...Says zone treated as third class
From Ahmed ‘Lateef, Ilorin
A group, Kwara-Community Association for Grassroot Transformation (Kwara-CAGRAT) has raised an alarm over the alleged persistent marginalization of the people of Kwara North Senatorial District in the scheme of things in Kwara State.
The non-governmental organization said the zone, which forms the tripod of the state, had been alienated in its general affairs for the past two decades while the hope that the anomaly would be remedied seems dashed.
A statement signed by the State Coordinator and State Secretary of the group, Dr Mahmud Muhammad Patigi and Alhaji Abubakar Moh. Tsaragi respectively, which was made available to Journalists in Ilorin, regretted that there was deliberate conspiracy to reduce Kwara Northerners to third class citizens in the state.
The group recalled that Kwara North was responsible for 31.56% of the total votes that brought Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq into power in the last general elections but wondered why its people are being unfairly treated.
It said the appointment into public offices in the current administration so far indicated that it has been skewed in favour of Kwara Central and Kwara South with the Northern extraction not adequately represented.
Kwara-CAGRAT dismissed the appointment of Speaker of the State House of Assembly and Secretary to the State Government from Kwara North, alleging that the Governor had sinisterly made the duo his errand boys.
It also faulted what it considered a complete ostracization of the Northern zone in the management of Kwara State University, Malete, especially the recent appointment of its Vice-Chancellor from Kwara Central, describing it as injustice.
“Prior to the O To Ge Tsunami that swept away Bukola Saraki caucus off the Kwara State Government map, we thought that our alienation from Kwara State Affairs for almost two (2) decades can only be attributed to the inadequacies of past administrations alone.
“We thought the era of candidate imposition, social injustice, political marginalisation, inequity, nepotism and many other vices that made us detest the past administrations were all going to be history. Hence, the reason for us throwing our full weight behind the current administration as we believed that the sense of belonging and developmental endeavours, which we have been repeatedly denied on purpose, will automatically become things of the past.
“We thought it would be ‘Uhuru’ for our people as long as the team of this new administration are brought on board and expectedly navigate a better course for all Kwarans without any more forms of discriminations towards us. But unfortunately, how terribly wrong we were.
“One can’t help but to wonder if Kwara North was either mistakenly drawn onto the map of Kwara State or it was deliberately put there just for being sake. Since the inauguration of the administration of the day on the 29th of May, 2019; Kwara North has patiently looked on for the past ten (10) months with very keen interest regarding how it has been continuously ghosted by Kwara State Government in its schemes of governance. We wish to clarify a bit more with few examples amongst many of how Kwara State Affairs are turned into “Ilorin Affair (Kwara Central and Kwara South).
“Can Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq give justifiable reasons that there is no deliberate conspiracy to make Kwara Northerners 3rd class citizens in Kwara State? We seriously doubt that, not with what we are witnessing today. First, it was on the Ile Arugbo saga. After a lot of brouhaha on the undeniable facts that the said land in question is a Kwara State property, a reconciliation committee was purportedly constituted by unknown person(s) which had no single representative from Kwara North in it. Thank God for the numerous alarms raised by Kwara Northerners and some God-fearing “Ilorin” people, the needless reconciliation committee became a mirage.
“Secondly, most if not all efforts against environmental pollution towards getting rid of wastes are more evident in Ilorin metropolis; a very recent activity of such is the evacuation of rubbish and fumigation of markets which none is done in any part of Kwara North up till now.
“In addition, the unexhausted list of top Government offices inequitably occupied by Kwara Central include Chairman Civil Service Commission, Chairman Judicial Service Commission, Chairman Assembly Service Commission, Rector of Kwara Polytechnic and Registrar of KWASU. While Kwara South occupies the offices of the Chairman KWIRS and DG Harmony Holdings just to mention a few. One can’t help but wonder and ask; “Where is Kwara North?” Some people who are ignorant of the what transpires behind the curtains might be like, but Kwara North has the Speaker of State House of Assembly and SSG. Yes. But what has been their positive impacts on Kwara North? Absolutely nothing because Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq has sinisterly made them his errand boys by tying their hands and tongues”, the group said.
