Politics
GOVERNANCE ASSESSMENT: KWADEF CALLS FOR VIGILANCE, PROTECTS THE TREASURY.
GOVERNANCE ASSESSMENT: KWADEF CALLS FOR VIGILANCE, PROTECTS THE TREASURY.
SaharaWeeklyNG Reports That The Kwara Development Foundation, KWADEF has called for an unwavering vigilance from all stakeholders in Kwara State to sustain the gains of the recent political struggle that gave birth to the current dispensation in the State.
The group also urged the State governor, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq to “protect the treasury and the commonwealth of Kwara from vultures within and outside the state.”
Rising from its monthly meeting last weekend, where it assessed “Democracy and Governance” in Kwara in the last two years, Kwadef in a statement signed by its President, Dr. Kolawole Afolabi, and Publicity Secretary, Oluwasegun Abifarin, explained that the emergence of Governor Abdulrazaq as a result of the “Oto ge” revolution brought an end to the monopoly of certain forces that have held the State down for years.
According to the group, “to the glory God, the last two years have seen a change of power equation from one man to the people,” adding that “we cannot shy away from Governor Abdulrazaq’s strides in human capital development, agricultural revitalization, and Infrastructural renewal/development which have gone beyond the state capital.”
The statement added further that “KWADEF was proud that the governor has focused on investments in basic education, primary healthcare, gender inclusion, youth’s engagement, citizen engagements, and efforts designed to open up the government for public scrutiny and accountability in manners consistent with the political barometer of the state.”
According to KWADEF, “governance in Kwara has never been this sweet because every segment of the society is feeling it. Before May 2019, the water tanker was the source of potable water in most parts of the State capital, even in the Government House. Today, Pipe-borne water is back and stable in the Ilorin metropolis while nearly 500 boreholes have either been dug or rehabilitated across the state.
“Workers are also collecting their salary. A lot of roads have been rehabilitated, healthcare facilities are being upgraded and a backlog of debts are being repaid. As of today, Kwara is off the UBEC blacklist. It has accessed a backlog of N7.1bn UBEC counterpart funds with a matching grant of N7.1bn to gradually reposition the schools.”
The group however urged the governor to address the lingering frosty relationship between him and his party, the APC, which has become an ”own goal in the net of the administration and the party”.
“The governor needs to bring all the people together. A lot of people are disappointed and depressed by this turn of events. Though we need to separate people’s participation from governance, the governor has not included a lot of people, which is not too good,” it said.
As part of the integration/inclusion process, the group urged the governor to also to cry for freedom of the people from Moro Local Government, especially the aspect that has to do with the restoration of the grading of their traditional rulers, the formation of their separate Traditional Council as obtained in the remaining 12 Local Government Councils in Kwara State.
According to KWADEF, the grading of Oba’s stool is gradually becoming an open sour of the state, particularly from communities who feel they have not been treated fairly in the exercise.”
On the looting of the state, KWADEF averred that the best way to implement the recent white paper on Senator Ajadi’s panel is to summon a non-political force, like the court of law, to prosecute those found guilty of looting the commonwealth of the state.
“We at KWADEF say Never Again should this kind of looting and malfeasance happen in the state. Governor Abdulrazaq should go to court. He can do it. He should do it,” the group said.
ABOUT KWADEF
The Kwara Development Foundation, KWADEF is a non-partisan group of committed patriots and our intervention shall be non-partisan. Our focus is on Kwara and Kwarans in the collective struggle to chart a new path to prosperity and happiness.
Our focus is also to intervene and give direction to the people of Kwara state as we collectively march towards the much-desired Promised Land where the long-lost, milk and honey will be found in an atmosphere of shared prosperity for all our people.
Breaking: Speaker Obasa Debunks Allegation Of Spending N17b On Assembly Gate
The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, on Thursday described the allegation that the House spent N17 billion on the fixing of a gate as spurious and funny.
A self-proclaimed group, Lagos State Anti-Corruption Coalition, had accused the Assembly of spending the amount to construct a gate. The group also sought investigation of the claim.
Speaking at plenary, Dr. Obasa said the allegation stemmed from the fear of some people over 2027 which is still more than two years away.
Obasa further debunked the claim that the House spent N200 million on its recently organised 22nd thanksgiving service for staff.
“It is so funny. How much is the allocation of the Assembly in the whole year that we will decide to spend N17 billion on a gate? They even claimed that we expended 200 million on thanksgiving that did not hold.
“We are aware that at a period like this when we are approaching elections in 2027, we should expect such things. I think some people are scared and I don’t know why.
“This House did not and has not embarked on any such project. We are not that reckless. We had our thanksgiving last Friday and dignitaries from various parts of the State attended it,” the Speaker said.
Addressing further claims by the group about the alleged relationship between him and the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, the Speaker denied attending the latter’s screening and confirmation by the National Assembly.
“They said that I was at the National Assembly when they were confirming the EFCC chairman. I want to believe that there are CCTV cameras at the National Assembly to identify those who attended the event. The press must have written about it too. So the group should do more to confirm if I was there.
“This is just to deny the allegations in the interest of the public and not the writers because the writers are not those we should be joining words with,” the Speaker said.
Earlier, the House, through its spokesperson, Hon. Stephen Ogundipe, had addressed the allegations noting that the Assembly bases its activities on integrity, transparency and accountability.
“It is ludicrous the claim about constituency intervention funds and constituency project funds and their handling by Speaker Mudashiru Obasa and Clerk of the House, Barr. Olalekan Onafeko as claimed by the group.
“One would have expected a self-acclaimed anti-corruption crusading group to do its groundwork before jumping across the fence with conviction that it hit a jackpot to malign an institution of repute in the name of politics.
“Simply put, the Lagos State House of Assembly does not have any such funds. The Assembly does not embark on constituency projects. Instead, once every year, the House holds stakeholders’ meetings simultaneously across the state where constituents have the opportunity to tell the lawmakers their expectations and make requests for the betterment of the state.
“These requests and expectations are compiled and sent to the executive arm of government for consideration as inputs in subsequent budgets. If this is what the group takes as constituency intervention or project funds, we are sure this explanation has given the required education, moreover, it is common knowledge that it is the responsibility of the Executive arm to execute such projects,” the earlier statement by Ogundipe read.
Eromosele Ebhomele
Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.
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