovation project is the government's most extravagant and indefensible project. When the project commenced, the government claimed it would cost N17.8 billion, but the final cost rose to N27 billion, or potentially N30 billion. The original bidding process estimated the renovation at N3.5 billion. How did the project escalate from N3.5 billion to N27 billion, and what justifies such an enormous cost increase?

The government's attempts to justify the high costs with fabricated figures are unconvincing and indicate a pattern of dishonesty.