Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and the embittered Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Nyesom Wike yesterday met in Abuja, in a move aimed at resolving the differences in the main opposition party ahead of the 2023 general elections.A reliable source told THISDAY that the meeting took place at the residence of Prof. Jerry Gana at Asokoro.Also, Atiku yesterday stated that restructuring was the solution to Nigeria’s multifarious problems, embracing a time-honoured panacea that successive governments have chosen to ignore, and throwing down the gauntlet to a political class plagued by a corrupt tendency to exploit societal disequilibrium.As part of preparations for his 2023 election campaign, Atiku yesterday appointed Senator Dino Melaye and Dr. Daniel Bwala as his spokespersons.

In a related development, National Chairman of PDP, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, yesterday, said the party’s recent victory in the Osun State governorship poll was a clear pointer to the fact it was on its way to victory in the 2023 general election.Atiku had won the PDP presidential primary in May, which Wike was poised to win, but for a last-minute withdrawal by Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal, which the Rivers State governor perceived as betrayal.A reliable source told THISDAY that the meeting between Atiku and Wike took place at the residence of Professor Jerry Gana at Asokoro.The meeting was first brokered by members of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), who met Atiku at his Asokoro residence. THISDAY gathered that Atiku, after the meeting with the BoT members, contacted Gana, also a BoT member, who acts as a liaison between the PDP presidential candidate and Wike.

With the time agreed for the meeting, Wike flew into Abuja and proceeded straight to the residence of Gana, where the meeting took place.Wike had since returned to Port Harcourt after the meeting.But the source did not give details of the meeting.The source simply said, “The ice has been broken. They (Atiku and Wike) have commenced talks and in a few days time, the details of their meeting would be made public. Wike is expected to brief members of his campaign group.”

The source further said the meeting was the first step in the reconciliation process and was attended by only Atiku and Wike.The source added, “The meeting showed that there is a commitment to resolve their differences that arose from the presidential primary. Actually, both of them agreed to nominate certain number of persons, equal numbers, to meet and trash out the issues one by one.”An insider at the meeting and Wike supporter had on Sunday told THISDAY that all parties had ruled out defection to another party, saying, however, there must be a meeting to discuss inclusivity.

The source had said, “As far as we are concerned, we are open for discussion. We want everything to be put on the table. We remain in the party, we are not going anywhere, we want to be seen as equally stakeholders.”THISDAY had reported that a camp in the PDP led by Wike had allegedly given conditions for peace, which included being considered equal stakeholders in the party.Meanwhile, Atiku spoke on the need to restructure the country at the 64th Annual Bible Study Conference of the National Council of Anglican Youth Fellowship (AYF) of Nigeria.He was represented by his running mate and governor of Delta State, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, at the event held at the Ekiti Diocesan Camp Ground, Iyin-Ekiti, Ekiti State.

Atiku, who was Special Guest at the Bible study conference, highlighted the need for the country to be restructured. He said Nigeria was in dire need of knowledgeable, capable, and experienced leaders, who would break the cycle of failed leadership and take it to the level of growth and prosperity.The former vice president said devolution of powers and resources to the sub-national governments and the guaranteeing of a constitution that allowed equity, justice for all, and inclusiveness in governance, such that none was left out or oppressed, were what Nigeria needed to run a proper federal structure.According to him, Nigeria should continue as a federation but not in its present form.Atiku stated, “I advocate a proper federal structure that recognises the federating units and the federal government as mutually coordinate, and not subordinate one to the other, yet cooperative among themselves, distinct from the current structure where states exist as mere appendages of the centre.“I am particularly thrilled by the theme of this conference, ‘Be Strong and Courageous’, because the times we live in call for men and women of courage, who will stand up to be counted in the battle to rescue and rebuild Nigeria.“There is no gainsaying the fact that Nigeria’s unity is under serious threat today. The mutual suspicion, distrust, and, sometimes, hostility among the various ethnic groups have reached levels never experienced before, fuelling separatist agitations across the country.“This is largely due to the general discontent occasioned by the broken promises, dashed aspirations, and the lop-sidedness in power-sharing under the current federal government.

