Minister of National Planning, Dr. Abubakar Sulaiman, in this interview with journalists in Ilorin reeled out a long lists of achievements of the Jonathan-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara state, just as he challenged the APC government in the state to also account for about N190 billion it received  from the federation account and its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). UMAR BAYO ABDULWAHAB reports

PDP presidential rally in Kwara

The purpose of this interaction this evening, is to thank you for your support for the presidential outing of today which I want to believe is one of the best outing so far in the cause of our party’s presidential campaign since last two weeks. We would not have been able to attain that height of success without the support of the press especially we press men in Kwara state. Mr President, our party have asked me to convey their appreciation to gentlemen of the press and women for that support and further to that to implore you to continue to support the party in our aspiration to reclaim Kwara state in the next election, to implore you to continue to support the party to win the next coming presidential election for Mr. President to come back to power to complete his tenure of eight years and thirdly to further elaborate on some issues raised by Mr. President and some other members of our party in the course of the rally that took place today.

I want to put it on record that at the initial stage of the build up to the campaign, there were some issues that bothers on assault, issues that bother on public insults on Mr. President that perhaps inform our party’s reaction. But the initiative of Mr. President to enter into a kind of accord with the opposition party by way of ensuring that this coming election is peaceful, rancour-free, devoid of acrimony has doused tension that was initially started.

And I want to put it on record too that it is never done anywhere in the world where the Office of Mr. President will be subjected to humiliation and ridicule. The recent development in some parts of the country especially in the north is not something that helps our nation, it is not something that helps any government, it is not something that helps Nigerians to encourage and support. Therefore, we want to commend the people of Kwara state, both the PDP members and our opponents, our loving people of Kwara state to have allowed the rally to take place in a rancour free atmosphere, in its peaceful environment to have conducted themselves in a civilised manner is an orientation, a conduct that we feel is commendable; that is to tell you that Kwara state remains a state of harmony, a peaceful state, a state where brothers and sisters live in spite of their differences on party basis as sportsmen and women.

We have just few weeks toe election, our party, PDP, has been running out issues, programmes, manifestoes, vision and missions and in the course of our rally today, I tried to catalogue what I believe are Mr. President’s achievements in Kwara state, achievements that bother on road construction, that bother on water and irrigation, achievements that bother on rail system, educational development, achievements that bother on health system, achievements that bother on interventions and our attempt to assist the small scale entrepreneurs in the state.

These are achievements that are visible on the basis of these we are asking the people of Kwara state to vote for PDP to vote out APC in Kwara state so that Nigeria will remain a transformative country, so that our bid to achieve lasting peace in Nigeria in spite of the security challenges in the northern part of the country would be realized.

The outing today which was massive in nature was a product of collective synergy on the part of everybody in the party. PDP in Kwara today is united. Nobody would hit religion, the way Christians feel when they are hungry is the way Muslims feel. It is not a matter of religion, it is a matter of liberty, it is a matter of crave for development; it is a matter of transformation in the state.

Rancour over donations?

I wouldn’t know where that story emanated from. It is normal to receive presidential grants for the presidential rally and when the money was given up till this moment, I have never heard of any rancour, acrimony, it has not torn anybody apart and members of PDP have been using their money to move the party forward. So 80million or whatever the amount cannot be an issue. As a matter of fact, while we praise the party’s efforts for giving out that money, stakeholders at the state level added a lot of money to complement the PDP at the centre’s effort in hosting the rally. Nobody raised any uproar or fuss. The row is the imagination of our opponent.

Gbemi Saraki’s absence

I think it is high time for us to address issues, it is high time for us to shun what I believe are trivial issues. That Gbemi did not attend shouldn’t be an issue. Even though she didn’t communicate to the party to the best of my knowledge on why she didn’t attend, again as one family, we can’t stand even her absence. It is my prayer that she is okay wherever she is. But as far as I am concerned, as far as the party is concerned, she still remains a member of our great party.

FG’s projects in Kwara

We trivialize issues. Before I mention those projects undertaken by the federal government, the question I try to asked our opponent is that while they were in PDP, why didn’t they raise issues like this? Why they were in PDP and at times they were more or less de facto number two at the federal level, why didn’t they ask all these questions? Why are the questions coming now? And why they were there, we should ask questions, what were their achievements? What are their various interventions?

I am a member of Federal Executive Council (FEC) and three months ago, we approved a water project in Malete purposely for the students of Kwara State University. It is on record. It was read out after council meeting. This is a laudable project that is ongoing in Kwara state. Secondly, the railway system has been rehabilitation, from Lagos to Kano, pass through Ilorin.

