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  • Saraki, Kwara Speaker call for prayers

    Saraki, Kwara Speaker call for prayers

    Former Kwara State Governor Bukola Saraki urged Nigerians yesterday to pray for the peace and stability of the country ahead of next year’s general elections.

    Dr Saraki made the call in his Eid-el-Fitri message to Nigerians.

    Also, Kwara State House of Assembly Speaker Razak Atunwa urged Muslims to live in peace.

    Such virtues, he said, are the hallmarks of Ramadan and the ingredients needed to make the nation great.

    Saraki, the senator representing Kwara Central, said: “Ahead of 2015, I want to use this annual occasion to implore Nigerians not to give up in the quest for a better nation. Let’s not give in for a leadership based on sympathy and the monetary value we stand to gain but on the ground of competence and a strong will to take Nigeria to a greater height.

    “Let’s ensure we stay very united and indivisible by religious, ethnic, moral or political lines, because unity is a strong weapon for a better nation.

    “Even as I urge Islamic leaders – from the Emirs to Sheiks and Imams – to further emphasise the core themes of Islam to their followers after Ramadan. I also urge us to let our fervent prayers for Nigeria exceed Ramadan season. Let’s continue to pray for peace, restoration and stability in Nigeria, particularly as 2015 is approaching.

    “The holy month of Ramadan affords us the golden opportunity of renewal in thoughts and deeds towards our creator and humanity by prioritising core themes of Islam, which include peace, boundless love for one another, sincerity, holiness and respect for humanity.

    “Importantly, the aforementioned themes should not end with the month of Ramadan. They should be effortlessly demonstrated after Ramadan to ameliorate Nigeria’s plight and make her into a better society where her current challenges of insecurity, disrespect for rule of law, corruption among others will become things of the past.”

    The Speaker, in a statement by his media aide, Abdulrahman Sanni, urged Muslims to “use the occasion for sober reflection on issues aggravating ethno-religious and political skirmishes, insurgence, intolerant, nepotism and other factors threatening the stability and cooperate existence of a united Nigeria”.

    Atunwa counselled that as the nation prepares for another round of general elections, politicians must avoid a do-or-die politics to further strengthen the nation’s hard-won democracy.

  • Kwara PDP: Torn apart by ego and strife

    Kwara PDP: Torn apart by ego and strife

    The Kwara State Peoples Democratic Party is in a fix. The bitter struggle for the governorship ticket by chieftains has polarised the fold. As the gladiators work at cross-purposes, ahead of the next election, the party’s efforts to regain power may hit the rock. Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU reports.

    Kwara State Peoples Democratic Party  (PDP) has not recovered from the tragedy of mass defection that hit the chapter last year. Since Senator Bukola Saraki and Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed left the troubled chapter, the party has been seized by crisis. Now, the crisis has escalated, following the struggle for the governorship ticket by aspirants.

    The chapter has set two objectives for members since last year. The first is to draw the curtains on the Ahmed Administration next year. Ahmed is an All Progressives Congress (APC) governor. He was elected on the platform of the PDP in 2011.The second is to halt the influence of the Saraki Dynasty. The PDP chieftains are emboldened to achieve the two objectives, with the active backing of an insider, Senator Gbemi Saraki.

    To achieve the goals, the chapter also relies on the federal might. President Goodluck Jonathan  has been assured by the chapter that power shift is possible in Kwara, if the national leadership can make it a priority. The President, who is the PDP National Leader, has also promised to lend the support to the chapter to recapture the seat of government.

    However, the chapter is suffering from self-inflicted wounds. As the race to the Kwara Government House gathers momentum, PDP appears to be in disarray. The clogs in the wheel of progress are mutual suspicion, distrust, politics of blackmail and bitterness and character assassination. In an atmosphere of strife and rancour, Kwara PDP’s predicament is compounded by lack of a formidable leadership capable of effecting crisis resolution and reconciliation among the warring chieftains.

    The chapter is factionalised. Although the chairman, Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo, who emerged at the rancorous congress held in February, has denied this, the facts on ground suggest otherwise. Oyedepo has said that his executive committee has succeeded in maintaining party supremacy and discipline, but he has not been able to nip the activities of antagonistic caucuses in the bud.

