Date: 2012-05-20

ONE thing that seems to have worked in favour of the Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed in his first one year in office remains the good legacies he inherited from his predecessor, Dr Bukola Saraki.

Ahmed might not have built skyscrapers or constructed long stretch of roads within the period under a review; he has nevertheless invested in building bridges across human relations towards fostering business relationships between the state and some foreign private individuals.

But the Chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Kwara Mr. Kayode Olawepo said, the first year had been a waste as no visible achievement of the Governor could be pointed at. Besides, Olawepo said the Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP) controlled government has allegedly failed in the execution of its campaign promises to the people of the state.

"As a party, one could ask of the contents of the manifesto of the PDP to see whether or not it has delivered upon its promises to the people of the state. But it is saddening here in Kwara that we do not even know whether or not the PDP has a manifesto; talk less of churning out any democratic benefits to the people. Is it houses that the government has given to the people or water? I do not know; therefore what will the party will be celebrating as its achievement in the last one year?"

But Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, Dr. Muideen Akorede described Olawepo's statement as malicious and unfortunate, noting that Ahmed's administration has visible achievements to show case to the people of the state.

According to Akorede, under the agriculture sector, the Ahmed administration successfully

secured major foreign direct investment. These he stated include; the N70 billion joint venture rice cultivation processing and packaging project with Valsolar of Spain and the $150 Mosilo of US Investment in an Agro-Processing Complex at Share, the headquarters of Ifelodun Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.

Besides, he said the state is partnering with Cornell University, US, to create a five-year

Master Plan towards making Kwara the hub for agriculture in West African sub-region, by

creating in commercial quantities food and thus generate wealth for the people.

On education sector, he noted that apart from the rehabilitation of 244 blocks of classrooms in post primary schools across the state, the government's other achievements include the abolishing of fees and levies at Senior Secondary School levels in the state.

He added, "this is an effective way of making education free at basic and primary school levels in the state.  Besides, we at present supply free notebooks to senior secondary school students, just as we had effected the reduction in Kwara State University (KWASU) fees to N99, 500 for indigenes and the facilitation of buses to ply the Unilorin, Kwarapoly and KWASU routes."

Again, Olawepo noted that, "the government has allegedly deviated from the objectives of those who mooted the idea of the establishment of the KWASU.  It was meant to be an institution for every qualified Kwarans. The government was expected to subsidise the school fees but it is baffling to us that the government is talking about the reduction in the fees even when qualified children of the less privileged could not yet assess the institution. How many Kwarans can afford N99, 500?"

On Commerce and Cooperatives, Akorede said, "we had during the year disbursed a sum of N250 million in micro credit funds to SME's and cooperatives in the state to create wealth and boost economic activities in line with Shared Prosperity."

On health, the Governor's spokesman added that the complete rehabilitation of Ilorin, Offa, Share, Kaiama and Omu-Aran General Hospitals as well as the rehabilitation of 15 primary health care centres designed to ensure 500meter access to quality health care in the state remained the kernel of the achievement of the government in the sector. Worthy of note was the recent taking over of the old premises of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) along Ibrahim Taiwo Road, Ilorin by the state government, which was the original owner of the premises.

According to Ahmed, during the official handing over of the premises to the state by the Chief Medical Director of the UITH Professor Abdulwaheed Olatinwo, the hospital would be upgraded to serve as a veritable alternative to the UITH.

Akorede said on the state of security: "the government's on-going support for security agencies in the state includes the donation of 10 Hilux trucks within 100 days in office and the quarterly donation of an additional five to the state police Command, to improve their operational efficiency."

One major achievement of the government of Ahmed in its first year in office is the construction of strong drainages along major road paths and the extension works on Ilorin/Jebba Road in order to decongest the ever- busy road.