Adolf Hitler (1899-1945) the instigator of World
War II driven by expansionist agenda, plunged
the world into a war which consequently depleted
German power, and his country became
detestable to the comity of nations.
The scenario can be likened with Dr. Bukola
Saraki running battle with corruption charges and
rebellion to the ruling party/the Presidency, which
may adversely affect Kwara State and her citizens
in apportioning Federal largesse and
opportunities.
Dr. Olusola Saraki, the late father of the Senate
President Bukola Saraki, was the Second Republic
Senate Leader and influential personality in the
then ruling National Party of Nigeria, NPN-led
Federal Government. The power tussle within the
party turned Kwara State into a battleground in a
war of supremacy between Dr. Saraki and power
brokers within NPN. When two elephants fight,
the grass suffers!
Also, the Buhari/Idiagbon military regime was
derided and maligned by Saraki loyalists and their
traditional backers because of the incarceration of
Dr. Olusola Saraki along with other ousted public
office holders.
General Tunde Idiagbon, being an Ilorin man, was
expected to spare Dr. Saraki from the ignominy of
detention. Sarakites and Ilorin Emirate elements
organized a prayer to oust the Buhari/Idiagbon
government. The overthrow of the regime was
openly celebrated by the Ilorin establishment and
Saraki surrogates.
History seems to be repeating itself with the
Senate President Bukola Saraki rebellion against
the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the
palace coup he staged to become Senate
President.
The Saraki dynasty backed by the Ilorin Emirate
establishment has always been averse to any
progressive ideology/government or any
developmental drive in the State and Nigeria. The
Emir of Ilorin is always on the same page with Dr.
Bukola Saraki on any national issue.
A number of progressive-minded Kwarans and
liberation activists have gone to the great beyond
in efforts to salvage Kwara from the claws of the
dreaded Saraki dynasty and the Emirate
overlords. They include:
1. 1. Alhaji Amuda Gobrir
2. 2. Chief J.S. Olawoyin
3. 3. Chief J.G. Ekunrin
4. 4. Alhaji Sule Maito
5. 5. Alhaji Adebimpe Oniyeye
6. 6. Alhaji Buhari Edun
7. 7. Alhaji Ibrahim Laaro
8. 8. Alhaji Akanbi Oniyangi
9. 9. Alhaji Babatunde Kasum
10. 10. Gen. Tunde Idiagbon
11. 11. Ge. Abdulkareem Adisa
12. 12. Gov. Mohammed Alabi Lawal
13. 13. Muhammed Ali Olukade
The surviving veterans of the liberation struggle
in Kwara are living in penury, deprivation,
alienation and fear; courtesy of the annihilating
policy agenda of the Saraki-installed government
and the Emirate establishment.
The worst hit are the traditional rulers in the five
local governments of the Ilorin Emirate (mostly
Yoruba monarchs), who were denied government
recognition and grading by successive regimes.
Most of these towns and villages predated Ilorin
with age-old traditional institutions. Saraki’s
political domination sustains this traditional/ethnic
suppression and subjugation. It should be noted
that the Emir of Ilorin remains the only graded
monarch in the whole five local government of
the Ilorin Emirate – comprising hundreds of towns
and villages.
The chief Imam Yoruba of Ilorin is the only first
ranking Imam out of the four recognized
ethnically based Imams not recognized by the
religious setting. The foremost Imams are Imam
Fulani, Imam Imale (Mali), Imam Gambari (Hausa)
, and Imam Yoruba; who are denied rights and
benefits.
President Muhammadu Buhari should beam his
anti-corruption searchlight to Ilorin Emirate
Council finances. The Emir has been cornering
the five percent local government allocation
deductions for the traditional rulers of the five
Local Government Areas of Asa, Moro, Ilorin East,
Ilorin West, and Ilorin South since Gen. Abacha
approved the deductions.
The President should not restrict his anti-
corruption fight to the political class alone, but be
extended to the traditional institutions and other
strata of the society.
In conclusion, Kwarans should not be made to
suffer for Dr. Bukola Saraki’s undoing. Kwara
needs to be unbounded.
Shaikh AbdulRaheem Aduranigba
Chief Imam Yoruba of Ilorin
Kwara State