In Kwara, AbdulRazaq Comes With A Sea Of Change By Niniola Adeoti

In Kwara, AbdulRazaq comes with a sea of change

By Niniola Adeoti

By now, it has been written loud and clear that Kwara is in safe hands. It is not the same Kwara we grew up to know in the paws of born looters, who were christened ‘Akotileta and Kanakana’. It is now every day for at least a good news about the progress of the state of affairs of its citizens. Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq is tirelessly rewriting the ruins the state has incurred over time.

Happenings in the state always complement the good promises made during election period. “I will rebuild Kwara. I will revamp the state economy. I will build roads. Our education system needs overhauling. Our health care system needs reform. Workers’ welfare will be our priority. Local Government will have autonomy during my time.” These and many more are promises made by AbdulRazaq before coming to power, and he sticks to them.

Just a year in the driver’s seat, Kwara has felt the sea of change. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s promises have started manifesting into realities; one that well-meaning Kwarans can’t deny. Safe to say oppositions are still grumbling, spreading falsehood about the person of a working Governor, even when roads are now without potholes, massive construction and rehabilitation of schools, towns and villages in Kwara are now having access to potable water and electricity, workers’ welfare, social investment program, and Local Government autonomy among others are now visible in today’s Kwara.

Also, there is a vocal minority within the ruling party, still nursing the injury of the disgraceful defeat suffered by their paymasters at the polls. They have laboured in vain to pull the Governor down, but his intentions for Kwara and his good works continue to prove them wrong. Their once-upon-a-time dead mediums have now suddenly found lives, churning out fake news and distorted narratives, bandied as investigative stories.

For them, the Governor never wins. Head or tail. Since it’s not their paymaster piloting the state’s affairs, it shouldn’t be any other person. Since they are not given political patronage, they think blackmailing the government of the day would be an alternative. We wish them endless wailing till Governor AbdulRazaq completes his tenure and bequeath a new Kwara to his successor.

It’s even assuring that people are now treating them with the scorn they deserve. The negative comments that always storm their social media handles are a testament. Let’s leave these faultfinders who never report anything great about Kwara except bad, bad news. Outsiders are even applauding the Governor’s performance in the state. The validations of bitter-enders may thus not be useful.

The story has not been bad at all in Kwara. As a staunch believer of this administration, it was a joy when I read the news on local government, how this government leave them to run on their own without meddling in their affairs, and how the N30M set aside by the yesterday’s people to offset backlog of gratuities has now been raised to N100M by Governor AbdulRazaq. Na bread and beans? If not a for a committed governor that’s in for service. Selfless service. I hope you remember he hasn’t been taking salaries.

I think Kwarans should come to term and let’s ponder over this together. When there were oil boom and huge state and LG allocations, yesterday’s people set aside a paltry N30M to defray gratuities. That’s why they left an outrageous N21Bn as unpaid salaries and pensions from 2009 to 2019. Outrageous, you agreed? Very bad, you muttered. That was how bad it was during their time. Their sole purpose is to milk Kwara and Kwarans, and they did that perfectly. Thanks to God for giving us the game-changer, a benevolent person and a committed man in AbdulRahman, who is now rewriting the story.

Under him, the funds used to settle local governments gratuities have been increased to N100M monthly, even without oil boom and amid the economic implications of coronavirus. Without interfering in local governments affairs. He is up to his promise that under him, local governments will strive on their own. His belief in independent of local governments cannot be overwritten couple with all his efforts in making our local governments work better.

“We approached the (new) state government to jerk up money being released for the payment of gratuities and (that) was expressly granted. Now, on a monthly basis, we are receiving N100m to settle gratuities. But because of COVID-19 pandemic, we got N60m in June. In July, this has been raised to N100m again,” he told the panel, saying the board was unaware of any deduction of their money.” This was Smaila Oyewole while facing the Adewara-led panel on the 24th of August 2020. A testimony. A relief. A sigh of hope as revelations upon revelations keep showing AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as the right man for Kwara. No doubt, the man is building a Kwara that would work for all and sundry.

It is left to bitter-enders to come to term and stop spreading falsehoods and have a strong realisation that AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq is here to succeed. Elections are not WhatsApp affairs. A person has 5 to 10 Facebook accounts just to demarket the administration. Their accomplices are also there in the new media, bragging of being investigative journalists. The disappointment, however, is that those who will determine the fate of the state on election periods are the average men whose roads are now being constructed in Baruten. Those who now have access to water in closet Kwara South. Civil servants who receive salaries before 30th and have been approved for promotion exercise.

Ondun yungba l’eto… AbdulRazaq nse mewa ni Kwara!