Date: 2014-07-26

Bello Bature, a social media activist and prolific writer goofed on his latest article aimed solely at bringing Kwara's newest representative at the Federal Executive Council to disrepute. It is rather sad that a self proclaimed Peoples' Democratic Party member will descend to the point of pouring unwarranted opprobrium on another distinguished member of the party in person of Dr. Abubakar Sulaiman, the Honourable Minister of National Planning.

According to Bello Bature dripping with sarcasm and malice "Jonathan gave the ministry that is worth the status of the minister!" One is at a loss at this pedestrian way of thinking and especially so, coming from a supposed enlightened fellow like Mr. Bature. Bature ought to know if indeed he is thoroughly educated that the National Planning Ministry is an elite ministry and it couldn't have gone to a more deserving state.

For Bello Bature to descend to the level of comparing one Ministry's budget with the other is a new low in Nigeria's public commentary. How does a Federal Ministry's allocation tie into the activities or lack thereof of a particular state? Besides, for those who know, the budgetary system is dynamic and the Ministry of National Planning is strategically placed to get adequate funding for its operations unless if Bello Bature and his sponsors are thinking of where to commit grand theft as is the practice hitherto associated with their previous paymaster. Why are we even talking about money instead of service to the nation? It shows a paucity of ideas to associate a Minister's worth to his/her ministry's budgetary allocation.

And if we must speak about Bolaji Abdullahi; what impact did Bolaji's Sport ministry have on Kwara state? How many of our sons and daughters benefited from the so called 50 Billion Naira Sports ministry budget? How many social empowerment did Bolaji Abdullahi (The Technocrat) carry out with his share of the so called 50 Billion Naira budget of the Sports ministry?

To claim that an associate Professor of International Relations and a distinguished scholar of repute is a novice in the art of administration is quite a disservice to every academic and administrator. Dr. Abubakar Sulaiman, Senior Lecturer, University of Abuja, Associate Professor of International Relations and former Director, Sultan Maccido Institute for Peace, Leadership And Development Studies is one of the finest that Kwara has presented to the Federal Executive Council in a while. It is a clear departure from the tradition of Kwara's yesterday's hegemony where barely educated people are saddled with responsibilities beyond their level of mental readiness. One is curious to know exactly what expertise Mr. Bello Bature and his co-travellers possess? We will be glad if Mr. Bello could furnish the reading public his educational background and employment antecedent. This is necessary especially given the diatribe that Mr. Bello spewed against the person of the Honourable Minister of National Planning. It is necessary also to allow the public to juxtapose his credentials to that of Dr. Sulaiman and have the reading public be the judge.

To insinuate that Dr. Abubakar Sulaiman is a lackey of Hajia Muinat Bola Shagaya is highly uncharitable. Indeed, Dr. Sulaiman enjoys a cordial mutually respectful relationship with Hajia Muinat Bola Shagaya and the rest of the stakeholders in the Kwara PDP. Unlike what obtains in the past where people like Bolaji Abdullahi and others are glorified houseboys and sycophants to Bukola Saraki (Their Paymaster), Hajia Muinat Bola Shagaya and the rest of the stakeholders in Kwara PDP treat each and every PDP member with respect and consider them worthy, dignified individuals.

The level of personal hatred and venom spewed against this university don by Bello Bature is sadly unbecoming of a self confessed PDP man; and yet Dr. Sulaiman is just a humble, cultured and an unassuming fellow who will surprise his detractors with performance while in office. Even though to Bello Bature and his co-travelers, Dr. Sulaiman is considered a "second class Minister" we are glad that Dr. Sulaiman is in the league of first class minds such as the cerebral Dr. Shamsudeen Usman who was not only a National Planning Minister but went on to the Finance Ministry thereafter.

President Goodluck Jonathan while swearing in Dr. Sulaiman commended the Minister on his academic feat and professional career and the Minister's brilliant performance in the Nigerian Senate was even acknowledged by the opposition APC chieftain in Kwara State - Bukola Saraki - when he said "the nominee has spoken eloquently" Mr. Taiye Odewale, an editor and columnist with the daily NewsWatch newspapers also wrote on the 25th of July, 2014 about how noteworthy Dr. Sulaiman's appearance in the Senate was. Odewale emphasized that this appearance is worthy of documentation for the "benefit of Nigerians and in particular, decision makers at the highest level in the country"

For the benefit of those who may be misled by Mr. Bature's jaundiced piece; it is important to state emphatically that President Goodluck Jonathan places a special importance on Kwara and has demonstrated that on countless occasions. The same Wednesday 23/7/2014 when he swore in Dr. Abubakar Sulaiman as a Minister of the Federal Republic, he also swore in a new Corps Marshall of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Mr. Boboye Oyeyemi to replace Osita Chidoka who has been moved to the Aviation ministry. On the same Wednesday, out of three appointments given by Mr. President, two went to Kwara state! This is not an accident; this is a clearly calculated way of empowering the good people of Kwara state.

For those who care to know, it is instructive to note that the National Planning Commission which later transformed into the National Planning Ministry was originally established by Decree No 12 of 1992 and later amended by Act 71 of 1993. The Commission and the Ministry has the mandate to determine and advise the Government of the Federation on matters relating to National Development and *overall management of the national economy*.

Its objectives and core functions are:

- To provide policy advice to the President in particular and Nigeria in general on all spheres of national life;

- To set national priorities and goals and engender consensus among Government agencies, as may be contained in guidelines issued by the Commission from time to time;

- To undertake periodic review and appraisal of the human and material resources capabilities of Nigeria with a view to advancing their development, efficiency and effective utilization;

- To formulate and prepare long-term, medium-term and short-term national development plans and to co-ordinate such plans at the Federal, State and Local government levels;

- To monitor projects and progress relating to plan implementation;

- To advise on changes and adjustments in institutions and management techniques as well as attitudes necessary for the alignment of actions with plan targets and goals;

- To conduct research into various aspects of national interest and public policy and ensure that the implications and results of the findings in such research are geared towards the enhancement of national, economic, social, technological defence and security capabilities and management;

- To mobilize popular group and institutional consensus in support of Government policies and programmes;

- To manage multilateral and bilateral economic co-operation, including development aid and technical assistance;

- To deal with matters relating to regional economic co-operation, including the Economic community of West African States [ECOWAS] the African Common Market [ACM], the United Nations Economic commission for African and the South-south co-operation; and

- To carry out such other duties as are necessary or expedient for the full discharge of all or any of the functions conferred on the Commission under the Act.

Kwarans are indeed grateful to Mr. President for the special attention he has been giving to Kwara, we are grateful for the full Ministerial position, we are grateful for the two Special Advisers, the Chairmen of Federal Boards and Parastatals, the Vice Chancellors of Minna, Lagos, and Ilorin, the appointment of the Corps Marshall, FRSC and many other too numerous to mention. Unlike Bello Bature and the rest of his ungrateful bunch, Kwara Alliance For Change on behalf of the good people of Kwara, again, we say thank you to Mr. President. Ese, Mungode...

Wasiu Adekunle
For: Kwara Alliance For Change
Email: Kwaraalliance4change@gmail.com