Date: 2016-10-05

The Convener of the Organising for Kwara Political Action Group , Mr. Yinka Ajia, has deplored what he called the lack of infrastructure and human capital development in Kwara State.

He alleged that the state government had collected over a N1tn as revenues between the administration of a former Governor of the state, Dr. Bukola Saraki, who is currently the President of the Senate; and the administration of the current governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed.

Ajia, who was represented by the organisation's State Director, Jimoh Ibrahim, spoke during its inauguration in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, on Tuesday.

He said, "Between the two administrations, Kwara has collected over N1tn and it is unbelievable that we are in this deplorable situation.

"By this time next year, Kwara State will be 50 years old. Looking back over the last 50 years, we can all agree that our development index is low and pitiable. An elite-driven, top-down, predatory politics has left our state with weak institutions that haven't helped entrepreneurship to prosper but have enhanced political opportunism. Nowhere in Nigeria is rent seeking, nepotism and crass corruption so entrenched like in our dear Kwara."

But the Kwara State government said it was untrue that it had collected over N1tn in federal allocations from Saraki's administration to that of Ahmed. A statement by Ahmed's Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Dr. Muyideen Akorede, said the group was ill-informed, and the claim driven by what he called deliberate falsehood, adding that other allegations made by the group were false.

Ajia claimed that it was not in doubt that Kwara State was among states in Nigeria suffering from acute infrastructure and other forms of decay.

He said Ahmed had conceded to this alleged poor infrastructural status when the governor acknowledged during the establishment of the Kwara Infrastructure Development Fund, that the state had an infrastructure deficit of N225bn. According to Ajia, the state actually has N450bn infrastructure deficit given the inflationary trend.

He said, "What is most troubling is that the present Kwara State Government is supposedly a continuum of Saraki's administration. Between Abdulfatah Ahmed and Saraki, how is it possible that the water reticulation projects across many parts of Kwara are still moribund?

"Our general hospitals and primary health care centres are grossly understaffed and underfunded. All levels of education in Kwara are in shambles and our workers are not getting paid regularly (especially over the last three years)."