    Today, Kwara PDP does not have an arrowhead. There is an executive committee in place, but the members perceive themselves as representatives of caucuses that nominated them. Therefore, their obligations go to the factional groups. There is little that Oyedepo, former Chief Whip of the House of Assembly, can do to whip them into line

    Party chieftains have attributed the inability of the President to appoint another minister to replace sacked Sports Minister Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi to the internal crisis. Although a section of the party said that the lack of representation at the federal cabinet was due to presidential prerogative, the delay in appointing a minister has to do more with the tussle over leadership among key leaders of the chapter.

    For instance, Hajia Bola Shagaya has emerged a significant factor, owing to her close relationship with the Presidency. But, the fact that she has not been active politically in the state is a major reason other party leaders refuse to accept their leadership. Across the three Muslim-dominated districts, party chieftains are not ready to accept a woman’s leadership. Yet, from all indications, it appears that the national leadership is rooting for her candidature for the ministerial slot.

    Senator Gbemi Saraki, a former governorship candidate, is also interested in the position. Sources said that she has started to work against Mrs. Shagaya to reduce her chance of being picked by the President. Thus, the disagreement between the two strong women may affect the party.

    According to sources, Senator Gbemi Saraki is coveting a ministerial job, having acknowledged the futility of insisting on her governorship ambition. GRS, as the former senator is fondly called, dumped her ambition because of her 2011 experience. She was rejected by voters at the poll due to gender reasons, despite the fact that she had the backing of her illustrious father and Kwara kingpin, the late Dr. Olusola Saraki. She was also said to have rejected an ambassadorial position so that she could monitor her constituency. Thus, the only option for her is the ministerial appointment. Sources said that the position had been promised her by her brother’s close friend and the PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Amadu Adamu Mua’zu. But, the obstacle now is the Shagaya factor.

    Another reason why decided to jettison her governorship ambition is that she cannot conveniently campaign against her father’s at the next year’s election. She had expressed reservations at the way some party leaders had criticised her father during the rally held at the Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority field. Speakers at the rally described her father’s time as a period of political slavery.

    As the two amazons bicker over the ministerial slot, the Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Suleiman Makanjuola Ajadi decided to remove the lid over what many party leaders have been concealing. He told reporters that his Southern Senatorial District must produce the next PDP governorship candidate. He said this is necessary to boost the chance of the party. Ajadi explained that, if the PDP want to succeed in its quest for power shift, the Central District should allow the South to enjoy the slot for eight years. Already, the governor, who is from the district, would have enjoyed the slot for four years by next year.

    Many chieftains tend to agree with this suggestion by the presidential adviser. The thinking is that, if the Central District is allowed to produce the governor in 2015, the new governor will want to spend eight years and later, the slot will go to the North, which will also hold it for eight years. The implication is that the South may not taste it for 16 years.

    However, some people believe that Ajayi made the suggestion because the odd may favour him. He is a veteran governorship contender. It is believed that the choice of the flag bearer from the Central District may nullify his ambition to rule the Northcentral state. But Ajadi is not alone in the equation in the Kwara South. The former President of the Nigerian Youth Council and delegate to the National Conference, Ben Duntoye, is in the governorship race. He is relying on his connection with the Presidency to have a shot at the Government House.

    But, the proposal by Ajadi and Duntoye is creating bad blood in the Central District, particularly among supporters of Mr. Dele Belgore (SAN), who left the APC for the PDP to realise his governorship ambition.

    Four more years for the South and North will affect his aspiration. Also, if this route is taken, it will be a major slap on Mrs. Shagaya, who according to sources, has become the major campaigner for a Belgore ticket.

    It was gathered that she had personally led the former ACN candidate to  President Jonathan for an endorsement. Many believe that the recent suggestion by Ajadi was a sort of protest and warning to the party’s national leadership over the consequence of the endorsement.

    The Belgore factor is also a sour grape to the aspiration of Professor Shuiab Abdullahi Oba, who has set up campaign structures. Oba is the former University of Ilorin Vice Chancellor. He is the Chairman of the Federal Character Commission. He is bold, brave and fearless. He was the first member of the Saraki camp to openly challenge the strongman and withstand the storm it generated. Perhaps, this may also become his undoing. Party members are saying in hush tones that it may be difficult to control him, if he becomes the governor.

