1 week Ago By Bashir Adigun
We have read the ill informed statement by Wahab Oba, the attack dog of Bukola Saraki and his attempt to compare the present administration and the corrupt government in which he served before they were swept away by the peoples revolution in 2019 General elections. There is no basis to compare Bukola’s evil regime in which the people of Kwara were held in servitude for 16 years and the administration of Governor AbdulRazaq who is being praised for its people oriented programmes and projects across the nooks crannies of the State Ordinary Wahab Obas cacophony of cooked claims should ordinarily not be dignified with any response, but we owe it a duty to the public to state true facts. Indeed we salute Gov AbdulRazaqs focus on governance and his remarkable restraint in not establishing a Judicial Commission to investigate the criminal conversion of State Resources by that kleptocratic regime.
The long rope may soon shorten to a noose. Unlike Oba’s prodigal master who looted the state’s commonwealth and destroyed his family businesses , AbdulRahaman AbdulRazaq was a multi- billionaire at the age of 28 through dint of hard work , networking , corporate marketing and superlative management . At 28, Governor AbdulRahman was already a leading international Corporate Chief Executive , first Nigeria exporter and importer of crude oil , close to 4 decades ago .
He is not one of the spoon – fed post Independence babies. Rather, he is Independent minded , daring , innovative and cerebral who shed off the nobility to join his age mates in business , navigating through difficult landmines in the oil and gas business until he found fortunes and rose to the peak of his passion as a Corporate Chief Executive of excellence in the class of multi- billionaire in his late 20’s . Expanding his business empire, he diversified into real estate business.
For well over 2 decades, from late 80’s to the early 2000’s , he was at the background financing politicians in their quest for Governorship , National Assembly and other public offices not only in Kwara State but in other parts of the Country . This did not manifest prominently until 1998 when he publicly donated 5Million Naira in support of the PDP national fund raising at Baboko, in his home town of Ilorin, Kwara State . The donation, for the first time popularized and galvanized the opposition group in Ilorin Emirate politics and by implication the whole of Kwara State.
Of course, there were several other patriots of the State including Hon. Yekini Alabi , Col. Lawal , late General AbdulKareem Adisa , Dr Alimi AbdulRazaq and others bankrolling the opposition .
Admiral Lawal later emerged as the Governorship candidate of Sarakis party. Paradoxically, it was the emergence of Dr.Alimi AbdulRazaq as the Governorship candidate of the PDP in 1999, as an Ilorin man that forced the late Baba Saraki to give the Governorship ticket to late Governor Muhammed Lawal in his APP party too from Ilorin .
We should note that AbdulRahman Abdul Razaq generously supported his brother Dr Alimis candidacy . Call it the first edition of Otoge in favour of Ilorin Emirate for the Governorship ticket . Earlier, many patriots in Ilorin , under the then newly formed Ilorin Emirate Forum, with popular slogan of “Ilorin Emirate for No 1 “had infected all Ilorin indigenes home and abroad with the popular mass campaign of Ilorin Emirate for no 1 campaign; indicating the no nonsense -consensus for Ilorin to be elected as the Governor of the State.
Unfortunately, the likes of sycophantic, egocentric Wahab Oba and his paycmaster would not allow the late Muhammad Lawal to actualize state -wide development agenda for which Ilorin Emirate had longed to see one of them implement in order to level up with other States created in 1967 . Regrettably, Wahab Oba and his pay masters were preoccupied with looting the State for 16 years rather than having any development plan or agenda to transform the State. At a time there was no COVID-19, a time no economic recession ; a time States were given bail out in billions in succession and one golden time that Nigerian currency had better value with no inflation, the Saraki-led Government wasted the State resources and further plunged the State into avoidable multi-billion naira loans for their personal aggrandizement rather than investing in education, health, agriculture, infrastructures, social investment and rural transformation.
They destroyed the foundation laid by the founding fathers of the State and brought Kwara State disgracefully to the precipice of collapse. Wahab Oba and his master must stop deceiving themselves that rather than their stereotyped propaganda which have no appeal any more to the people of Kwara State , no civil servant at State and LG levels , no teachers and their families , no market men and women , youths and indeed no body in Kwara State can forget the traumatic experience they were subjected to under the Bukola ‘s self-centered leadership in Kwara State for 16 years. AndulRahaman AbdulRazaq’s golden era: * Since 2019 , the people of Kwara State in their entirety are witnesses to Governor AbdulRahaman AbdulRazaq’s uncommon leadership vision , agenda and track record which have not only rescued the State but also renewed their collective aspiration and hope for transformation of Kwara State and irreversible development plan to join the like of Lagos as a digital economy with unlimited opportunities for growth , wealth creation and a destination for investors from all around the World .
* Today , civil servants in Kwara State raise their shoulders high with their counterparts in the best governed States in Nigeria with no record of being owed by AbdulRazaq’s Administration. * Same with those in the local government . In fact , teachers at all levels in Kwara State and workers generally never had it so good with prompt payment of salaries , pension , gratuity and their regular promotions and training fully cash backed as at when due .
* AbdulRahaman AbdulRazaq restored the lost glory of education, investing close to 30 billions on education, unlike the Bukola era when UBEC blacklisted the State for mismanaging funds for the Sector and failure to invest in it for over a decade. * Today, over 600 schools have been newly constructed or rehabilitated . * Over 5000 quality teachers have been recruited on merit with many of them as first class graduates.
