I have noticed a sudden romance of Kwara PDP partisans with Crystal Group and its apologists lately, on the issue of Kwara Hotels. This newfound love and romance must be one for the books.

So far, their (PDP) writers have released tons of articles in defense and support of Crystal Group. Their objective in one word: they don’t want the Kwara Hotel upgrade project to succeed. It will be a huge indictment on their leader, Bukola Saraki, who inherited a newly renovated Kwara Hotel from the late Governor Alabi Lawal, but went on to supervise its mismanagement by bringing in some briefcase contractors to which he concessioned the hotel, on the one hand. On the other hand, the indictment also spreads to Abdulfatah Ahmed who, having seen the rots left by Saraki in Kwara Hotel, sacked his briefcase contractors, then pledged to renovate and upgrade the hotel to a 4-star facility. Ahmed however failed to bring this promise to fruition.

By now, Kwarans must have seen the PDP for who they are: enemies of progress. For a party that cried wolf when the current government was taking its time to study what approach works best to revive the legacy hotel its leaders reduced to a condition where only 20 per cent of the 172 rooms were hospitable, the least PDP should do now is to show some sense of shame.

But that’s not the case. Its loyalists are everywhere doing everything possible to prevent the Kwara Hotel upgrade. PDP had attempted to incite the people against the government when its spokesperson in a press statement of November 30, 2023 alleged that the hotel has been sold.

Now, their newfound love is Crystal Group. The irony however is that these PDP elements had berated the government during the aborted concession arrangement to Crystal Group that it’s trying to enrich an ‘APC stalwart’. They rubbished the proposed arrangement and queried the competence of Crystal Group. Now that agenda has united them however, the same Crystal Group is now the best thing to happen since the production of close-up. The breeze will soon blow for Kwarans to see clearly the anus of the fowl.

It’s both cynical and laughable to see PDP vuvuzelas, including ENetSuD, embroiled in a PR contest for Crystal Group. The pretences and mischief notwithstanding, holding briefs for big men to hold the state to ransom may indeed be lucrative, but it seems it doesn’t last well. Our friends have found a new client after the initial paddy-paddy arrangement failed at the polls.

I should also add that Crystal Group has exhibited a high level of desperation on the Kwara Hotel project, that one begins to query its motive. The firm should perhaps channel this energy to completing the long-abandoned extension of the Crystal House International Hotel on Sulu-Gambari road, Ilorin, which was reported to have collapsed circa 2017. There’s more to life after losing out in a concession arrangement. I hope the Crystal Group internalises this.

I am all for liberty of expression and enjoy the preponderances of opinions — in fact, I welcome a rejoinder. But I am all for action and impact more!

In all the coordinated and sponsored media attacks, there is yet to be a convincing argument that the 17.8 billion naira that the Kwara State Government wishes to commit into the upgrade of Kwara Hotel by way of contractor financing is not justified within the current economic realities. They’ve not provided similar projects done with a far less cost. No financial mistep has also been called. Just mischief!

Meanwhile, I recently came across a report in Premium Times of December 12, 2022, that the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel built by former Governor (now Senate President) Godswill Akpabio in Akwa Ibom State costed N25.4 billion. That was as far, far back as 2016. The high-rise hotel has 146 rooms. Kwara Hotel, with 172 rooms, is though not being built from scratch, the cost of its upgrade doesn’t come close to Akwa Ibom’s — even if we put into consideration its valuation before the upgrade. How about factoring in the inflationary trends too?

The point again is that such projects do not come at a cheap cost. The glory is for Kwarans to see their priced heritage return to its heydays of intimidating structure and aesthetics (even much more better), years after the elements who are now in Kwara PDP ran it aground and bastardised it. This, I ask, must be non-negotiable for the government. Kwara Hotel deserves revival.

No briefcase alliance between ENetSuD–Crystal Group–PDP must stop this.

Abdullah Abdulganiy