There is no how you want to move from here to Kano through railway system without you enjoying that facility. When you talk of rail transportation in the country, Kwara state is one of the major beneficiaries-Ilorin/Jebba/Mokwa, it is a laudable achievement that would ease transportation of goods and services in the state. When you talk of remodelling of our airport.

Re-modeling of Ilorin International Airport and expansion of cargo terminal

I raised questions on the various contracts being awarded under UBEC in Ilorin here. I asked them questions; I even asked them to take me to court if actually what I am saying is wrong.

Corruption that is here in Kwara government is what Mr. President has been able to wipe out at the level of fertilizer issuance in this country.

These are visible things. I raised these issues recently and up till now nobody has challenged me. The corruption that is going on in this state needs to be addressed. So when you talk of corruption, I think their flag bearer is talking about wiping away corruption or jail people in Nigeria that are corrupt, I think he would start from APC members most of whom are from Kwara State.

Then the major achievement which Mr. President read out is the fact that N2bn is lying down for Kwara Enterprises, for them to access. This fund was made available just two weeks ago to assist the small scale industrialists in this state. The small scale industrialists can access this fund through CBN. Arrangement is on for CBN to devise a mechanism for a kind of security that would give the potential beneficiaries backing so that it would not be another attempt for people to just make money without returning the money back. So the N2bn is there for the small scale industrialists to access we are determined to encourage our middle men that are into businesses because it is only through small scale enterprises that an economy can grow easily. We are appealing to them to come forward to access this N2bn.

So the N2bn is there for Kwara small scale entrepreneurs to access to support their businesses for the economy of Kwara State to grow. What I am telling you now is ongoing. You can assist us to disseminate this information to the rural people, farmers, middlemen, artisans and workers that perhaps want to major into some businesses for our economy to grow.

And by the time we do this, it is an attempt again to diversify our economy rather than relying on oil as the only mainstay of our economy, let’s see how we can re-energize the private sector, the small scale industrialists, the small scale entrepreneurs so that we can propel our economy and the economy of the country would be self-sustaining.

Now, go to Kwara State College of Education, Ilorin, Kwara State University, College of Education, Oro, ask them whether they have not received their TETFUND intervention funds that run into millions to assist in alleviating the suffering of our students there. Every year government makes available this money, not N100million, N200million, sometime up to 300million and N400million. The state government is doing less when it comes to such intervention.

Federal Government in spite of difference in party is still meeting her obligations in assisting most of these institutions in Kwara state. In spite of the fact that they still believe government is not doing anything. Under UBEC, we give intervention funds to primary schools, to secondary schools. Again, I ask you how this money is being utilized by state government is a question you need to put to them. You know better what is happening and I just believe you will have gut to ask them.

I am saying it, I am repeating and I am saying that I should be quoted anywhere, corruption is pervasive, corruption is everywhere in Kwara state. And if corruption is now being allowed to permeate, funds that are meant to develop our younger generation, it is too bad for such a state government, that issues need to be addressed.

Also there are so many Almajiri schools in about six locations in Kwara State. You might not know because most of these schools are being constructed under Arabic and Islamic studies. So these and some others are what the Federal Government is doing in Kwara State.

And I made one statement which is very remarkable, in the ranking of universities in the country, University of Ilorin is number one. Kwara State government is not the one behind University of Iloribn, if the Federal Government had not been doing what it should do as a founder of that university, as a regulator of that university, Ilorin university would not be where it is. we should commend Federal Government for that.

These are the series of projects undertaken by Federal Government in Kwara State; some are completed, some are ongoing which I believe is enough for any serious government to point to. And at personal level, I keep on saying this, this is something you can verify too that within two months of my stewardship as a Minister, I have helped so many Kwarans in gaining employment at the federal level. These people were there before me, what did they do? Ask them questions. They were Minister for three years, what did they do? A lot of our people, our younger ones are now in road safety camps courtesy the Minister, courtesy the party and we don’t even say, “You are PDP or APC”. So the question is when they were there, what were they doing?

We are saying that given better opportunity, given second chance, we shall do more. If we could do that, we can do better. It is not a matter of rhetoric. These are verifiable programmes and projects.

Challenge to APC government

I have been asking questions on one concrete project under this government in Kwara state. N139bn between 2011 till date was made from federation account. Ask questions what they have used that money for. Their IGR is close to N50bn. If you add N50bn to N139bn, it gives you almost N190bn, ask them questions.

What bothers Kwara today is not about PDP or any party, what bothers an average Kwaran is how to get Kwara liberated, how to get us out of bondage, how to ensure mass participation of government in Kwara state, we can’t for any reason betray that expectation of Kwara people.

As a result of that therefore, the party has Given better opportunity, given second chance, we shall do more. If we could do that, we shall do better. These are verifiable programmes and projects