“As I said some time ago, a situation where the top guns in the nation’s security architecture are dominated by persons from a particular ethnic/religious group does not augur well for the unity and progress of the country.”Speaking further, he said, “Nigeria can only grow if ethnic, religious and tribal divides dissolve, and a pan-Nigeria goal is truly desired and embraced by all. We must act swiftly – and decisively – to calm the raging storm, regain confidence in the Nigerian project, and halt the drift towards chaos and anarchy.“The forthcoming 2023 elections offer us the opportunity to do the needful and move Nigeria in the right direction. It calls for sober reflection and strategic thinking as against the mindless euphoria, sensationalism, and herd mentality that brought us to where we are today.Going forward, we need mature, wise, and experienced leaders who will inspire hope in our country and foster a sense of belonging among all Nigerians.“I am an ardent believer in the restructuring of Nigeria, especially as it relates to fiscal federalism and devolution of powers.“Restructuring does not mean we jettison the federal system of government. In fact, I believe that it is more functional and realistic for our ethnic, linguistic, religious, and cultural diversities.

“I guarantee you that the states and Nigeria will develop faster when the proper federal structure is put in place.”The former vice president assured that if voted as president in 2023, he would prioritise education in the country, as no nation could develop beyond the knowledge base of its citizens. He recalled the late Nelson Mandela’s words, “Education is the most powerful weapon, which you can use to change the world.”Atiku added, “You can, therefore, imagine my pain and grief to see students of our tertiary institutions idling away at home when they should be in school.“It not only distorts the academic calendar, it also robs the parents and the students of their hope for a better future.“I wish to use this opportunity to respectfully call on the federal government to urgently reach a compromise with striking university lecturers and reopen our universities.

“No nation can afford to have its students to be idle or roaming the streets and expect to achieve peace, security, and inclusive economic growth.”He called for the harnessing of the creative energies of the youth to accelerate national development by providing them with a solid education system that equipped them with the right skills-set and leadership credentials.According to him, “As a corollary to the above, Nigeria needs a well thought-out policy to tackle youth unemployment through skills training and entrepreneurship development programmes.

“The army of the unemployed in our country is a recipe for disaster. To get out of the current quagmire, we must, as a matter of urgency, begin to think more in terms of equipping them with the technical know-how, vocational skills, values and resources to become job and wealth creators, as well as giving them employability skills.“We must be intentional, determined, and resolute about this to avoid a situation where graduates from our educational system roam the streets in search of non-existent jobs.”

Welcoming guests earlier, National President of AYF, Mr. Alex Akpata, said Nigerians were faced with serious security and economic challenges. But Akpata urged the youth to be strong and courageous, saying the country would soon overcome its challenges.He urged the youth to join politics and stand firm in voting for candidates that would protect the interest of the people.

sotech:
☝️

quote author=sotech post=115097181]Good Day house
I am looking forward to invest in transportation. I need honest advice.
Which is profitable, Haulage business or Bolt/Uber/Airport car Hire business.

Note - I intend driving myself
Location is Ilorin, Kwara

As regards the haulage . If I'm able to raise enough capital, my target is VW T4 transporter, if not, I will go for VW Golf wagon.

In the case of Bolt/Uber/Airport car Hire
I intend getting Camry 04 or Corolla 04/05.
My target is Tokunbo.

Since you are in Kwara I assume e-hailing will give you a better return than haulage, consider the wear and tear on the car and cost of maintenance if you are into haulage is will almost equal your earning the long run.

If you get a corrola, a year after e-hailing driving you can still sell it for almost the same price you get the car if its well maintained.

_...Misinformation, corruption, sectional politics, and godfatherism dogged candidacy._
_

On Wednesday 25th July, 2022, it was exactly three months since the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State nominated Shuaibu Yaman Abdullah as its gubernatorial candidate for the 2023 general elections.

The former commissioner on the board of Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) emerged after defeating two other contestants in the race by 518 votes.

The two other contestants, two-term member of the House of Representatives, Aliyu Ahman Patigi; and former Nigerian Ambassador to Japan, Professor Yisa Gana, scored 31 and 14 votes respectively.

Despite initial rancour within the party over the results of the primaries, Kwara PDP seems to be clawing out of the rubbles , especially with uniting the guber contestants behind the flagbearer. However, there was recently a scar with a gale of the defection of some of their members in Kwara South and Central districts to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

Notwithstanding, Yaman Abdullah is widely considered the most visible challenger to the incumbent Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on the account of party structure, financial war chest, etc., in the coming elections in the state.

