Abdulrazaq’s one year in office, a disaster, Kwara deserves better’ - Zakari


A stalwart of the Peoples' Democratic Party and former gubernatorial aspirant in Kwara State, Hon Zakari Mohammed has described Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq’s one year in office as a disaster foretold, describing his administration as a ‘one chance government’.


In a statement signed by Zakari Mohammed, the politician lamented the dawdle and fate that has befallen the State, adding that the State of Harmony never had it so bad, in recent time. The outspoken two term member of the House of Representatives intoned that even the immediate past administration of the state, which the incumbent had since his assumption of office launched vendetta against, is being rated far better than the current administration.


He said the case is like a ‘one chance bus’ in which governance is run as a deceitful venture, adding that within one year in office, the current government has wasted and lavished the State’s monthly allocation, Internally Generated Revenue, the tax refund billions of naira left by the previous government and the World Bank assisted fund. There is no meaningful project on ground to show for these acquired funds. The question now is: What has Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq used all these resources to achieve for the State?


It is on record that instead of improving on the legacies of his predecessors in managing the civil servants, artisans, professional bodies, civil society organizations, youths and women, all he has achieved was destruction, demolition and destabilization of an existing system, just to settle an age-long family cum political supremacy.


‘One cannot, perhaps, expect much, if the political and social backgrounds that have produced the incumbent is properly interrogated. It is therefore not a surprise with the case of the Kwara State Governor, who is supposed (by providence) to be the leader of his party, and manage all and sundry, but, in the contrary, running the ship adrift. Unfortunately, the lingering inter and intra party crises in Kwara APC today is a crystal roadmap of a man whose dynamics is designed to destroy, but not to build, even though it is not in my jurisdiction to meddle into their party's cracas," Zakari said.


He goes on further to note that the Kwara State ‘public and administrative life is in coma' , largely because ‘capable hands are not appointed and employed to drive the wheel of government.


In particular, according to him, ‘Our Agriculture sector that was revolutionised through the establishment of the Modern Agricultural Development Projects, our Revenue Generation blue prints, Local Government/SUBEB fund mobilization and distribution that were all condemned before and during the 2019 elections are the laudable trees that the current administration now waters every day’.


At the inception, one thought there was some magic wand from this overrated government to service the promised payment of #30,000 minimum wage, free education for all, mass employment for our teaming unemployed youths. Instead, the State began to witness unlawful removal of tenured Permanent Secretaries, who were replaced with Directors, among several anomalies.


The former Commissioner also bemoaned the high level of intimidation and harrasment of the opposition voices in the State, in the past one year that the O to ge e beneficiaries have been in power.


‘Today, the maxim of the State of Harmony under Abdulrahman's watch is 'Speak Truth to Power, and Risk Being Nabbed', largely because the government is doing everything to gag the opposition.


The corruption portfolio in AA's administration hasn't given room for transparency and accountability, and that is why it is difficult for an average Kwaran to know how funds are being received and expended, without due process.

Abdulrahman's performance in several other aspects of the lives of Kwara people has also not been encouraging. Till today, the O to ge e administration has no concrete policies on Agriculture, Education, Industrial Development, Manufacturing, Tourism, Employment Generation/Human Capital Development, State Security, etc. It is thus imperative for all lovers of Kwara to begin to think of what to do before we hit the year 2023 political activities.


What AA and his gang of confused minds are voicing as achievments are repackaging and commissioning of local roads, which are of no much economic benefit to the people, leaving the major roads unattended to; commissioning of schools where renovation works are still ongoing; repainting of Grade II court rooms, health centres, Base-Ball Court in Ilorin. All these are going on side by side heavy taxation and levies being imposed on motorists via inhuman motor licensing policies. This is not to talk of demolition of retail shops, without allocating alternative ones to the traders, thus leaving most of these traders helpless and hopeless.


He thus appealed to Governor Abdulrahman, in the interest of the people and future of the State’s children, not to be ashamed to ask questions on how best to manage civil servants, students, traders, artisans and civil society organizations, so as to benefit humanity. Kwara State, according to Hon. Zakari Mohammed, ‘is blessed with quality men and women of intellectual capacities, as such, the State deserves better than the unfortunate current leadership,’ he concluded.