    However, chieftains rooting for his candidature have said that he is a loyal party man, who had sacrificed for the party, unlike Belgore who recently defected to the fold from the APC.  Indeed, many supporters of Oba are unhappy that the same issue that chased Belgore out of the APC is what he has come to the PDP to preach. In the APC, Belgore had said that the party structure should not be handed over to people who had just joined the party at the expense of those who had laboured to build the structures for years.

    Analysts have predicted post-primary crisis. This can only be averted if the cracks in the party are mended, ahead of the election. But, will the gladiators sheathe their swords, shun personal interests and promote the collective interest of the party? Time will tell.

     

  • Lawmaker’s jobs tools lift Kwara community

    Lawmaker’s jobs tools lift Kwara community

    It took the agrarian community by surprise. Most residents of Omupo community in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State were said to be going about their daily routines when some political heavyweights in the state visited.

    It was not a political campaign rally. Their representative in the House of Representatives, Dr. Rafiu Adebayo Ibrahim, was coming to town to give the people jobs tools. With the tools, they will be able to fend for themselves and, possibly, become employers. Senator Bukola Saraki, a former governor of the state, was among the visitors.

    The community is one of those under the Ifelodun/Offa/Oyun Federal constituency which is under the control of the All Progressive Congress. It was also an event organised by the lawmaker to present his scorecard to the people apparently ahead of the 2015 general elections.

    Dr. Adebayo is not unaware of the threat posed by the Peoples Democratic Party to the aspiration of the APC in the area and only a comprehensive scorecard will ensure victory for them in the elections.

    Several items were presented to the people by the lawmaker. They include three Sports Utility vehicles (SUVs) for APC chairmen in the three local government areas; eight cars for party faithful; 100 TV sets for ward chairmen and coordinators; 373 units of grinding and sewing machines; 370 sets of small generating set and 370 units of clippers. Others are 25 units of freezers; 10,000 copies of exercise books, 15,000 units of clothing materials; 15,000 units of T-shirts, face caps and souvenirs.

    Presenting the items to the beneficiaries, Dr Ibrahim urged the beneficiaries to use the items given to them to unify the APC at all levels. He told the gathering that he has spent about N130 million on empowerment scheme, scholarship and bursary award for students in his constituency during the year under review. He said that “Registration of students for the junior West African Examinations Council (WAEC), bursary awards to various students of tertiary institutions including law school and school fees assistance to thousands of students within the constituency and beyond has so far amounted to nothing less than N30 million. So far, nothing less than 10,000 people have benefited in the financial assistance for various purposes including burials, naming, medicals and festive packages ( Eid Fitri, Eid Kabir, Christmas and New Year; year in year out as well as relief materials running into nothing less than N90 million.”

    He listed other constituency projects and empowerment programmes to include sinking of thirteen motorized boreholes; seven hand-pump boreholes; rehabilitation and expansion of waterworks (dam), supply of eighteen energised transformers; supply and installation of 136 solar streetlights. The House of Representative member said further that during the period under review, he constructed 5 nos of classrooms; construction of modern acquisition/vocational centre for training of unemployed youth in Ilemona, Oyun local government area; facilitated the employment of thirteen youth as well as the donation of eighteen vehicles to party stalwarts, loyalists and aides and twelve self-sponsored Hajj/Umrah slots for the Alfas and Imams. He paid tribute to Senator Bukola Saraki who he described as his inspirational backbone, the state governor, AbdulFatah Ahmed, party stalwarts and members for their encouragement.

    Speaking at the event, Senator Saraki appeal to all elected or appointed office holders to let the people at the grassroots feel their impact, adding that politicians who distance themselves from the people cannot wine election. He noted that the political structure of the state held sway because of the love that exist among the people of the state, saying that the people of the state are now politically awaken and it would be difficult for anybody to take over the state from the existing platform. The former governor called on political office holders in the state to redouble their empowerment and mass mobilization drives to ensure the victory of the party in the next year’s general election. Speaking on the 2015 elections, Senator Saraki ask the people to be wary of those he regarded as ‘Abuja politicians’ who will only come around during elections. He said: “I told you severally my people in Kwara state election will come and go. My people don’t let anybody to come and deceive you. Our royal, women and youth, we are here all seasons, we don’t come and we don’t go. Since May 2011 till date who do you see? Now you will see many people, but you know those who are consistent.”