But according to temperate observers and political analysts, the gubernatorial candidate appears to be struggling to prove his preparedness and capability for the Ahmadu Bello Way. This was said to be evident in his "oft-simplistic, error-riddled" statements on issues and a generally "largely pedestrian" campaign. Believed to be the sentiments of the critical elites and young intelligentsias, Yahman's candidature with former lawmaker Gbenga Makanjuola is also beleaguered by allegations of corruption, godfatherism, and sectional politics.

Upon a careful background check, PotPourri brings to you three big gaffes the guber candidacy has reportedly made in the last three months in the course of electioneering.

*May: 'The blind carries the crippled.'*

Immediately after the May 25th gubernatorial primary elections, plots for the choice of running mate to Yaman Abdullah began.

Apparently decided to be a slot for the Kwara Southerners, a local online newspaper in Kwara, InsiderNg.net reported June 7 that the party leadership were considering two term federal lawmaker, Hon Gbenga Makanjuola; former adviser on Agriculture & Water support to ex-Governor Ahmed, Hon. Anu Ibiwoye; socialite and former senatorial aspirant Chief Bode Oyedepo, among others.

The party leadership, which many believed were influenced by its supreme leader, Senator Bukola Saraki eventually settled for Makanjuola, a former aide to the former senate president.

Apart from the fact that factors pointing to the disappointment in the process of selection has made one of the hopefuls, mercurial Chief Bode De-Way to join the ruling APC, local media and young voters also appeared unexcited by the pick.

In the weeks preceding the unveiling, many of the local reports represented Makanjuola's running case with the EFCC on fraud and embezzlement as banner headlines in apparent protest. A widely read opinion article by a youth leader identified as Ibraheem Abdullateef also described Yaman/Makanjuola ticket as "leprous."

While all these are probably not representative of the general mood of the public at the moment, it is undeniable that the people of Kwara state are not favourably disposed to scandals involving corruption, embezzlement of funds, and other act of impunity post- O'toge revolution.

It may well come up that Makanjuola's tainted image will be a baggage to Yaman's candidacy.

While craving anonymity, a frontline anti-corruption activist dubbed PDP's team as "The blind carrying the crippled.'

*June: Kwara's debt acrobatics*

While addressing party faithfuls and supporters at an event unveiling Hon. Gbenga Makanjuola as his running mate in the capital city, Ilorin, Yaman attempted to talk about the state's debt profile with a view to criticise the incumbent on its " alarming" rise.

However, the June 18 event appeared to be overshadowed by the gaffe he made during the address.

"We are not unaware of the problem the APC has put on us in Kwara State by the astronomical increase in the debt portfolio with over 300%. Kwara from the least indebted state is now one of the most indebted,” Yaman remarked.

According to multiple factchecks, there were major false claims in the above statement.

By March 2022, Kwara was only listed as the 19th most indebted state in Nigeria by the Debt Management Office (DMO).

The available record also vitiated the statement that the debt profile of Kwara has jumped 300% between 2019 and now.

In 2021, the AbdulRazaq-led administration took N27.2bn private bond " to bridge infrastructural gaps." Afterwards, it also announced that like 35 other state governments across Nigeria, they accepted a Federal Government’s offer of N18.6bn loan refinancing facility to ease the burden of paying back loans which dated back to 2015.

Combined together, this would only raise the domestic debt profile by 68.3%, well below Yaman's 300% claim.

Also, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor Rafiu Ajakaye, while reacting, stoically refuted Yaman's claims.

"Both claims are false. One, at no time in Nigeria’s chequered history was Kwara the least indebted state. In 2019, Kwara had the 10th highest debt profile in Nigeria," Ajakaye added in his widely referenced rejoinder ' _Of Yaman's debt gaffe and PDP'shock-jockss'_ in June.

"The first and only time the state’s debt profile rose so high was in 2009 when former Governor Bukola Saraki took N17bn bond, among other facilities he had earlier accessed. That took the debt profile to above 300%, considering the fact that he had inherited a below N5bn domestic debt from the late Mohammed Lawal’s administration."

That time, it was clear that the figures and data had hooked Yaman's throat.

*July: Yahman digs PDP's rubbles*

Although it was acknowledged by a section of netizens on social media as a good move for the guber candidate to go round assessing the level of basic education in the state, majority has been vociferous in their criticism of Yaman dubbing it as a "show." As someone who is a serial contestant for the state's top seat, it appeared there is a standard he is expected to operate regarding governance and economy of the state.

