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.

Saadu Gbogbo Iwe     Daud Adeshola     Segun Ogunsola     UNILORIN Alumni Association     Yoonus Lawal     Hamza Usman     CUTI     Illyasu Abdullahi     Jimba Babatunde     Frootify     Olanrewju Okanlawon Musa     Salaudeen Oyewale     Ilesha-Baruba-Gwanara     Olayinka Jelili Yusuf     Kayode Laro     Ilorin East     First Lady     Toyin Sanusi     Omotoso Musa     Patigi Regatta     Yunus Lawal     Yusuf Aiyedun     Kwara State Polytechnic     Read With Me     Christopher Ayeni     Deji Ajani     Charcoal     Mahmud Durosinlohun Atiku     Eghe Igbinehi     Oloriegbe     Lanre Issa Onilu     Old Oyo     Ayeyemi Sulaiman     Oke-Odo     Bayo Ajia     Sarakite     Oni Adebayo     Col. Taiwo     Aro Yahaya     Umar Ahmed Gunu     Abdulquawiy Olododo     Isiaka Abdulrazak     Gbenga Awoyale     Ridwan Agboola     Abdulrazaq Solihudeen     Ileloke     Ben Duntoye     Titus Ashaolu     Bolakale Saka     Okala Baba     Chief Imam Of Lafiagi     Oniyangi     Ishak Mohammed Sabi     Oloje     Oba Abdulkadir La\'aro     Road Transport Employers Association Of Nigeria     Gbemisola Oguntimehin     Suraj Tunji Oyewale     Yoruba     Muslimah Entrepreneurship Forum     Afonja     Ahmad Olanrewaju Belgore     Federal Road Maintenance Agency     Kwara Hotel     John Mayokun Dada     Oke-opin     Damilola Yusuf Adelodun     Bio Ibrahim     Abegunde Goke     Sheikh Hamzat Yusuf Ariyibi     Kayode Alabi     Afolayan     Age AbdulKareem     Lanre Jimoh     Dan Iya     Academic Staff Union Of Universities     Yinka Aluko    

Cloud Tag: What's trending

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

Musibau Akanji     Bola Magaji     Pakata Patriots     Mutawalle     Jimoh Lambe Abdulkareem     Mustapha Olanipekun     Marafan Shonga     ER-KANG Mining Nigeria Company Limited     International Vocational Centre     Jawondo     Bamidele Adegoke     Ayinde Oyepitan     Oye Tinuoye     Paul Olawoore     Kwara State Sports Commission     VADA     Standard Organization Of Nigeria     Balogin Alanamu     Centre For Peace And Strategic Studies     Abraysports FC     Ita-Ore     Kayode Laro     Amuda Bembe     Gobir     United Nigeria Congress Party     Laolu Saraki     Mansur Alfanla     Abdulbaqi Jimoh     Radio SBS     Ilesha-Gwanara     Makama     Ishaq Abdulkarim     Modibo Kawu     Issa Memunat Moyosore     Isiaka Saka Opobiyi     TESCOM 2025     Imodoye Writer’s Enclave     Basic Education Certificate Examination     Abikan     20 Billion Bond     Women Radio     Offa Metropolitan Club     Abubakar Olusola Saraki     Kunle Okeowo     General Hospital, Ilorin     Omotosho     Falokun-Oja     Onilupeju Of Ilupeju     Nurudeen Muhammed     Waheed Ibrahim     Paul Odama     Odolaye Aremu     Mufutau Olatinwo     Kwara Apc     Kehinde Boyede     Opolo Global Innovation Limited     Ilorin Likeminds Foundation     Damilola Yusuf Adelodun     Quarry Royal Valley     Unilorin     AbdulHakeem Ajibola Akanbi     Senior Staff Union Of Colleges Of Education     Habeeb Abdullahi Al-Ilory     Dunmade     Saidu Kawu     Amuda Aluko     Saheed Alakoso     Olohungbebe     Shagari     Oyedepo     Sheikh Hamzat Yusuf Ariyibi     IPSAS     Abubakar Abdulraheem     Yakubu Gobir     Federal College Of Education (Special), Afon     Countryside Emerging Leaders Fellowship     Ayeyemi Sulaiman