    The Elerin of Erin-Ile (Oyun LGA), Oba Abdulganiyu Ajibola described Dr Ibrahim as a man of vision and mission. He said: “He is a humble man who is full of accomplishments. He contributes very well in the National Assembly. He consults constantly with his constituency and makes contributions that reflect the opinion and aspirations of his constituency. I think we are lucky and happy to have him as our representatives. He executed many projects in Erin-Ile community like drilling of boreholes, solar lights, supply of transformers and building of classrooms with toilets. He promised and fulfils, this man has been supportive of the youth. He is taking care of the needy and we the traditional rulers are also well taken care of from his personal resources,” the first class monarch added.

    Also speaking, Elese of Igbaja (Ifelodun LGA), Oba Amodu Arepo said: “Hon Ibrahim is a gift to this generation and to the people of Igbaja. As legislator representing our constituency, he has performed creditably well within the period he has spent in the House of Representatives. He has provided for us in Igbaja land 500KVA transformer, five hand-pumps in five wards and a motorized borehole at the Elese’s palace. He is a God-fearing and humble person. I wish to use this opportunity to appeal through him to the National Assembly with the support of Senator Saraki and Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed to look into the creation of another local government from the present Ifelodun local council which is too large as we spend about fours to get to our council headquarters.”

  • 236 PDP members join Kwara APC

    236 PDP members join Kwara APC

    Two hundred and thirty six members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have joined the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State.

    The defectors attributed their decision to PDP leaders’ insensitivity to their plight.

    The defectors, mostly youths from Ajanaku ward in Ilorin South Local Government Area claimed to be members of the Solidarity Oba Abu Youth Vanguard.

    They were received by the Chairman, Local Government Service Commission, Alhaji Sulaiman Yusuf.

    The defectors claimed that PDP “lacks organisation, team work, credibility and service to humanity”.

    They lamented that the party leaders “lacks sincerity and do not have their interest at heart. They only make empty promises to gain popularity and followership among the youth of the community”.

    The group’s Chairman, Usman Olaiya, explained that they have nothing to show for their support for PDP leaders.

    Olaiya said: “They are so self-centred, they only want to benefit from us and care less about the situation of our group or the ward we represent.”

  • Alumni’s N1b for Kwara schools

    The Old Boys of Government Secondary School, Ilorin (GSS) have a great plan for their alma mater, which is counting down to its centenary celebrations. They are giving the school N1 billion for its infrastructural development.

    The National President of the alumni association, Alhaji Nurudeen Alabi told reporters yesterday in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital, adding that the old boys would intervene in the refurbishment of classrooms, building of upgrading of the school information technology centre (ICT) etc.

    He also urged old boys associations in the country to complement government efforts in the educational sector by giving back to their alma mater.

    This to him is the way out of the parlous state of the country’s educational sector.

    Alhaji Alabi decried the rising insecurity in parts of the country, saying it is capable of threatening the educational fabric of Nigeria.

    Said he: “The decay in infrastructural facilities in schools is a nationwide problem in Nigeria. The way out is for all who have benefited from the schools to rise up to the occasion by assisting government in giving back to their alma mater.

    “Government alone cannot do it because there are so many areas of contending needs. So the old boys are the prime movers in addressing the decay; thereafter they also identify all the stakeholders.

    “The issue of insecurity in parts of the country is certainly a threat to the educational sector. The way out is for our leaders to have the political will because mere wish to solve the problem may not be the way out. Of course every member of the society should rise to the occasion because this is a challenge that can threaten the very fabric of the society where somebody is going to school and you are not sure of his safety and security. It creates a lot of questions. So the earlier government sees it as a major problem, as a cankerworm the better for the educational sector of the country.

    “You can imagine the plight of parents of the affected schools and even those who are not parents, because what is happening there can happen elsewhere; so it is an issue that must be holistically confronted otherwise it might affect the very fabric of education in the country.”

