One of the problems retarding the much - desired infrastructural development of most states in the country is the unnecessary abandonment of projects initiated by the previous administration by the incumbent governments. Cases of abandoned projects abound in all parts of Nigeria.

The major reason responsible for this unfortunate situation is the failure of the politicians to consider the electorate first in the scheme of things.

When there is a change of baton, especially at the state level, the ruling party in such a state, in an attempt to discredit or render the achievements of the immediate past government insignificant will abandon the projects it inherited from it.

In doing that , the incumbent government will not even consider the importance of such abandoned projects to the well being of the people who elected them into office.

But the above scenario is no longer applicable to Kwara State, where the incumbent Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)- led government has made "continuity" as the bastion of development.

Though, not many Kwarans gave him any chance of survival, when on May, 29, 2011 he announced his resolve to concentrate on the completion of the projects inherited from his predecessor, Dr. Bukola Saraki, the 'continuity' arrangement has paid off for the state.

Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed's administration has not only completed most of the projects it inherited, it has also embarked on new ones.

During a recent media chat with newsmen in Ilorin, the state capital, Governor Ahmed advanced reasons why his administration promoted the concept of continuity in governance and projects execution.

"We looked at it from the angle that we have just come out of an administration that had driven governance under clearly spelt out policies. It would only make sense for people to begin to see benefits of some of the programmes that were carried on from last administration to this administration.

"We needed to ensure that there is benefit to the people in terms of completion of projects to fruition level. Hence, the first thing we did was to take on projects that were on-going. We wanted to be sure that these legacies that were promoted in the last administration were taken to finishing levels.

"A typical one was the Aviation College. The structures had just been completed when we came in. We needed to ensure that every other area that was needed to make it a functional school was taken care of and we diligently pursued that by injecting money. I am happy to tell you that our students are already flying. It is one of the very few aviation training institutions in Africa today. Insha Allah, we will soon expand it to the level where we will begin to feel the economic impact directly in the state.

"We also have the International Diagnostic Centre. We met it at the level when it was almost completed and we had to take it to the level where people will begin to benefit from it. I am happy to let you know that we have since completed that programme.

Governor Ahmed said his administration had commissioned many road projects in both rural and urban areas of the state since his assumption of office.

"The Ahmadu Bello Way, Murtala Muhammed Way; we have other roads across the three senatorial districts which were started by the previous administration but were completed by us. This is part of what we call 'Shared Prosperity'. This has also impacted in the area of education. We've added a lot more classrooms, both at the basic levels and at the Senior Secondary School levels.

We've since started the Ajase-Ipo International Vocational Centre which will be an International institution that will train our youths to be entrepreneurs and become people that are employable and can generate employment themselves. These are all part of what we are carrying out under Shared Prosperity driven by continuity.

"Of course, you can see the CDC laying the pipe for water here. In addition, there are 14 water works currently being rehabilitated. We have sunk over 220 boreholes. We've made electricity available to over 179 communities. These are all benefits of Shared Prosperity; all driven under policies that are fit into the medium term sector strategy. We have spent over N2.7 billion on rural roads. Not up to 10 per cent located in Ilorin metropolis. All these roads are located in the three senatorial districts, largely in the villages and other communities. The essence of it is for our people at these levels to begin to feel the impact of government.

"When we renovated schools where we renovated up to like 400 schools not up to 10 per cent are within the metropolis. They are scattered across the three senatorial districts. We are renovating five General Hospitals, only one is located in Ilorin. We have two in Kwara South and one in Kwara North (senatorial districts). If you keep going you will see that a lot more activities are spreading to other parts of the state.

What people are seeing as concentration of development projects in Ilorin, the state capital is completion of on-going projects. We have not started anything new in Ilorin but we are seeing the projects we met to completion. It does not make sense that I abandon Ahmadu Bello Way and go and start another road somewhere.

It doesn't make sense that I abandon the Murtala Mohammed Way and start another road somewhere. Monies have been spent on these roads. Our people should enjoy the benefits of the roads when they are seen to completion. That is why everything you see us doing in the metropolis today is largely completion.

"Look at the water project, it is a continuation. We need to see it to completion. Whatever has been spent there will give us the desired level when we complete and people will begin to benefit. That is the essence of continuity. Don't forget that we have worked under a structured methodological designed Medium Term Sector Strategy frame work which ensured that we are not only carrying work to completion but generating new projects driven by the same policy.

If this policy is continued for 3, 4, 5 generations of governors you will begin to see real development and growth in Kwara state and people will have hope and their hope will be anchored on the desire to see that government must be given time to complete everything it does because life itself is anchored on hope. When there is a will there is a way. And that is why we must get things to completion", he said.

Corroborating his boss, the senior special assistant to the governor on Media and Communication, Dr. Muideen Akorede, said that it is generally accepted in Nigeria and elsewhere that the lack of continuity is the bane of sustained development. "Changes in government, especially where acrimonious, often results in truncated policies and abandoned projects, regardless of merit of such.

" In Kwara State, we have bucked that trend through Shared Prosperity, which is underpinned by Legacy Continuity. The philosophy behind The Medium Term Sector Strategy (MTSS) which is the framework for budgeting and governance between 2011-2015, is a review and scaling up of programmes implemented by the previous administration in view of current realities as well as the introduction of new ones by the Ahmed administration.