PDP Tasks  AbdulRazaq on Infrastructural Deficit, Insecurity in Kwara

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State has advised the state Governor, Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, to take time to settle in the state in order to address the infrastructural deficit and insecurity ravaging the state.

The PDP said that the continued absence of the governor from the state on the excuse of “national assignment” in Abuja had continued to take a toll in the day-to-day governance of the state.

A statement issued in Ilorin yesterday and signed by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Mr. Tunji Moronfoye, said: “The PDP can only watch in complete sadness as the governance in Kwara State is now in free fall.

“Kwarans are totally appalled by the state of infrastructural decay and lack of attention from the state All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government.”

The statement added:  “The poverty level and the security situation in the state are horrible and depressing. Kidnappings are now a daily occurrence in the state.

“We know that Governor Abdulrazaq has ‘won’ a second term by dashing out various ludicrous amounts to associations and individuals before the 2023 general election.

“He(AbdulRazaq) now has a ‘national assignment’ as Governor’s Forum chairman, a position that the then opposition denigrated when Dr. Bukola Saraki held sway at that position over a decade ago for two unprecedented terms.

“This ‘National Assignment’ for the state governor now takes precedence over the running of the state affairs.

“Roads are filled with potholes and the mountain of garbage has taken over every road, daily running of the state has to wait until the governor ‘has time’ for Kwara State.

“The mountains of garbage got so bad that a non-governmental organisation, Blue-lily Humanitarian and Empowerment Initiative, from Lagos, had to step in to assist Kwara State to evacuate the huge mess on the General Tunde Idiagbon road, (University road) at Tanke. We wonder what happened to budgeted funds for such operations.

“Rather, unfortunately, the state APC regime is still arrogant in their consistent failure by celebrating such a disgrace to Kwarans.

“Our question is: how did the last administrations manage to keep Kwara State as one of the cleanest in the federation?

“How did the last administrations manage to repair portholes and build new roads with minimal funds and effort? Another pertinent question is: how come the Eastern reservoir road in Tanke constructed just months ago is now filled with portholes, not to mention the huge manhole that was never covered on the road since it was constructed?”

The PDP added: “Till today, the Kwara State APC government has not completed and inaugurated a single landmark project after four years of misrule, and hundreds of billions in revenue from the federal government and internally generated revenue (IGR).

“To add insult to our injury, the newly re-appointed Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the governor, Mal. Rafiu Ajakaye, allegedly called into a live radio programme recently to tell Kwarans not to expect new developmental projects because of the current economic downturn.

“We at the state PDP hereby put it to the Kwara State APC regime that they had no intentions of carrying out any developmental projects anyway, that is after throwing around state funds like a drunken sailor before the 2023 general election.”