By Admin
Our attention has been drawn to a purported response from a faceless group called Kwara Intelligentsia Initiative (KII) to the press statement released by our party the Young Progressives Party – YPP on 15th December, 2020 during the launch of our 2023 Ballot Revolution in Ilorin Kwara State.
Ordinarily, we would have ignored the faceless group and not dignify them with our response, but there is the need to educate this misguided group of individuals running errands for their slave masters, and also to expose more facts to the general public they intend to misinform.
It is unfortunate that this group of sycophants exposed their personal beef and envy of our Chairman who is one of the brightest young minds in Kwara politics, Mr. Charles Olufemi Folayan. The position of our party on issues cannot be attributed to an individual but to our party, and we stand by it.
YPP is a political party registered and certified by the Independent National Electoral Commision INEC, just like every other registered political party in Nigeria, thus, we would rather have expected a response from the ruling party the APC or the State Government on the issues of policies and governance that were raised, and not a response from a group of unidentifiable individuals.
YPP is not dominated by old people. Our party is dominated by ideas. “There is nothing like an idea whose time has come.” We are not just young, but resourceful young people both at the National and State level. The party has the youngest National Chairman of any political party in Nigeria and the youngest political party chairman in Kwara State. The interim management committee of the party in Kwara State also has more than 80% of its members within the stipulated youth age range in line with the African Youth Charter.
Leadership Newspapers adoption of Governor Abdulraman Abdulrazaq as Governor of the Year 2020 is a joke. Can we compare Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq’s performance in Kwara State to Governor Zulum of Borno, Nyesom Wike of Rivers, Jide Sanwo Olu of Lagos, Dapo Abiodun of Ogun or Dave Umahi of Ebonyi. Some Newspaper or magazine awards are a dime a dozen, and can be procured by anyone. After all, Businessday also declared Governor Oyetola of Osun State as Governor of the Year. Which newspaper do we believe? In fact, the achievements of the YPP Senator Ifeanyi Ubah in Anambra South senatorial district is more visible than that of the “Sakamanje” going on in Kwara State.
How does the appointment of a Youth Corp member as Commissioner for Youth and Sports in Kwara State amount to an achievement on youth development? Such an appointment is insulting to Kwara Youth and has rubbished the value of that position. Or is it that the Governor is trying to showcase Joanna Kolo as the best of Kwara youth? A SUBEB teacher that can barely communicate in English was appointed as Commissioner for Education. Anyway, that may not be surprising for a governor who presented a WAEC certificate as his most prized educational qualification. What impact have the other powerless young commissioners had? Their appointment only confirms our assertion that the government does not give opportunities to the right calibre of youth. This is a strategy deliberately deployed to run an autocratic kleptocracy. The “blue eyed boy” in this Government is the Honourable Speaker – Danladi. He has a bright future, if he can only focus on doing the right thing, be his own man, and stop being the Governor’s hatchet man in the parliament.
Governor Abdulrazaq’s youth development plans have no head or tail. Let us make it clear that serious youth development must commence from education. It is obvious that the Abdulrasaq administration has nothing to offer on education. We have mentioned the selection of an incompetent Commissioner for Education. The infrastructure decay in primary, secondary schools and Kwara State owned polytechnics and colleges of education, and the scandalous award of school renovation contracts to the Governor’s family, nightclubbing friends from Lagos, and AA political loyalists at bogus amounts without tangible work done is another.
Organising cosmetic conferences and budgeting for monthly stipends to youth in the name of youth development is now outdated, Kwara youth deserve better. They deserve the kind of empowerment the Governor is doing for his own children abroad.
We are amazed that the group that wrote the article can defend a self indicted government, where a sitting commissioner blew whistle and exposed the ongoing massive corruption surrounding local government funds. No one would expect a logical person to take serious a government who constituted panels to preside over their own cases. That is all “Sakamanje.” “You can fool some of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time.” The anticipated conduct of local government elections in Kwara State as soon as possible is a must, and is non negotiable. That is the beginning of the local government autonomy we demanded for in line with the constitution of the country.
The comedy called Owo Arugbo or Owo Ishowo in the guise of taking care of our senior citizens is still under investigations by our party and our findings would be made public soon.
We want to make it clear, that our party – the Young Progressives Party is committed to rescuing Kwara State from the current opportunists who maneuver their ways to positions they are not qualified for academically or in terms of mental capacity and integrity. That is unless criminal intelligence is the qualification for success in politics and governance.
It should be noted that Nigerian youth will no longer settle for mediocrity, and kleptocracy. We have decided to take charge of the leadership transition from the old set of politicians to a new set of nation builders in politics.
The Young Progressives Party is a service oriented party that prioritizes merit and not mediocrity. It is a party that has a good reward system for all citizens. It is a party that will strive to unite and not divide. It is a party that will allow for local government autonomy. It is a party that will allow every young man and woman to participate meaningfully in politics and governance. It is a party that will address the issues of poverty and grassroots development. It is a party that is open to all people of integrity with the spirit of service.
We would never be deterred nor distracted by both the old and the young agents of the current political opportunists. We will take over by igniting a legal and peaceful ballot revolution that will consume all the current opportunist in power. And we will do it better. So, help us God!
Abdulrazak Sulaiman Oyan
Publicity Secretary
Young Progressives Party
Kwara State.