    On the centenary celebration, the association president said that “situation of things in most schools in Nigeria now are not as they used to be in the years back and as stakeholders we think we have a gap to fill to complement same in the government efforts.

    “It behooves on every responsible person of the old boys to rise to the occasion; to see that missing gaps that exist. We have a vibrant old boys; so we have been trying to identify critical areas we can intervene as save our school, so that we can restore lost glory.

    “The celebration will stretch for a week starting from the October 23rd to November 1st of this year. Basically, we intend to mobilize our members and our well wishers as well to assist us in filling the gaps so that name and glory of the schools can be maintained. This has been the driving motive for us.

    “The first intervention is the one that will directly affect the academic attitude of the students. In the olden days if you were a student of that school you were almost certain of coming out well. The magic was simply that the school was well equipped. We are also looking at getting the laboratories well equipped; getting decent classrooms for the school for teaching to more interesting and upgrading of information technology centre (ICT) of the school etc Perimeter fencing of the school.”

  • For the love of Kwara

    For the love of Kwara

    Before a capacity audience in Ikeja, within earshot of the Lagos State Secretariat, Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed made his case. Seated to hear him in the large hall were indigenous Kwara State people living and working in Lagos. His task was to explain to them how he had managed the affairs of the state these three years, and also hear from them. He called it a consultative forum.

    The governor approached the job with calm and confidence. First, he noted that Kwarans form what he called “a critical mass” driving the economy of their host state and, by extension, that of the entire country.

    Then, he told them that his vision for the state since 2011 when he became governor was to inspire a better Kwara with improved infrastructure, healthier and happier people, having more youths going to school and upon graduation getting jobs or even becoming entrepreneurs. He seemed to speak passionately, mostly off-the-cuff, hinting of a love for the state and a bond with the people.

    At the inauguration of his administration, there were 30 unfinished road projects from previous governments, as Ahmed told the people. Eighteen of those projects have now been completed, costing the state over N7 billion. The rest are ongoing. The Ahmed plan, it has become clear, is to follow up inherited projects from past administrations provided they are for the good of the people, for, as the governor put it, they were also funded by the people.

    As he spoke, the people responded with intermittent applause.

    He proceeded with more information, announcing that his administration initiated 44 asphalted state road projects of its own covering over 128km, 23 of which have been completed while 21 were still being worked on. The state roads cost over N5 billion, he said.

    The Ahmed administration paid more attention to rural and feeder roads and also spent more money on them. Fifty-nine of such roads were initiated, 38 completed and 21 yet to be finished, the governor said. Over N16 billion was spent on them, the highest of the three categories. The reason for this was to spread development to other parts of the state, and also open up the rural areas so that farmers, for instance, can easily move their products to markets of their choice.

    The governor spoke about boreholes sunk in so many communities, electricity provided for several towns and communities, schools built or rehabilitated and equipped with modern learning tools. Under his administration, new methods of agriculture have been introduced, greatly altering the picture of drudgery and subsistence usually associated with tilling the land. More people are now raising animals and producing fresh milk, for instance. Some supply poultry products to fast food outlets. One even exports cassava chips, the governor told his audience. But his efforts in job creation and health may well top his scorecard. Under Quick-Win, the administration’s jobs scheme, over 10,000 youths have been employed either directly by the government or trained to become entrepreneurs. Some of them help in curbing road traffic infractions; some keep the roads and streets tidy. Some others have become employers after the state helped them with small interest-free loans. Before the year’s end, some 3,000 more will be added to the number, Ahmed assured.

    In health, Kwara may well have become a reference point. Five General Hospitals spread across the state have been rehabilitated. Ilorin General Hospital is a model. Once acquired by the University of Ilorin as part of its medical unit, the hospital was a virtual wreck on the departure of Unilorin to its permanent site. Ahmed and his team revisited the hospital, retooled it and brought it back to life again. Today, the General Hospital is seen as a model facility, not only in the state.

    Under the administration and in partnership with private investors, Kwara Advanced Diagnostic Centre (KADC) is touted to be among the best of its kind in the country, its staff and facilities resolving sometimes intractable medical conditions. Close attention is also said to be paid to people at the grassroots, necessitating the rehabilitation and upgrade of health centres across the state. Ahmed told his audience in Ikeja that his administration’s vision is to bring health care so close to the people that no one in the state will have to travel more than 500 metres to find a primary health centre.

