In this investigation, The Informant247’s Yemi Sodeeq reveals how the Kwara State government spent nearly N2 billion on a project originally approved for N755 million.
The project was approved in 2020 and unveiled in 2021 but has not been put to use. With no noticeable improvements or construction at the facility since its unveiling, the government has continued pouring hundreds of millions of naira annually into its ‘completion’.
It’s a Monday morning and all the government establishments along Ahmadu Bello Way in Ilorin are buzzing with activity. Cars flow up and down, with civil servants eager to resume work.⁰
While some government agencies are operational, the Ilorin Visual Arts Centre, which has been under construction for over four years, is not.
The multi-billion-naira Ilorin Visual Arts Centre stands directly opposite the state’s seat of power, the Kwara State Government House, on Ahmadu Bello Way in Ilorin.
During this reporter’s visit, a keen observation of the building revealed that no major activities were taking place inside. The reporter also approached the building and discovered that it was under lock and key.
A further approach to its entrance and a knock on the gate was met with the response of a police officer, who appeared to be guarding the facility.
When asked whether the facility was operational, the officer stated that no activities had taken place in the building. Although the facility maintains its architectural strength and physical value, there are concerns that it may start to deteriorate if it is not given attention.
It was also observed that necessary equipment has not yet been placed in the facility.
On closer observation, one would notice that the facility’s signature name, “Ilorin Visual Arts Centre,” which was formerly placed at the front, is no longer there.
Why the Ilorin Visual Arts Centre?
On August 8, 2020, the Kwara State Executive Council, under the leadership of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, awarded the construction of a state-of-the-art Visual Arts Centre to Habtob Global Construction Ventures for a contract sum of N755,496,768.12.
The approval, according to a statement from the government, followed the council’s consideration of the ministerial tender process, including the notice of tenders published in The Herald and The Nation newspapers on June 24, 2020. This process also involved another bidder, Fast Approach Konstruction Limited, which submitted a bid of N1,000,025,535.50 for the construction of the center.
The then-Commissioner for Communication, Afolabi-Oshatimehin, told the cabinet that the center would create another entertainment hub, including a modern studio workshop for artists, an art gallery, art shops, an exhibition center, cinematic post-production facilities, restaurants, and a café.
“This project will attract visitors, and investors, create more jobs for our talented youths, develop skills, enhance the quality of cultural and social life for citizens, contribute to economic activities in tourism and the arts, and generate more revenue to stimulate the local economy,” she said.
In June 2021, Governor Abdulrazaq unveiled the construction of the Ilorin Visual Arts Centre, alongside French Ambassador to Nigeria Jerome Pasquier, who was on a working visit to the state.
The French Ambassador described the architectural design of the center as “breathtaking”.
Several weeks running, a billion drowning, yet no completion
When the Kwara State government awarded the project in 2020 to Habtob Global Construction Ventures, the estimated duration was set at 50 weeks.
However, the government failed to meet the 50-week target. In a statement in April 2023, the Kwara State government claimed that the Visual Arts Centre was nearing completion.
The statement said, “Most of the structural works and aesthetics at the facility have been completed to a large extent, leaving just finishing touches.”
Despite this assurance statement, nearly 18 months later, the facility is still not operational.
In response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) inquiry submitted by this medium, the supervising agency of the project, the Ministry of Communications, admitted that although the project had been unveiled, it had not yet been commissioned.
The Ministry clarified, “Although the Ilorin Visual Arts Centre was unveiled by His Excellency, Governor AbdulRahman Abdulrazaq (CON), during a visit by a top French official to the state, the project has not yet been commissioned, and nothing in any previous communications from the government suggested otherwise.
“As previously communicated through government press statements, the unveiling was intended to introduce the project to the public, including strategic partners. This is distinct from a formal commissioning event that will mark the center’s readiness for full operations.”
Civil society concerned about project status
Lanrey Osho, a Director with the Elite Network for Sustainable Development (EnetSuD), an organization committed to good governance, described the idea of the Ilorin Visual Arts Centre as an “elephant project,” which has yet to deliver a significant impact for the people of the state. He expressed concerns about its current status.
“One of the problems we have is how the government embarks on white elephant projects and fails to complete them on time. One is also concerned about what this project, whose status remains unclear, will bring to the residents of the state, who have been hardest hit by economic hardship,” he said.
Osho emphasized the need for the government to prioritize people-oriented projects that will have a significant impact on the lives of the citizens.
Over N1.8bn spent on N755m approved project
An independent investigation by The Informant247 uncovered a pattern of budget inflation in the execution of the Ilorin Visual Arts Centre project.
With the initial contract sum of N755,496,768.12, the Kwara State government has spent nearly N2 billion on the project over the past four years.
From 2020 to September 2024, the Kwara State government spent a total of N1,852,282,736.17 on the project, a staggering N1,096,785,968.05 more than the initial contract sum of N755,496,768.12.
In 2020, findings showed the government spent N268,608,255.00 on the project. In 2021, it spent N805,700,260.71.
With no significant improvement or construction work at the facility between 2023 and 2024, millions of naira were released from the state coffers for the project.
In 2022, the expenditure was N216,246,322.46. In 2023, the government reported spending N335,985,791.00, and by September 2024, it had spent N225,742,107.00.
Government’s reaction
Reacting to inquiries regarding the expenditure on the Ilorin Visual Arts Centre, Bolanle Olukoju, Commissioner for Communications, said that the total amount spent so far on the project stands at N1,764,797,111.70.
While admitting that the project was initially awarded a contract sum of N755,496,768.12, she said that certain economic factors led to the upward review of the contract sum.
She stated, “However, due to significant economic changes throughout its execution — including inflation, substantial fluctuations in exchange rates, and the rising costs of construction materials — the project cost was revised to N1,369,435,069.49 to align with new realities that are known to all.
“For context, the contract was awarded in 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted not only our ways of life but also severely impacted the global economy. At the close of 2020, the US dollar exchanged for N388. Today, however, the dollar exchanges for N1,604, representing a 313.4% difference!”
“As of today, the total amount spent so far on the project stands at N1,764,797,111.70.”
“This total expenditure covered various essential tasks, such as construction, interior fittings, landscaping, security installations, and other finishing works, all handled by different contractors. The breakdown of tasks and payments to these contractors aligns with the total sum expended, ensuring every kobo was accounted for.”
“It is important to note that the initial contract sum did not include the cost of equipment, security fixtures, and some other fittings,” she added.
Discrepancies in government spending, other claims
However, while the statement claimed that the project was awarded before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, The Informant247’s findings showed that the project was approved after the COVID-19 outbreak.
It would be recalled that the federal government, alongside state governments, announced phases of lockdown in cities across the country starting in March, following the outbreak of the disease in Nigeria earlier in February.
The project, however, was approved by the state executive council in August.
Additionally, The Informant247’s review of the state government financial statement from 2020 through September 2024 showed that the government had released N1,852,282,736.17 for the project.
This also contradicts the N1,764,797,111.70 figure provided by the commissioner in her response, raising questions on around N100 million added to the figure in the government’s official document.
Regarding the budget revision, findings by The Informant247 revealed that the government’s claim of revising the actual sum of the project from N755,496,768.12 to N1,369,435,069.49 is inconsistent with the figures in the budget.
In addition to several other revisions made annually, the government in 2021 alone revised the project budget to N1,450,000,000.00 after spending N268,608,255.00 in 2020.
This report was published with support and funding from Civic Media Lab