* Special awards which include cars were given to civil servants in the state. * All teachers in the State have been retrained on ICT and a new digital platform KWARALEARN introduced for quality assurance in all Schoos in the State. * Evidently, Kwara State students , particularly from public schoos have won laurels at national and international school’s competition making Kwarans all over the World proud of AbdulRahaman’s priority to education as the best investment.
* In continued demonstration of AbdulRahaman AbdulRazaq’s prioritization of education in the State, a new State University of Education has just been approved by the National University Commission with first female Professor of Mathmatics from Ilorin , Professor Medina Salman appointed as the pioneer Vice Chancellor. * Not less than same scorecard has been achieved by AbdulRahaman’s Administration in the health sector with functional primary health care centers established in each of the 193 wards . * Same for successful enrollment of thousands of new enrollees on Health Insurance Scheme in all the local government areas of the State.
* The State General hospital has also been upgraded to a Teaching hospital with the best of latest medical equipment and , an uncology Centre rated the best in the North Central. * Abdul Rahaman AbdulRazaq has turned every local government and indeed Ward to construction sites with road infrastructures prioritized in a manner never witnessed in the history of the State. * The icing on the cake is the State Capital’s mind blowing transformation which was attested to ,both by all residents and visitors to the State.
* Kwara State remains the first State in Nigeria to have established Kwara State Social Investment Programme ( KWASIP ) backed by law. * The Programme prioritizes billions of naira support for young enterprenures , traders , old women all in aggressive drive to reduce youth unemployment , support growth of the local economy and tame multi-dimensional poverty created by the 16 years of PDP leadership in the State . * Each of the 16 local government areas in the State was given 2 tractors by AbdulRahaman’s Administration .
* Over 10,000 farmers were given needed inputs to boost food production in mechanized farming . * 600 000 households farmers received same inputs all focusing rice production , cassava , maise , sorghum and high yielding food stuff. * These are just few of AbdulRahaman AbdulRazaq’s proud track records which successfully rescued the State from the precipiece of collapse arising from the colossal failure of 16 years of displaced Bukola’s era in the State.
Kwara transformation: Having successfully rescued the State from threat of collapse , AbdulRahaman AbdulRazaq is investing hundreds of billions in transformational projects spread all over the State in order to open the State up as investors’ destination in Nigeria. The transformational projects are: * Road infrastructures in thousands of kilometers across the 3 senatorial districts . * Eyenkorin Industrial park with plan for over 5000 megawatt of electricity, Kiama Shea butter factory in Kwara North .
* Innovation hub ; a multi – billion naira digital investment to unlock unlimited job opportunities for unemployed youths in the State. * Visual Arts Studio – It is the first of its kind in Nigeria to provide opportunity to the famous Nollywood with capacity to attract global stars in West Africa to Ilorin the State Capital ; bringing the value chains in the industry to the State . * Kwara Hotel – This is a legacy project of the founding fathers of the State.
* At completion in months ahead ,it will be the first 5 star hotel in the State ad first of its kind outside the Federal capital in North Central with unlimited potentials to attract investors to the State and boost its economy to the benefits of the unemployed youths and traders in general. * International Conference Centre – It is a Mult-billion Naira project that has a symbiotic value to the Kwara Hotel being reconstructed into Five Star Hotel, providing conducive environment for foreign investors, multinationals , conglomerates and international professional bodies to hold their conferences. Urban renewal project: This is part of a 10 year develooment plan (2021 to 2030) covering global agenda under the Sustainable development goals SDGs.
It is the 2nd of such Development plan since that of the first Military Administrator of the State in 1973 . It is intended to situate the State Capital suitable for the taste of modernity including digital natives incorporating a smart City . AbdulRahaman AbdulRazaq ‘s policies on youths inclusiness , gender parity , urban renewal , ease of doing business , poverty eradication , transparency , due process , Justice , fairness and equity in all the public appointments put Kwara State among the best 3 governed States in Nigeria .
Today , female cabinet members even outnumber the male appointees. Out of the 16 local government vice chairmen , 15 are females in practical demonstration of the Governor’s commitment to gender balance . Newly transformed Kwara under Governor AbdulRahaman AbdulRazaq is no longer that of Bukola’s era where armed robbers were weaponized by the State as testified to in the Offa armed robbery court proceedings and judgement.
Rather, new Kwara under Governor AbdulRhaman AbdulRazaq is one where bonafide citizens of the State , male or female get elected , appointed into public offices , recruited into civil service , admitted into institutions , empowered and supported as enterprenures and get their dues and aspirations realized on merit without need for a god father. It is therefore futile and of no effect what so ever for Bukola Saraki attack dog , Wahab Oba to continue to deceive himself turning out stereotyped fake news as people of Kwara State are far better mainstreamed, informed and fully in picture of unprecedented achievements of Governor AbdukRahaman AbdulRazaq as a cherished global leadership brand who , close to 40 years ago; a time Wahab Oba and his paid masters were still more or less toddlers under the apron string of their parents, AbdulRahaman Abdulrazaq was already being celebrated as a shining star and example in corporate leadership. * Adigun is Special Adviser (Media) to Kwara State governor.
.
