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.
