Date: 2012-06-17

Expectedly, on May 29, 2012 the administration of Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed of Kwara state rolled out the drums to celebrate its first year anniversary. The one week programme to celebrate the successes recorded by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led government commenced with special prayers in Mosque and Church in Ilorin, the state capital.

But this celebration of achievements of Ahmed's administration has renewed hostilities between the ruling PDP and the major opposition parties in the state – the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

In fact the recent happenings in the state's political terrain was a re-enactment of the 1991 – 1993 scenario when the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC) took upon itself the task of appraising the government of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) led by the then Governor Muhammed Sha'aba Lafiagi, knocking and praising it where and when necessary.

The administration of former Governor Bukola Saraki, which ruled the state for eight years was lucky as there was absence of a virile opposition party in the state to engage it, because of what some people described as the overwhelming achievements of Saraki's administration.

During the democracy day anniversary on May 29, Governor Ahmed commissioned some projects including the judges quarters, road projects within and out side the state capital, rural electrification projects and a court complex at Ilemona, Oyun local government area of the state.

The governor, also as parts of activities marking his one year in office, distributed employment letters to 1,000 youths drawn from the state bridge empowerment scheme (KWABES) and launched a new logo for the state.

Ahmed who performed the above two functions at the ultra modern metropolitan square, Ilorin, said the launching of the new logo for the state, signaled the birth of a new Kwara, while employment opportunity offered the 1,000 youths confirmed the commitment of his administration to tackling the problem of youths unemployment in the state.

He capped the celebration of his achievements with the signing of a  Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), on the state's agricultural masterplan between the state government and the Cornell University, United States of America.

But while the governor and his supporters felt fulfilled about his administration's achievements in 365 days, the major opposition parties in the state felt otherwise.

The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) have passed a damning verdict on the much talked about achievements of governor AbdulFatah Ahmed in the past one year.

The CPC which fired the first salvo through a statement signed by the campaign organisation of Commodore Ayuba Buhari (rtd) was subtle in its appraisal of the Ahmed achievements, giving him knocks and kudos where necessary.

But the ACN was more vociferous in its appraisal of Ahmed's achievements in one year. The party in about five pages statement issued by its chairman, Mr. Gbenga Olawepo, engaged in an outright condemnation of governor Ahmed's administration.

In the statement titled "KWARA: One Year of Shared Hardship, Continuation of Falsehood", Olawepo said; "we have deliberately delayed our reaction to Governor Abdulfattah Ahmed's one year anniversary, which, true to our prediction before and after the election last year, has been a continuation of the culture of outright lies, propaganda, false claims, and mindless mismanagement of public fund".

Olawepo pointed out that when the governor and his handlers reeled out achievements in the agriculture, education and so on, it failed to tell the whole world how much the government of Kwara state received in the last one year through statutory allocations, value added tax (VAT), internally generated revenue (IGR), loans, excess crude etc.

He called on the government to account for over N50 billion that accrued to it in the form of statutory allocation, VAT and other grants, arguing that all objective analysis of achievements of government should be based on available resources.

On education, the ACN chairman faulted the government's claim on free education, insisting that, "parents still pay for their pupils in public schools. Such money ranges from N600 and above. The government calls this money PTA contribution, part of which is retained in the school for maintenance and part goes to the Ministry of Education for only God knows what".

He added, "while the Ekiti state government gave laptop computers to teachers and students of public secondary schools under their own free education policy, the government of Kwara state gives "10 free note books per session to senior secondary school students to ease the economic burden of educating students on their parents and guardians".

On agriculture, the ACN chairman posited that, "what we still have under this sector is a policy of alienation of the over one million Kwara indigenes and residents that have one thing or another to do with agriculture. Government in continuation of its 'foreigner-based' commercial farming have now brought into Kwara state one Vasolar Consortium of Spain for rice cultivation, processing and packaging.

He added; "perhaps the most outrageously annoying claim of this administration is that in the last one year a total of 600 kilometres of roads have been completed, while another 350.80 kilometres of rural and feeder roads have also been awarded for rehabilitation and construction by the state Government".

The fact is that in both North and South senatorial districts of Kwara State, we are yet to witness construction of any new road.

The ones being commissioned by Governor Ahmed to celebrate his one year anniversary had been completed by his predecessor who had commissioned many of them before leaving office".

In its reaction to the ACN's criticism of the state government, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP ) said it was not in any way "bothered about the distortion of facts and figure by the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). To us and to every progressive minded persons Kwara knows that AC N is synonymous to falsehood, misinformation and propaganda"

A statement signed by the PDP's publicity secretary in the state, Alh. Mas'ud Adebimpe posited that; "the last one year of PDP Administration under Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed remained remarkable and indelible in the progressive march towards taking our dear state to the next levels".