Date: 2019-06-22

On Wednesday June 19, reports and pictures from Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq's off-the-cuff visit to Yikpata NYSC Camp in Edu Kwara North dominated the social media. Deeply offended by the terrible state of infrastructure at the camp, Governor AbdulRazaq called the facilities some sort of penitentiary that is not fit for human living. He wondered what government had done over the years to make the camp a better place to live in, challenging himself to fix things as soon as possible.

Not the one to let go of every opportunity to show off, former Senate President Bukola Saraki got his constituency office to issue a statement that clearly attempted to disprove what the pictures -- not just words -- had already confirmed to be the true condition of the place. In doing that, Saraki again exhibited the traits that made Kwarans rejected him and his cronies at the last general election, raising the moral questions of whether Saraki ever learns at all!

The below are some of the offensive positions in Saraki's claim and other key things to note:

His grandstanding does not in any way disprove the claims of the governor about the state of the facilities because several pictures of the decrepit toilets, water taps, camp hostel and the clinic bore undeniable testimonies to the position of the Governor

Saraki's claim to have "released" funds for the camp hostels underlines the personalisation of governance that was the hallmark of his ignominious reign in Kwara. Please note that Saraki's claim to have attracted constituency project to Yikpata in Edu local government of Kwara North, a place far outside his constituency as a senator, exposes his annoying penchant to making bogus claims just to paint himself what he is not. Senator Shaaba Lagiagi represented Kwara North in the Senate and only he could have nominated a constituency project for the area, not the attention-seeking Saraki.

One of the pictures showed an ongoing construction of water facilities in the camp. Pictures can be very revealing. A check of the signpost beside the project revealed that the facility was being constructed by the Federal Government through the Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority. Saraki had long faced accusations for showcasing government's projects as his personal achievements. He would get his cronies across the senatorial districts to give the impression that projects done with public funds were executed with his magnanimity or personal funds. What he said about Yikpata again confirmed this empty showmanship.

Saraki's constituency office's distribution of fake pictures and claims of release of funds as evidence of ongoing works in Yikpata are a new low from the politician who is notorious for sexing up figures for selfish political optics. His grand failure at the polls and the lack of sympathy from the public should have taught Saraki some lessons. But his behaviour since the Yikpata issue shows he's another unteachable old dog who can't be taught a new trick! AbdulRazaq is clearly winning the hearts of the people with his quick fixes: verifiably rehabilitating 10 roads in less than 20 days in office, restoring water to parts of Ilorin and ongoing concrete efforts to do the same in Oyun, Ifelodun and Kwara north, the swift move to bring Radio Kwara back on air and demonstrable pro-people temperament. These were things which Sarakites failed to do in 16 years. Sarakites should be warned that attacks on AbdulRazaq would henceforth be deemed an attack on the people of Kwara and this could only worsen Saraki's battered image. People have taken notice of the smear campaign from Sarakites against the Governor. This is sure to boomerang.

In case Sarakites aren't aware, people are now saying that his posturing on Yikpata confirmed the open-secret that former Governor Abdulfatai Ahmed was just a feckless stooge of Saraki. Saraki last governed Kwara over eight years ago. If he wasn't indeed holding Kwara to ransom, why was he the one sweating when a direct shot was fired at Ahmed who was the immediate past Governor?

Beyond the lamentations of Governor AbdulRazaq about the ground zero Kwara had been plunged into, the offensive pictures from the facilities in Yikpata under the Kwara State Government are some of the shameful legacies of Saraki in Kwara. From the non-functional Government House to Radio Kwara, Herald to Yikpata and the looting of the local government councils, the legacies of Saraki speak for themselves.

Finally, Saraki is urged to go and sit down and watch the new administration gradually but steadily fix the mess he and his men left in Kwara. The water facilities he and his cronies "spent" over N6bn unsuccessfully to fix is now working within less than one month of AbdulRazaq's administration. That's the difference between a sincere and committed leader and characters who were just diverting public funds.