A consultative forum organised by the Kwara State House of Assembly has expressed delight over "the steadfastness and commitment of the nation's Senate President Dr Bukola Saraki, in ensuring that the State witnessed accelerated socio-economic development within the last one year of his Senate Presidency."

In a statement released by Adebayo Abdullahi, a spokesman of the Assembly today, the above view was "the unanimous view of all the stakeholders that participated in the Consultative forum to appraise the performance of the eighth National and Kwara State House of Assembly in the area of budget within the last one year of their existence".

According to the statement, "most of the speakers at the forum noted with delight, that the State which was hitherto neglected by the immediate past government of Dr Goodluck Jonathan now has notable road, agricultural,power, channelization and rural roads projects across the State in this year's Federal budget.

"They expressed confidence that if the projects which include dualisation of Phase II of Ilorin- Ibadan project, rehabilitation of Ilorin - Omu- Aran – Egbe, Ilorin – Jebba highway, Kabba - Isanlu - Egbe road, Afon- Aboto – Oyo State boundary road, Kaiama – Kishi, rehabilitation of Ohan and Moro bridges were executed this fiscal year, the State according to them would witness an unprecedented Socio-economic transformation."

Several stakeholders including members of academia, royal fathers, and media head shad their favourable contribution towards success of the forum.

The statement said that Chairman of Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) University of Ilorin branch Abdul Raheem Usman, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Ibrahim Alaase, the Chairperson of Christian Women Association in Kwara State Bosede Adimbua all "eulogised the commitment demonstrated by the Senate President towards ensuring that Kwara State had its fair share at the federal level and called for consistent monitoring and commitment of all stakeholders towards ensuring that the projects saw the light of the day.

"They equally eulogised the State House of Assembly under the leadership of Dr Ali Ahmad for its commitment towards ensuring that the House was people oriented and for organising the forum which according to them should be institutionalised."

The statement continued thus: "In their own contributions, the Imam Imole of Ilorin Alhaji Abdul Hamid Abdullahi, the former Secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the State Reverend Cornelius Fawenu, the former Commissioner for Information in the State Alhaji Abdul Raheem Adedoyin, the Chief Missioner of NASFAT Alhaji Abdullahi Alaaya, said the platform had acquainted them with performance of their representatives at both State and National Assemblies and advocated that similar forum be organised at the Local Government level to ensure people were better informed about the performance of their representatives.

"The Nigerian Union of Journalists, (NUJ), the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) Nigerian Union of Local Government workers (NULGE) and the National Youth Council of Nigeria as well as the Student bodies in their submissions while calling on all tiers of Government to be more committed towards improving on the wellbeing of the citizenry enjoined both the State and National Assemblies to ensure regular oversight of the executive and proper monitoring of projects in this fiscal year budget to further enhance the wellbeing of the people who elected them into office.

"The State Commissioner for Information and Communication Alhaji Mahmud Ajeigbe enumerated the achievements of the State Government, and said though the State was confronted with paucity of fund assured that that the State Government would continue to be transparent in the task of improving the wellbeing of the people of the State", the statement said.

Also, Leader of the House Hassan Oyeleke and the Mogaji Nda of Ilorin Alhaji Woru Muhammed who described the Senate President as a worthy ambassador of the state, enjoined the people of the state to rally round him especially at this trying period, pointing out that the nation and indeed Kwara state would benefit greatly from his Senate Presidency.

Earlier, the Speaker of the House Ali Ahmad, while declaring the consultative forum open said Kwara State was endowed with enormous potentials in spite of its landlocked nature and stressed the need for the state to start doing things different to fast track its development.

Ahmad called on the entire people of the state irrespective of ethno-religious and political afflictions to work together in ensuring accelerated socio-economic transformation of the State.

The Speaker praised the Senate President Saraki for his untiring efforts at ensuring that the state had its fair share of Federal Government's presence in the state and assured that the state House of Assembly would pass a resolution requesting the federal Government to cash back projects slated for the state in this year's budget.

He expressed confidence that the Consultative Forum would come up with suggestions that would move the state forward saying that the legislature under his watch would continue to accommodate constructive criticism from members of the public.