That notwithstanding, Yaman's attempt to rationalise the efforts of the incumbent government on the state of basic education in the state was not taken to lightly by netizens.

According to background checks, it was confirmed that rots in the basic education was one of the weaknesses of the immediate former administration in Kwara State. Due to non-committal of funds after the diversion of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) funds, the state was blacklisted from 2013 to 2019 when the APC-led government was inaugurated.

Having cleared the arrears and raised the counterpart funds, UBEC unbanned and granted Kwara 14.2 bn to reposition the basic education sector. Aware of its ongoing efforts in renovating classrooms, recruitment and training of teachers in ICT under KWARALEARN, among other things, Yaman's poser has since been met with disregard, ridicule, and hostility by the government's spokersperson and the public.

"Today, as part of our fact-finding efforts on the state of education at the basic level, the above pictures were captured at Oke Apomu LGEA in Ilorin West Local Government of the State. So, what has this government done with the N14.2b SUBEB fund?," Yaman asked while sharing pictures of pupils seated on the bare floor in a rather decrepit classroom in Ilorin.

While some members of his party, PDP, have taken it to be an inadvertent dig at his own party given the history of the ex-governor Abdul Fatah Ahmed administration in the UBEC saga, analysts felt it rather gave an opening for the current government to boast of their strides in the sector. According to an analyst, Opeyemi Quadri on Facebook, "it was unstrategic."

Never one to miss such an opportunity, the CPS to Governor Rafiu Ajakaye replied that "Truth is that there are still dozens of such facilities across Kwara State, and this speaks to the mess that public education (indeed Kwara) was in 2019.

"In 2019 when this government was inaugurated, there were dilapidated structures across at least 2,064 basic schools in Kwara: 480 at Junior Secondary School level and 1,584 in Primary Schools. That was the Kwara story. It was a fallout of the next-to-zero investments in basic schools for nearly a generation. History: between 2013 and 2019, Kwara was under an official blacklist of the federal government for diverting funds meant for improving school infrastructures, training of teachers, among others," he explained.

Following the rejoinder, many social media commenters said Yaman and PDP scored an "own-goal."

"PDP scored own-goal with that pictures. They failed to address the real issue. They allow Ajakaye to capitalise on their weakness," said a Whatsapp user in one of the Kwara's regarded online forums.

CPS Rafiu Ajakaye described the decrepit schools as a "legacy of the PDP."

"The public needs to understand that the 2,064 dilapidated schools and hospitals (including Oke Apomu LGEA school) were a legacy of the same individuals in the PDP who are now sharing pictures of schools in shambles. The new administration is only struggling to rebuild what became horribly bad under PDP’s watch.

"Here are the things to note: next time you see another dilapidated school or hospital structure, please know that it is the fallout of the PDP years. It is to be noted that the new administration is doing its best to fix these rots, while also investing in other critical needs of the people within available resources. What this means is that these rots will take years to go away. No magic will make them disappear. Only consistent investment will. This is the point the Governor made last December about the depth of the rots. The good news is that this administration is doing a lot in this regard."Gauging the public opinion and sentiment, the Oke-Apomu LGEA saga sits as another error in the comeback campaign of the Yaman/Makanjuola's ticket for Kwara PDP."

Seeking external review of the campaign of PDP and Yaman/Makanjuola ticket as an alternative to the incumbent APC, Governor AbdulRazaq/Alabi ticket, a professor in the Department of Political Science University of Ilorin who seek anonymity said he was bothered by the lack of depth, ideals, and initiative in the opposition parties' activities in the state.

While he remarked that many of them are seemingly contesting in obscurity, he decried PDP's candidate Yaman Abdullah's penchant for flunking data and figures for political purposes.

"It is almost one month, one error from him." The prof. said looking worried.

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on Monday visited the palace of Balogun Alanamu of Ilorin Dr Usman Abubakar Jos to commiserate with the community over the fire incident that affected parts of the Alanamu market late last night.

AbdulRazaq said the government will offer some support to the victims within its resources.

The Governor, meanwhile, has also sympathised with the Balogun Alanamu over the demise on Sunday night of two of his subjects -- Alhaji Sa'adudeen Alagola (Malimu) and his wife Hajia Saadah Iyabo (Iya Koko).