    That morning, Ahmed also told his people how his technical education plan will help mop up idle youths from the streets and also boost the state’s skills profile.

    How did the people receive their governor’s scorecard? Well, from the intermittent applause and the chat as he ended his briefing, it was easy to see that Ahmed’s three years in office was worth their while.

  • Philippines plans varsity in Kwara

    The Kwara State government has struck a deal with the government of the Philippines to establish a university in the state.

    The Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Alhaji Saka Onimago told reporters that the proposed university, which will be called AMA University, would have its temporary site at the old Ilorin Teachers’ College, Lagos Road, Ilorin which, has seven hectares of land.

    Onimago said the university would be owned and funded by the Philippines government while the the state government would only provide the land for its temporary site.

    He also announced the government’s resolve of gradually ease out primary and post primary school teachers with no qualifications in education  from the system.  The Head of Service, Alhaji abarako Muhammed, Onimago said, has been asked to work out modalities for absorbing the teachers who would be affected by the exercise into the mainstream civil service. He said the government’s decision   to disengage unqualified teachers from the teaching job is informed by the need to improve on effectiveness of education received in the schools.

    He said teachers  among the 21, 000 NCE holders without specialisation in primary education would be encouraged to go for a sandwich course for the specialisation to enable them fit in at the level they teach.

     

  • Three killed in Ilorin street brawl

    Three killed in Ilorin street brawl

    •Police: two dead

    •APC, PDP trade blame

    Hoodlums suspected to be supporters of a party in Kwara State engaged in a free- for-all yesterday in Ilorin, the state capital.

    Three persons were said to have been killed and 15 others were injured.

    But the police confirmed that only two persons died in the process.

    Among those who were injured were three siblings, who were said to have been hit by stray bullets.

    Trouble started last Friday after some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Alore area of Ogidi ward in Ilorin West Local Government allegedly defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    It was gathered that the hoodlums clashed with one another as they could not agree on a sharing formula for the N20,000 reportedly doled out to them.

    Another version linked the crisis to a clash between the hoodlums and some vigilance group men shortly after the programme.

    The fracas, it was gathered, started at Abayawo and later spread to Alore-Ode Adana-Omoda, Ode- Alawusa Okelele, all of Ilorin downtown.

    It was gathered that in a reprisal attack on Sunday, a man simply identified as Ebba, was allegedly killed at Ode Alwusa.

    To avenge his death, hoodlums went on rampage yesterday by setting up bonfires and paralysing commercial and social activities in the affected areas.

    The “hoodlums” wore masks, brandishing dangerous weapons went on a rampage that lasted for almost five hours.

    Combined team of soldiers and anti-riot policemen were drafted in the areas at 10am to disperse the warring factions.

    Before the arrival of the security personnel, some youths in the areas also took up arms against the “hoodlums”.

    Several property, including cars, were damaged.

    Police spokesperson Ajayi Okasanmi said 12 persons have been arrested.

    The APC and PDP have accused each other of causing the crisis. APC spokesperson Sulyman Buhari said that “the APC expresses sadness that the life of a young Kwaran can be brutally cut short by PDP thugs due to mere controversies surrounding the distribution of a largesse given to PDP members by a former senator.

    He said: “PDP’s violent activities are of concern to the APC. The APC has consistently alerted the people and the police on the violent disposition, gangterism and the rich record of violence the PDP flaunts. Surprisingly, the PDP has broken its own record of violence in the state. We warn the PDP to desist from oiling its evidently weak political machinery with the blood of Kwarans.”

    But the PDP in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Rex Olawoye, accused the APC supporters of attacking PDP members shortly after their alleged defection to APC on Friday last week.

    He said: “Our party is saddened by yet another violent attempt on its supporters. There has been a well oiled plan to cow our members by the opposition elements.  “A similar occurrence happened in Omu Aran on Saturday, where daredevil APC thugs invaded what was supposed to be a private meeting of the Ifelodun chapter of the party, and chased all the stakeholders present away.”

