By 
By Qudus Adelodun
Make no mistake about it. A Yaman/Makanjuola (PDP) ticket in Kwara State is a return of power to Bukola Saraki, the ‘capo di tutti capi’ of the dynasty that led the state to a deep pit in the no less than 16 years it operated. We can only continue to thank God for giving us AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq who has been redeeming the state and bringing it out of the woods ‘awon arabi’ led it to.
You see that in most of their propaganda exercise, Yaman Abdullahi whose major outings have shown to be bereft of ideas about how governance works does not receive the desired attention by the Saraki social media lieutenants. It is either they are attacking AbdulRazaq or singing blind praises of Bukola Saraki. Yaman Abdullahi hardly comes into the equation. It’s so because the PDP flagbearer does not stand on his own. He is tied to the apron strings of Saraki. So, in no mistaking terms, it is clear that again his would be a teleguided administration by no other person than Bukola Saraki the man who sees Kwara as his fiefdom.
But who is this Bukola Saraki? Bukola Saraki is the man who met Kwara State on the path of prosperity but threw that to the bin on account of greed and avarice. He had every opportunity to transform the state and build on the past gains. What Saraki chose to do however was putting the state in bondage. To this day, his negative imprints still haunt the state.
Saraki as governor got multi-billion naira loans to build some critical infrastructure in the state. There is really nothing bad about getting loan for development. But how did he make use of the loan? And what benefit has Kwara achieved from it should matter.
A large number of the projects Saraki carried out with the loan he accessed were dogged by never-seen-before corruption and scam. That’s why most of them developed sustainability issues. They did not serve Kwara as they ought to have served it. You borrowed funds to set up these projects, yet there are still debts hanging around them. Creditors come everyday knocking to ask for their monies.
One of the vaunted achievements of Saraki is the Mandate III estate. The PDP social media marketers go about enlisting it gleefully as a landmark achievement by the capo himself. But after examining it critically, it turned out a burden on Kwara rather than a blessing. This is a housing project supported by the federal government that Kwara should ordinarily have counted its blessings on, but it’s debt we are counting, courtesy of Bukola Saraki. On Mandate III, Kwara has a debt portfolio running into billions to service. That’s what his fake boys go about to celebrate as an achievement. It’s a pity!
Also look at the scandalous Shonga Farms which several billions of naira of public funds have been sunk into. What has been the gain of Kwara other than debt upon debt they left behind? It’s the reason why AMCON wanted to seize some properties belonging to Kwara the other time. Shonga Farms is a project of Bukola Saraki financed from the bond he accessed. Measured against the huge investment channeled into it, there is nothing significant Kwara has benefitted from it. This is where states like Lagos have put similar amount into some Investments and have been reaping bountifully from them over the years.
Also consider the billions of naira they voted for the Ilorin Cargo Terminal project. Ask yourself what has Kwara benefited from that failed investment. It’s part of the dummies Saraki sold to us. What they did at Aviation College and the mounting debt on it is a story for another day. The contract on the Metropolitan Square which they said is a replica of Eagle Square in Abuja was never completed. It is just recently we learnt that even the Harmony Advanced Diagnostic Centre they said they built and tout as one of their achievements had several obligations they passed onto the present administration, just as they procured machines that have reached the mid of their lifetime. Tell me one investment Bukola Saraki made that has contributed significantly to the treasury of the Kwara State Government and not the pocket of his cronies. They poured taxpayers money into Kwara Mall, but some private consultants are the ones reaping most of the benefits in that project. What sense does that make? That was how they also used the brand new Kwara Hotel late Governor Muhammad Alabi Lawal left to borrow multi-million naira. They ran that place which is a heritage of the Kwara people aground. They sold Kwara properties to themselves and cronies in the most ridiculous and ignoble fashion.
When Abdulfatai Ahmed came, he just aggravated the whole situation left by Bukola Saraki. ‘Omo jo daddy’, it was during his infamous years that UBEC fund to the tune of billions was diverted, making our schools an eyesore and our public education a peculiar mess. It was during Abdulfatai’s period that geri-gedi salaries became the order of the day in the civil service and in some cases he couldn’t pay workers at all. However, the humongous pension packages of Saraki were always to be maintained. It was Abdulfatai’s period that uncompleted projects largely characterised. It was his reign the N4 billion set aside for Harmony Holdings turned to N404 million. They are yet to account for the balance till date. ‘Omo jo daddy’ was said to have spend billions of naira on water project, yet it was tankers Kwarans used to see taking water around. Abdulfatai Ahmed awarded Geri Alimi Diamond Underpass for multi-billion naira taxpayers money, surprisingly few months after commissioning, the project had started developing fault. In less than 3 years, it’s completely nothing to write home about.
This is the unpleasant experience the Sarakites are telling us to go back to by seeking a comeback in the Yaman/Makanjuola ticket. It’s shamelessness and nothing more! Kwara must never go back to the hands of these despotic leaders. A Yaman/Makanjuola ticket will end up in Kwara being placed on Jumia for sales because the philosophy that guides the Saraki dynasty is what they are able to eat today not the future or sustainability.
May affliction never rise again in Kwara State. O to ge!
Adelodun writes from Oro, Kwara State.
Comments