AbdulRazaq said he was also proud of the swift response of the State Fire Service to bring the inferno under control, adding that the State Emergency Management Agency has also visited the area to ascertain the level of damage.

"We have come to sympathise with the Balogun Alanamu and victims of the fire disaster. We also commiserate with the Balogun on the death of two of his people, both of which occurred last night," he said.

The inferno was said to have occured at midnight, destroying many shops and properties worth million of naira.

"It was a great loss of property and livelihood, though we thank God that no life was lost to the inferno. We were able to respond quickly. Officials of the State Fire Service were here on time to control it, though we regret what had been destroyed before they came. The State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has also come for enumeration. We will ensure that the government provides relief packages for victims to bounce back," the Governor said.

Balogun Alanamu, who conducted the Governor round the 15 shops that were razed, appreciated AbdulRazaq for his swift response to the unfortunate incident.

He commended the passion of the administration for the welfare of the people of Alanamu and its environs.

The Balogun also applauded the government for adequately providing for the operational needs of the State Fire Service, without which he said the fire could have wreaked greater damage.

"We thank Your Excellency for your prompt response to our plight. It shows that our community has capable representatives in your team," he said.

"The market is made of about 90 shops and as we all know fire travels fast. It could have gutted more than the 15 shops that were affected. We were lucky to see the officials of the State Fire Service who quickly brought it under control."

He also prayed to Allah to grant the Governor a successful tenure and a successful re-election bid next year.

1. Nigeria’s poverty rate grows at 6% per minute
“We now live in a country where we have the highest number of poor people in any nations, 87 million, and growing 6 per cent every minute,” he said.

Fact - The claim is false. If we follow the premise of Nigeria’s poverty rate growing by 6 per cent every minute, it means by the fourteenth minute, the entire population (assuming even that it grows to 205.8 million) will be extremely poor.

2. Nigeria dropped on HDI from 152 to 157 …
He said: “Our HDI has dropped from 152 to 157, our global competitive index has dropped from 124 to 127. In terrorism, we have moved from seven to number three behind Iran and Afghanistan

Fact - According to World Economic Forum’s 2015-16 Global Competitiveness Report, Nigeria ranked 124 out of 140 countries, an improvement from the 127th position of the previous year.


3. Nigeria uses over 50 per cent of revenue for debt management and owes N22.7 trillion

He said: “Today we are virtually at a level where our debt is not sustainable because we are using over 50 per cent of our revenues to service debt, which means we don’t even have enough to be able to do infrastructural projects that are highly needed in this country.”

Fact - DMO had said in January that Nigeria’s spending on debt servicing stands at 34.02 per cent of revenue — as likewise noted in its 2017 Report of the Annual National Debt Sustainability Analysis (DSA), the latest of such reports.

4. Bank loans are about 15 per cent of GDP… China is 250 per cent of GDP
“Your banks today, all the loans they have given are about 15 per cent of your GDP, when other countries are doing 50, 100 percent. China alone is doing 250 per cent on their GDP as credits to businesses, to private sector,” Obi said, while answering a question on driving investments to the economy.

Fact - The claim is exaggerated. According to data sourced from the IMF and made available on TradingEconomics, which provides more than 20 million economic indicators for 196 countries, in Nigeria, domestic credit provided by the bank sector as a per cent of the GDP for 2017 is 26.56 per cent. For China, the figure stands at 215 per cent.

5. Nigeria has only 2 million vehicles, 10 per 1000
He said: “It [subsidy] is a waste… what are you actually subsidising? Look at it. Nigeria has one of the low car ownership in the world. It is 10 per thousand. So we have only two million vehicles, and you are paying almost a trillion when we have 87 million people that are poor.”

Fact - According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigeria’s estimated vehicle population as at the second quarter of 2018 is 11,760,871, and the vehicle per population ration was put at 0.06 (as against Obi’s 0.01).

6. 40 per cent of the GDPs of China, Indonesia and Malaysia from manufacturing

“No country that is doing well… If you look at the GDP of China, 40 per cent is from manufacturing, Indonesia 40 percent, Malaysia 40 percent. Even in the western world… yours is under eight, and your factories are closing down,” he said

According to 2017 data from the World Bank, while the manufacturing sector contributes 29.3 per cent to China’s GDP, it contributes 20.12 per cent to Indonesia’s GDP and 22.3 per cent to Malaysia’s GDP — none of the figures as high as that cited by the PDP candidate.


