“GOOGLE IT”: ELEVATOR CLAIM RAISES FRESH QUESTIONS OVER KWARA HOTEL COST

 A fresh controversy has emerged over the cost of the renovated Kwara Hotel following a claim by the Kwara State Governor’s Special Adviser on Media, Abdulateef, that a single elevator could cost between ₦600 million and ₦1 billion.

The Special Adviser made the claim during a radio programme while defending the cost of the project and reportedly challenged members of the public to conduct their own Google search and prove him wrong.

So, we did.

And what the search turned up raises serious questions.

A review of online listings from elevator manufacturers and suppliers shows commercial elevator systems, including premium-quality options, being advertised in the region of ₦35million to ₦79million, depending on specifications, capacity, installation requirements and other associated costs.

That is a staggering difference from the ₦600 million to ₦1 billion figure quoted on air.

The question therefore becomes unavoidable:

Where did the ₦600 million to ₦1 billion figure come from?

This is particularly significant because the renovated Kwara Hotel has multiple elevators, while the overall cost of the project has already generated public controversy, with figures reportedly putting the project at over ₦30 billion.

If the government’s position is that each elevator genuinely costs between ₦600 million and ₦1 billion, then there should be no difficulty providing the documents to settle the matter.

Kwarans deserve to see the specifications.

They deserve to know the manufacturer, model, capacity, installation cost, procurement process, contract value and the actual amount paid for each elevator.

Public accountability should not depend on political arguments or media defence.

The documents should speak for themselves.

And this is precisely why the Special Adviser’s invitation to “Google it” is now significant.

The public took up the challenge.

Google has produced prices that appear dramatically different from the figure quoted on radio.

Now, the government has an opportunity to provide the evidence that can settle the argument once and for all.

If the elevators cost ₦600 million, show the invoices.

If they cost ₦1 billion, show the contracts.

If there are specifications that justify such extraordinary figures, publish them.

Because when billions of naira in public funds are involved, Kwarans should not be expected to simply take anyone’s word for it.

₦600M–₦1BN PER ELEVATOR?

You said: “Google it.”

We did.

Now show us the receipts.