Date: 2020-05-30

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State has scored the administration of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq low in its performance in the last one year.

The leading opposition party described the one year of AbdulRazaq in office as disappointing and a waste.

But, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Rafiu Ajakaye shot back that the administration had improved the lives of the Kwarans in the last one year that cut across the health, education, water, infrastructures, among others, adding, "Kwara, for the record, is not yet an eldorado. No such state exists. But the administration inherited and has rescued a state that once tottered on the brink of collapse - at least in the area of human capital development indices."

The PDP in a statement issued in Ilorin, signed by its State Chairman, Hon. Kola Shittu, posited that the "euphoria that greeted the coming of the present administration has waned significantly."

The statement said that, "no tangible achievement or accomplishment in any sector could be attributed to the governor since he assumed office on May 29, 2019, adding that the government had always churned out false performance indicators. "The Governor's performance has been utterly disappointing, uninspiring and a colossal waste. This explains Kwarans' growing disillusionment with this government. There is no gainsaying that the euphoria that greeted the coming of the present administration has waned significantly."

The statement added, "It's saddening and disappointing to Kwarans that after a year in office, the present administration cannot point to any tangible achievement or accomplishment it has recorded in any sector.

"The AbdulRazaq's administration cannot lay claim to the completion of a single project, initiated by it in the last 365 days, save for rehabilitation of roads, construction of culverts, interlocking and fixing of potholes here and there. "Even, the new Civil Servants Secretariat which the administration inherited from the PDP administration of Abdulfatah Ahmed at about 95 per cent completion stage is yet to be completed.

"Also, in the last 365 days, the Abdulrazaq's administration has not implemented any policy or programme that has had direct impact on the lives of Kwarans.

"The administration which prides itself as a pro-masses is yet to implement its much-talked about social intervention programmes for the suffering masses that voted it into power. It also has not initiated any programme to address the issue of youth unemployment in the state".

The statement noted that, "The PDP government of Maigida ( former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed) had at inception, launched the Kwara Bridge Empowerment Scheme (KWABES) as a platform to generate reliable data of unemployed youths in the state and engage them in productive ventures.

"About 2,000 unemployed youths in the state were engaged under the scheme within the first 100 days of the administration, and more than 1,000 of them transited to permanent positions in the state civil service.

"Also, the issue of the implementation of the new N30,000 minimum wage for workers in the state is still in abeyance. Various negotiations held on the new minimum wage between the government and the organized labour before the outbreak of COVID-19 did not yield any fruitful result, and there is no assurance that the AbdulRazaq administration will implement the new minimum wage policy, which he promised Kwara workers."

Reacting, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Ajakaye said that, "Kwara, for the record, is not yet an eldorado. No such state exists. But the administration inherited and has rescued a state that once tottered on the brink of collapse - at least in the area of human capital development indices.

"Basic healthcare was comatose. Children were no longer getting vaccination to curb deadly diseases, including polio, because the state was not fulfilling its obligation in the national campaign".

He added, "The state held the trophy in children malnutrition in the north central. Kwara had also been blacklisted from the universal basic education commission (UBEC) after funds meant for primary education were mismanaged, coming last in the UBEC ratings. The Colleges of Education (COEs) had been run aground, with their workers owed several months in salary arrears.

"The schools of nursing and midwifery had lost their accreditation. Access to potable water was majorly through rickety tankers. The state-owned broadcast stations were off the air.