7. Total bank loans today is N19tn and only 0.5% goes to SMEs
He said: “You can look at your loan portfolios. Today, the total loan from the banks is N19 trillion, and only … 0.5 per cent of that goes to your SMEs, where in the countries it is about 20 percent.”

It is the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Statistical Bulletin on Financial Statistics Out of this, N10.7 billion went to small-scale enterprises, which amounts to 0.1 per cent. The only periods when the percentage increased between 2014 and 2017 was in the second quarter of 2014 and the first quarter of 2017 when it was 0.2 and 1.7 per cent respectively.

8. The power generation in Indonesia is 50,000 megawatts for 250 million people…

“…If you can support the SMEs properly and be able to work on your manufacturing, which then leads to the issues of power, because what we are generating today is too low. Look at your competitors, the lowest that you can see in the MIND countries is Indonesia that is generating 50,000 for 250 million people and you are generating about 4,000 for 200 million,” Obi said.

Fact - according to data from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration, by the end of 2016, Indonesia’s “installed generation capacity was 58,541 MW, with 40,461 MW (75%) generated by state-owned National Electric Company (PLN) and the remainders, 13,254 MW and 2,434 MW are produced by independent power producers (IPPs) and private power utility (PPUs) respectively”.


9. African trade today is less than 9% … Oil gives 80% of our forex


“African trade today is less than nice percent, and ff we get it right it can go as high as 30 per cent or 40 percent. The foreign exchange you are saying today you’re now earning from oil, oil now gives you 80 per cent of your foreign exchange, when in effect if you do the right things, you can have twice than coming from manufacturing,” he said, while commenting on the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.

Fact - According to the NBS, crude oil and other petroleum products constituted up to 87.7 per cent of Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings in the first quarter of 2018.


10 - I have invested aggressively in education as governor, taking my state from being 28th to number one…
“The more you invest in education, the better your economy. So we will aggressively invest in education. I have done this even as a governor of a state, where I took a state from being number 28 to number one, because we know the value of education. I was the first to equip all our schools with ICT… Go to HP, I bought the highest [number of] computer[s] ever bought by a government in Africa: 30,000. So I know the value,” he said.

Fact - It is not clear if this last claim applied generally or was restricted to sub-national governments only. Records, however, show that countries such as Rwanda, Kenya, and South Africa have implemented much more ambitious educational computer projects before 2015.


11. NPA has an office and guesthouse in London
Obi said: “Nigerian Ports Authority, for years, looked at the expansion that is coming and everything and decided not to invest. Instead, we are using money wrongly. Nigerian Ports Authority is the only ports in the world that has an office, even a guesthouse, outside its country of operation. They have a guesthouse in London; and that is the problem.”

According to NPA, the agency operate an overseas liaison office” with the physical address stated as: 2nd Floor, Allenby House, 1a Temple Rd Cricklewood, London.

A surreal picture of some children learning on bare floor surfaced this week from Oke Apomu LGEA Primary School in Ilorin West. It is certainly not a good sight. A few weeks ago, an online news platform published a not-too-appealing picture of a school in Asa where children were also seen learning under the tree. Truth is that there are still dozens of such facilities across Kwara State, and this speaks to the mess that public education (indeed Kwara) was in 2019. As uncomfortable as these pictures make us feel as an administration, especially because those posting them are not giving the right background or a tieback, we are not shocked to see such pictures. Such rots pervade(d) every sector, and this administration has never hidden the fact that it will take years of consistent investments to turn things around. As an administration, we _‘own the sheets’_ and we are not dropping the ball. 
 
It is what we have repeatedly spoken about. Remember the recent picture of a basic healthcare facility in Tanke area of Ilorin. In return, and always, the PDP insists that what got them out of office in 2019 was propaganda and that things weren’t as bad as they were made to look. The irony is that the picture of Oke Apomu LGEA school was being promoted by PDP itself. Isn’t God great?
 
In 2019 when this government was inaugurated, there were dilapidated structures across at least 2,064 basic schools in Kwara: 480 at Junior Secondary School level and 1,584 in Primary Schools. That was the Kwara story. It was a fallout of the next-to-zero investments in basic schools for nearly a generation. History: between 2013 and 2019, Kwara was under an official blacklist of the federal government for diverting funds meant for improving school infrastructures, training of teachers, among others. 
 
