OPINION: The Rejuvenated Rush Hour in Ilorin. By Aliyu Olatunji Ajanaku

Date: 2019-09-27

When schools resumed this September, it was natural for traffic to build up in the early morning because of students boarding commercial buses and cabs and parents driving their children to get to school. I felt it was always the case but it appears there is more to the rush hour than just students. It appears the new regime in the state has read the riot act on truant civil servants as well as latecomers. They don't do much in the office though but they earn their pay and so must report in the office to be counted.

The other day, in his characteristic manner, the Governor literally sneaked into the State Secretariat before 8am and it was like over 60% of the staff had not resumed for work and that included Permanent Secretaries and top civil servants. Since that day, the rules of engagement changed.

Now, down to the Local Governments - these are the people who complain of being owned salaries or not being paid on time. Now they are being paid. This month of September, the state civil servants, local governments and SUBEB teachers were all paid between 23rd and 26th of this month. This is unprecedented in recent history of Kwara. So, last Monday, a funny drama happened in my house. I was in the bathroom when my wife bade me good bye to work. I thought I didn't hear well. I can't remember when last she left home before me. I even offered to drop her at work but she said she would be late. Late kee, I wondered? That has long been a lost word in the dictionary of civil servants. So, if you want to get to work on time now and you don't want to be stuck in traffic, take off by 7am or else the gridlock that would be caused by civil servants rushing to be at their desks as a result of the new riot act read by our hardworking no nonsense Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq would just pin you down.

A friend told me that his wife who is also a teacher had to abandon her car and she now uses the O'pay app to call Okada airline to fly her to work from Eiyenkorin to Taiwo road where she works. This is what change is all about.

Over the period of 16 years of waste in Kwara, our political leaders developed what I can call "leadership fatigue". They were tired of leading but they just didn't want to let go of leadership. The only thing they felt mattered was winning elections. The last Governor hardly knew it was raining outside as he locked himself up in Government House. It never mattered who turned up for work, who was late, who wasn't, whether traffic was bad or good, whether a contractor was doing a good job or not etc. Thank God Kwarans had to say Enough is Enough - Otoge.

Let's celebrate a new Kwara, let's celebrate the "Rejuvenated Rush Hour".

 

Cloud Tag: What's trending

Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.

Bursary     AbdulGafar Tosho     Damilola Yusuf     Suleiman Abubakar     Dorcas Afeniforo     Wasiu Onidugbe     Ophthalmological Society Of Nigeria     Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq     Aliyu Sabi     Maigida Soludero Transit     Isau     Council Of The Wise     Majlis For Sadakah, Zakat And Waqf     Sa\'adu Salau     Lawal Olohungbebe     Pilgrims Board     Sunset Workers     Government High School (GHS), Adeta     Sarkin Malamai     Radio Kwara     Trade Lenda SME Fair     Akanbi-Oke     Babs Iwarere     Ridwan Agboola     Ilorin Water Reticulation     Borgu     Kisra     Gbajabiamila     Abdulwahab Olarewaju Issa     Talaka Parapo     Yusuf Ibitokun Sherifat     Balogun Fulani     Edret Sabi Abel     Abatemi Usman     Ilorin Talaka Parapo (ITP)     Ilorin Talaka Parapo     IQRA College     Madawaki Of Ilorin     Saliu Tunde Bello     Sobi Specialist Hospital     Olatunde Jare     Oke-opin     Mazars Consulting     Mohammed Haruna     Abdulrazaq Aiyelabegan     Local Government Pension Board     Sulyman Atolagbe Alege     AbdulRasaq Abdulmajeed Alaro     Kulende     Abubakar Bature Sulu-Gambari     Kwara State Government     Jimoh Lambe Abdulkareem     Segun Olawoyin     Special Agro-industrial Processing Zone     UNILORIN Alumni Association     QuickWin     Eleja     Rex Olawoye     Nigerian Supreme Council For Islamic Affairs     Danladi     Ahman Patigi     Lithium     Saka Adeyemo     Olajumoke Monsura Gafar     Abdullahi G. Mohammad     John Olajide Adedipe     Kawu Baraje     Funmilayo Zubair     Abiodun Jacob Ajiboye     Budo-Egba     Ajike People Support Centre     Jumoke F. Ajao     Ganiyu Abolarin     Park     Ishola Abdullahi     Edu     Abdulquowiyu Olododo    

Cloud Tag: What's trending

Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.

Mustapha Olanipekun     Belgore     Presidential Election     Kwara TV     Elections     Ilorin Like-Minds     Ibrahim Oniye     Ahmed Mohammed Rifun     Abdul Jimoh Mohammed     IFK     Ghali Muhammed     George Funsho Adebayo     Kayode Laro     Sam Onile     Dele Belgore     Sobi     AbdulRauf Keji     Iliasu     Elekoyangan     Maigida     Olusola Saraki     College Of Arabic And Islamic Legal Studies     Rotimi Samuel Olujide     Wahab Agbaje     BECE     Mohammed Ibrahim     Joseph Yemi Ajayi     Millennium Development Goals     IHS     Kwara State Pension Board     Tunji Ajanaku     Kassim Babamale     Tinubu     Modibo Kawu     Aasiyat Bello Oyedepo     Vishvas KOZ Tractors     Pakata     Ahmad Olayiwola Kamaldeen     United Nigeria Congress Party     Muideen Olaniyi Alalade     Ilorin Innovation Hub     James Kolo     IDPU     Abubakar Suleiman     IQRA College     Olatunde Michaels     Emmanuel Bello     Alfa Belgore     Mohammed Abduraheem     Onikijipa     Omoniyi     Baba Adini Of Kwara State     Academic Staff Union Of Universities     Olukotun Of Ikotun     Olaiya Zuberu     Adolescent Girls Initiative For Learning And Empowerment     Ilota     Tsaragi-Share     Sardauna Of Ilorin     Taofeek Ibraheem     Oba Abdulrahim     Centre For Digital Economy     Toyosi Thomas     Sheriff Olanrewaju     Dan Iya     Iqra Books     Harmony Holdings     Volunteers Of Ilorin Community And The Emirate     Yomi Ogunsola     Asiwaju Bola Tinubu     Balogun-Ojomu     Saliu Alamoyo     Islamiya Abdulraheem     Kudirat Arinola Lawal     Yusuf Arowosaye     Yekini Adio     Dan Iya Of Ilorin