  • Kwara blames Fed Govt for fertiliser supply hitches

    The Kwara State government has blamed the federal government for the hitches being experienced in the supply of fertilisers, maize and rice in the country.

    The state added that the number of registered farmers quoted by the federal government in the 2014 Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GESS) is at variance with the figures in the state.

    The state Commissioner for Agriculture, Anthony Towoju said this in Ilorin, the state capital, when some members of the Centre for Community Empowerment and Poverty Eradication (CCEP), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) paid him a visit in his office.

    “The minister for Agriculture was quoting a figure of about 285,000 farmers that registered for 2014 GES whereas to the best of our knowledge, the ones that participated last year were only 139,000,” Towoju said. “We have written them in Abuja to tell us how they got 285,000 farmers and their names.”

    Speaking further, Towoju said, “The bulk of the blame of this scheme goes to the Federal Government. All the inadequacies I have seen as the commissioner for agriculture stem from Abuja. Reasons: GES is supposed to be a provision where our small holding farmers will be assisted to get inputs of two bags of fertiliser, either 10kg of maize of 12.5 kg or rice. As I am talking to you now the register of all farmers in Kwara State is not with us. It is in Abuja. Even the Abuja figure of farmers in the state is at variance with our own.

    The states are not well carried along in GES whereas states are major stakeholders; because “We pay 25 per cent and federal government pays 25 per cent of the cost. But they are holding it as if it is their baby. In GES today, all the fertilizer supplying companies were appointed in Abuja, state governments have no input of who gets the contract of fertiliser supply. All the agro feeders participating in GES are appointed in Abuja; all the help-line staff in Kwara were also appointed in Abuja.

    “They told us that they advertised through the internet. How many Nigerians especially at the local level have access to the internet? That breeds corruption and that is what they love doing in Abuja. The states are in better position to identify their farmers as they are domiciled in the states and present it to Abuja. But Abuja will come and identify the farmers in the state even without our knowledge.

    “You know why we are concerned about GES is that we have paid and we are the owners of our farmers. We want our farmers to benefit.

    We have protested to the federal ministry of agriculture that we are not properly carried along. They operate through email. There must be openness. Abuja must see GES as a joint baby of the federal and state governments.  All the supply chain-managers only come here, do what pleases them and go away. That is why I told them that we are not in military regime, we are in democracy.

    “For you to participate in GES as a state, you had to agree with the federal government, but if we see that the way they are running GES is not to the interest of our people, we can withdraw from the scheme. Some states abinitio, told the federal government that they are not interested.”

    He hailed members of the CCEP for the advocacy visit saying that “if you had not come to this ministry you will not get the right information. When you have the right information definitely, the public will have the right information at its disposal. In the ministry of agriculture there is no segregation between men and women farmers.”

  • Kwara savours infrastructural upgrade

    Kwara savours infrastructural upgrade

    May 29 was more than an anniversary in Kwara State. To the people, there were far more crucial issues than merely witnessing another Democracy Day. It was a time to relish upgraded infrastructure: roads, hospitals, schools, electrification, and the peace among the state’s three million people. To their governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, it was an opportunity to tackle fresh challenges and deliver on other promises made.

    That Thursday, Ilorin, the state capital, was abuzz. But nowhere was the excitement as pronounced as on the open field of the Government House, where a crowd was waiting for the state’s number one citizen. In the crowd were the various ethnic groups that make up the state. Traditional rulers sat calmly, clad in their royal gear. Traditional dancers were unmistakable in their colourful costumes. Student groups made their presence felt, not just with their boisterous solidarity chants but also their giant banners.

    When the T-shirt-clad governor rose to his commanding height to address his people amid loud cheers, he wasted no time in telling them that he was conscious of his mandate and the obligation of leadership.

    “Three years ago when I became your governor,” he began, “I made a solemn pledge to prioritise youth empowerment in all government programmes. That commitment was driven not by political expediency or the euphoria of victory. Rather, it was propelled by the urgent need to empower this largest component of our population.

    “Today, as we formally employ the single largest number of youths, I make bold to state that we have significantly fulfilled our pledge in this regard. With the flag-off of QuickWin and the engagement of 5200 youths, this administration has employed 10,200 youths since inception and will engage an additional 3000 by the end of the year.”

