GOVERNANCE ASSESSMENT: KWADEF CALLS FOR VIGILANCE, URGES KWARA GOVERNOR TO PROTECT STATE TREASURY

The group also urged the State governor, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq to “protect the treasury and the commonwealth of Kwara from vultures within and outside the state.”
Rising from its monthly meeting last weekend, where it assessed “Democracy and Governance” in Kwara in the last two years, Kwadef in a statement signed by its President, Dr. Kolawole Afolabi and Publicity Secretary, Oluwasegun Abifarin, explained that the emergence of Governor Abdulrazaq as a result of the “Oto ge” revolution actually brought an end to monopoly of certain forces that have held the State down for years.
According to the group, “to the glory God, the last two years have seen a change of power equation from one man to the people,” adding that “we cannot shy away from Governor Abdulrazaq’s strides in human capital development, agricultural revitalisation, and Infrastructural renewal/development which have gone beyond the state capital.”
The statement added further that “KWADEF was proud that the governor has focused on investments in basic education, primary healthcare, gender inclusion, youth’s engagement, citizen engagements, and efforts designed to open up government for public scrutiny and accountability in manners consistent with the political barometer of the state.”
According to KWADEF, “governance in Kwara has never been this sweet, because every segment of the society is feeling it. Before May 2019, water tanker was the source of potable water in most parts of the State capital, even in the Government House. Today, Pipe-borne water is back and stable in Ilorin metropolis while nearly 500 boreholes have either been dug or rehabilitated across the state.
“Workers are also collecting their salary. A lot of roads have been rehabilitated, healthcare facilities are being upgraded and backlog of debts are being repaid. As at today, Kwara is off the UBEC blacklist. It has accessed a backlog of N7.1bn UBEC counterpart funds with a matching grant of N7.1bn to gradually reposition the schools.”
The group however urged the governor to address the lingering frosty relationship between him and his party, the APC, which has become an ”own goal in the net of the administration and the party”.
“The governor needs to bring all the people together. A lot of people are actually disappointed and depressed by this turn of event. Though we need to separate people’s participation from governance, the governor has not included a lot of people, which is not too good,” it said.
As part of the integration/inclusion process, the group urged the governor to also listen to the cry for freedom of thr people from Moro Local Government, especially the aspect that has to do with the restoration of the grading of their traditional rulers, the formation of their separate Traditional Council as obtained in the remaining 12 Local Government Councils in Kwara State.
According to KWADEF, the grading of Oba’s stool is gradually becoming an open sour of the state, particularly from communities who feel they have not been treated fairly in the exercise.”
On the looting of the state, KWADEF averred that the best way to implement the recent white paper on the Senator Ajadi’s panel is to summon a non-political force, like the court of law, to prosecute those found guilty of looting the commonwealth of the state.
“We at KWADEF say Never Again should this kind of looting and malfeasance happen in the state. Governor Abdulrazaq should go to court. He can do it. He should do it,” the group said.