By Hammed Shittu in Ilorin
Ahead of 2023 in Kwara State, the immediate past governor of the State, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed has canvassed for competence and experience instead of zoning arrangement being raised in certain quarters of the state.
Speaking with journalists in Ilorin yesterday, the former governor said that, “Though I was a beneficiary of zoning arrangement in Kwara state that made me emerged as the governor but the narrative has changed today because of so many daunting challenges facing the nation,which need experienced and competent hands to tackle them,and not zoning”.
Ahmed who made reference to the recent visit of selected members of Kwara north to solicit for his support for the zone to produce governor in 2023 said he never told the group that he supported zoning as a means of where the governor of the state should come from, when he’s championing a Rescue Nigeria Project, platform that is championing competence and experience ahead of 2023′.
He said: “Representatives of Kwara North came to me as one of their own, to seek support for the actualisation of Kwara north senatorial district for 2023 governorship slot and I told them that it was a legitimate demand because we have always be doing zoning in Kwara since time past and some of us are beneficiaries of zoning programs, so there is nothing wrong with it.”
He added: “But, however, I said we are at a time when things are not the same the way it used to be.
“This is because the current challenges in the state and in the country requires that new strategies be evolved, so beyond just zoning we must begin to play up the current challenges and how to proffer solutions, so that take us to the leadership selection process which I’m advocating at the National level to be seen to be reflective of what’s going to happen in the states.”
The former governor said: “This is because if we just hinge it largely on zoning, it will show some levels of insensitivity to the plight that people are going through today.
“We are living witnesses to social disconnect, economic crunch and levels of insecurity.
“But most importantly the teaming unemployed youths how do we intend to create ways out of these issues that I have spoken about.
“These are the issues that should be played out much more critically than the zone of where the governor should come from.
“So, by and large in as much as their demand is legitimate, we must begin to look at it from the real issues that confront us today as a people which if we don’t solve and we are putting it on zoning, we are only postponing the evil day.Thats what I discussed with them.”
He said:” The real issues is about the person that has the competence to deal with our current challenges, not the zoning ,how we manage the social disconnect, how we ensure that for instance typically on Kwara we have situation of communal differences that use to lead to skirmishes, how do you intend to bring succour to the people but most importantly how do you empower the people ,how do we change the narrative, these are the things people want to begin to hear, rather than where the governor is from.”
The banking expert therefore said: “I think whoever is from anywhere should begin to think from that perspective and let the issue of zoning be a secondary advantage.
“The issue of zoning is pushed to the background because of the current challenges we are facing as a nation, otherwise we will be talking about zoning alone like we did in the past.
“There are challenges now,and we should be looking at people who can bring solutions to these challenges.”
Also talking about experience ,he said,”Those who have managed supermarkets who can correspondingly manage malls.
“These are the things we should be looking at,that should give us directions in which we expect to get solutions to solve our problems. “
