Ilorin Emirate stands on the verge of forfeiting a N500 million federal pavilion project as the 2024 fiscal year nears its June 2025 deadline, Just Event Online TV has learned.
The project—facilitated by Senator Saliu Mustapha through the 2024 Appropriation Act—has been stalled for months amid what insiders describe as a political standoff between Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and Senator Mustapha, both members of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
On Tuesday, the Senior Special Assistant on Religious Matters (Islamic Affairs) to the Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Zubair Dan Maigoro, addressed the controversy during a radio program. The following day, Senator Mustapha’s aide, Barr. Abdulkareem Alabi, also featured on air to clarify the senator’s role and the project’s current status.
According to Alabi, the Emir of Ilorin, Dr. Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, personally applied for approval of the pavilion’s architectural plan from the Kwara State Geographic Information Service (KW-GIS) on March 3, 2025.
Over 60 days later, there has reportedly been no official response from the state government—raising concerns about a deliberate attempt to derail the initiative.
Sources close to the project warn that if the stalemate continues, the funds could be forfeited in line with the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007. Section 29(1) of the Act mandates that all unspent budget allocations must revert to the Consolidated Revenue Fund by the end of the fiscal year, while Section 38(a) bars the rollover of unused capital funds.
Originally intended as a permanent venue for the annual Ilorin Durbar festival to eliminate recurring tent rental costs, the pavilion’s construction has yet to commence amid disputes over documentation and state-level approvals.
All efforts to obtain reaction from KW-GIS and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.