    The QuickWin scheme, the state government’s response to youth unemployment, means a lot to the governor. As the jobs plan took off with the employment of 5200 youths, a number added to the initial 5200 youths earlier taken off the labour market, Ahmed said his administration was working on employing and empowering another 3000 by the year’s end.

    Providing jobs and skills is a clearly thought-out plan in Kwara. For instance, the Ahmed administration voted N640m for revolving soft credit facilities to 41,000 small and medium-scale enterprises or SMEs and skill acquisition centres “for the benefit of our youths,” as the governor put it. There are also mechanisms in place to check misuse of the credit lines and ensure that beneficiaries pay back promptly and brighten other clients’ chances of obtaining the soft loan.

    The governor spoke about his administration’s efforts in health, mentioning the expanded Community Health Insurance Scheme, the supply of drugs and equipment to hospitals and the remodelling and expansion of Ilorin, Offa, Share, Kaiama and Omu-Aran hospitals, fitting them with state-of-the-art facilities.

    In Ilorin, the story is told of one of those health facilities once taken over by the state University Teaching Hospital. But on relocating to its permanent site, the tertiary hospital left a glorified carcass behind, a health facility that was no longer worth the name. The Ahmed administration stepped in and breathed new life into it. Practically, dry bones took on new flesh and not only did the hospital come alive, it also became a model health facility.

    The Kwara Advanced Diagnostic Centre (KADC) or Harmony Advanced Diagnostic Centre (HADC), to give it its preferred new name, is one example of the state government’s solid health plan. The facility located at Asa Dam Road in Ilorin, is a public private partnership outfit. In keeping with the spirit of excellence, its management believes in attracting the best hands to run the Centre, the reason many staff are not indigenous to Kwara. Still, judging from its modern equipment, it is fair to say the Ahmed administration, a major partner, clearly knows what the state and its people deserve.

    At the Centre are various scan machines of varying sizes and capacities, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) facilities, manned by some of the best personnel in the sector.

    Bolanle Mariam Oladapo, HADC marketing manager, said a celebrity turned up one day at the Centre. The august visitor, said the trained nurse, would reveal that he searched in vain in the United Kingdom for a cure to his health condition, only to discover that the answer was in Ilorin.

    Governor Ahmed himself said his ultimate plan is to ensure that nobody in Kwara would have to go beyond 500 metres before finding a credible health facility.

    A few things have pleased the governor, one of them electricity, another road network.

    “More communities,” he said, “are now powered with electricity through our rural and urban electrification programme under which we have procured and installed transformers across the state. We have [also] demonstrated the benefits of continuity by completing all but a few inherited roads while a similar proportion of those started by this administration within and outside the state capital have been completed, such as the Oro-Ijomu Oro Road which I commissioned yesterday.”

    In education, Ahmed said, “more of our children now receive functional education as we have up-scaled reforms, enhanced primary and secondary school infrastructure and structured skill acquisition training in the state.

    The governor is also conscious of the challenges. Despite his administration’s efforts in providing jobs for Kwara youths, Ahmed was in no mood to exult that Thursday. He pointed out that “many more youths remain cut off from jobs not because they are unwilling or incapable of work but because the opportunities are limited.”

    Is there any solution? Yes. Ahmed said after a careful study, his administration found out that it was best to reintroduce skill acquisition in an academic environment. The result is the International Vocational Centre in Ajasse, where students will learn skills and receive a City and Guilds certification. The school offers courses in mechanical engineering, civil engineering, welding, air conditioning and electrical fittings, among others.

    Graduates in those fields will easily key into the global market, Ahmed said.

    That will further help to scale back the unemployment profile.

    Ilorin was clean-swept, the effort of a corps of youths engaged to keep the city clean and green. Residents have other things to be happy about too. One is the peace they enjoy and the fact that the current terrorism challenge has somehow spared the state.

    There is love and respect for one another in the state, despite its ethnic diversity and the employment and entrepreneurship drive may also be helping. But Ahmed is in no doubt that it is only God who has kept the violent elements from Kwara.

    On another anniversary, the people will like to thank God again for His guiding hand.