What is the new administration doing? Between 2019 and 2022, the AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq administration has renovated, remodelled, constructed and equipped classrooms across 605 basic schools in the state. For every classroom fixed, the administration provided adequate furniture, and erected sanitation facilities in many. This is what the money accessed from UBEC is able to do, along with training of teachers and other activities captured under the work plan. There are beautiful pictures of these schools everywhere!
 
The public needs to understand that the 2,064 dilapidated schools and hospitals (including Oke Apomu LGEA school) were a legacy of the same individuals in the PDP who are now sharing pictures of schools in shambles. The new administration is only struggling to rebuild what became horribly bad under PDP’s watch. 
 
Here are the things to note: next time you see another dilapidated school or hospital structures, please know that it is the fallout of the PDP years. It is to be noted that the new administration is doing its best to fix these rots, while also investing in other critical needs of the people within available resources. What this means is that these rots will take years to go away. No magic will make them disappear. Only consistent investment will. This is the point the Governor made last December about the depth of the rots. The good news is that this administration is doing a lot in this regard. 
 
Building on the completed or ongoing structures already fixed across 605 locations, the government is currently compiling a list of school structures that require urgent attention for interventions under the 2020/2021 UBEC-SUBEB renewal projects. Oke Apomu and many others will get a facelift. That is how to know a serious government. This is apart from other efforts of the administration to rebrand public education in the state. 
 
If the horrible pictures of dilapidated schools remind Kwarans of the PDP years, what defines the AbdulRazaq administration are the many strides it has made in steadily fixing the rots in just three years. From Ilorin, the capital city, and Ogele (Asa) in the central, to far-flung Patako (Ifelodun), Ipe (Oyun), Koro (Ekiti) communities in Kwara South, and Sabagina in (Edu), Patigi (Patigi), Damu and Yashikira (Baruten), and Kanikoko (Kaiama) in Kwara North, what you see in public schools testifies to the success of AbdulRazaq and his team.
 
• Rafiu Ajakaye is Chief Press Secretary to the Governor

The Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (KWSUBEB) has commenced the construction of 39 Digital Literacy Centers (DLC) in basic schools across the state to provide students with technological-driven insights.

The Digital Literacy Centers across the 16 LGAs will enable Kwara students to compete favorably with their counterparts across the globe using information and communication technology.

The DLC is equipped with computers and several accessories.

Governor AbdulRazaq has continued to make conscious efforts to reposition basic education in the state which began with the payment of diverted funds which brought Kwara State under the hammer of the UBEC.

police is your friend
bail is free.
police cannot collect your phone or access it contents.
road block are illegal.
We are on top of the situation.
we will bring the culprit to justice.
we are still doing our investigation.

pls add to the lines of lies by the Nigeria police force

God1000:
Why killing them? This is animal cruelty

black man know nothing about animal cruelty that why the white man will always see us as poor anything we catches go straight to out mouth no second thinking

SmartPolician:
Federal government needs to run these institutions as PPP arrangement if not these evil Nigerians will run it aground.

Had this been a state government institution, I trust Babagana Zulum to have moved in and probed the CMD.

it will probably double the cost on charges which many of the patients wont be able to afford.

So it was Tinubu that remove his eye or its Buhari that program the computer. obidoit

Brendaniel:
So these guys did not consider people with disabilities, I don't want to just blame them out-rightly but I don't want to believe this is the first person complaining about this, and from the technology available on face camera recognition, there are the types that identifies with facial structure rather than just eyes only, if they spent billions to get their equipment, it should also cover facial structure except Emilokan happened in the procurement, this should be fixed immediately....

Buhari is the problem, but I blame Tinubu for bringing the problem.

For those quoting me, the question I have for you is, if someone sells a bad phone to you who would you blame, the phone or the seller?

Tinubu sold Buhari to Nigerians twice even when he knew he was selling a bad product same way he is selling himself and Shettima now.

why will they board a ferry without life jacket when they know that's the law but when the boat capsized we blame the govt

neither APC nor PDP can try this in Anambra, that how inhumane those people are.

bbnaija has come, we wont be seeing Peter obi miscreants on this space anymore