Date: 2016-02-21

Ishaq Modibbo Kawu's latest diatribe against the government and political leadership of Kwara State, published in the Vanguard of Thursday, February 18th, 2016 was, as usual, marked by innuendo, falsehood and disinformation.

In the interest of truth-loving Kwarans and other right-thinking Nigerians, we are once again compelled to correct the gross misrepresentation that Kawu packaged as commentary on the affairs of Kwara State. This, then, is a factual riposte to his falsehood.

Whether Kawu admits it or not, former Governor of Kwara State and Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki's strides as architect of modern Kwara and Kwara State Governor, Dr. Abdulfatah Ahmed's upscaling of development, are discernable to all Kwarans, and certainly to other Nigerians that have visited Kwara State and marveled at its relative development.

For example, the establishment of Shonga Farms has transformed the local environment besides creating four thousand jobs at peak season annually and transferring knowledge to local farmers. Harmony Advanced Diagnostic Center employs hundreds of Kwarans and has saved thousands of lives through early diagnosis. On its part, the International Aviation College (IAC), Ilorin not only has several Kwarans in its employ, it has also boosted development in the state capital.

IAC has also earned the respect of elite organizations such as the Nigeria Air force, Navy and the Police which have trained staff or collaborate with the relatively new college. The college recently made history as the first to provide rotary and fixed wing pilot training in West Africa, demonstrating a huge potential to contribute to IGR.

Additionally, it must be pointed out to Kawu that that good leaders like Senator Saraki and Governor Ahmed create structures that provide short, medium and long term benefits. Falsehood, therefore, doesn't become truth on account of its repetition in certain circles.

For the record, recent laudable measures by the government to insulate the state from the prevailing national economic crisis are aimed at ensuring sustainable economic development amidst declining resources.

To start with, any keen observer of public finances in Nigeria knows that almost every state spends up to 70 per cent of federal allocation on payment of civil servants' salaries and pensions.

Kawu should, therefore, know that the bulk of the N640b he claims Kwara State Government has spent from 2003 to date went towards paying salaries. Those salaries also formed a similar proportion of the Internal Revenue generated within the same period as PAYE. There lies the full disclosure that Kawu seeks.

The writer also struggles to paint the state government as low performing on account of salaries owed some workers in the state. On the contrary, it is on record that Kwara State is up-to-date with salary payment to core state civil servants and pensioners. The only workers being owed salaries at most three months are those in revenue generating agencies that are expected to raise revenue to meet their obligations. Faced with more than 50 per cent drop in monthly allocation for almost a year, the Ahmed administration prioritized salary payment in non-revenue generating MDAs. It is, therefore, mischievous for Kawu to create the impression that the salary crises is peculiar to Kwara State.

Additionally, responsibility for salaries of primary school teachers and other local government workers lies with Local Government Councils and not with the state government. This is known to Kawu but he chooses to ignore that fact knowing it will dilute his unconvincing attack against the so-called 'group in power in Kwara since 2003'.

The truth is Kawu's script on Kwara is shallow, predictable and clichéd. Recently, he compared governance in Kwara State with that of Kaduna, ignoring to mention that the latter state receives in one month what Kwara receives in three from the Federation Account. Again, any journalist or public commentator worth his salt will have acknowledged the discrepancy in the resources available to both governors in drawing comparisons.

It is also puzzling that Kawu is unhappy with the Ahmed administration for demonstrating the innovativeness and purposeful governance for which he praises other state governors. Take his criticism of Governor Ahmed's new monthly IGR target of N5b, for instance.

A good leader or manager sets directions and communicates this strongly to followers. In setting that monthly IGR target for KWIRS, the reformed state revenue agency, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed was doing just that, knowing the prospect of achieving that target is high. Yet Kawu dismisses this laudable gesture as grandiose and unrealistic.

And in campaigning against the state government's reform of the revenue collection system which seeks to block leakages and enhance revenue, it seems Kawu supports those responsible for the inefficiencies Governor Ahmed is determined to stamp out.

On Harmony Holdings Limited

On the statement credited to the Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Dr. Ali Ahmad, where he commented on the operations of Harmony Holdings Limited, a holding company for state-owned assets and investments, it is imperative to note that the Speaker was quoted out of context. Dr. Ahmad only noted that the HHL was not publicizing many of its various activities, while encouraging them to increase advocacy.

Not surprisingly, Kawu latched onto the Speaker's innocuous comment as to further attack the Senate President and the Kwara State Governor for their forthright roles in developing Kwara State.

Even more puzzling is the fact that Group Managing Director of the Holdings, Tope Daramola's state of origin, was brought to bear, without taking cognizance of the ex-banker's experiences and competencies or the fact that he has lived and raised a family in Kwara State for two decades.

Indeed, today's Nigeria has gone beyond basing appointment purely on ethnic affiliations. A more reliable yardstick is appointees' performance, commitment to work and capacity to deliver.

It is not uncommon to find governments appointing non-indigenes to oversee the management of certain agencies. For example, Mr. Mike ?Akabueze, was commissioner for budget and economic development in Lagos for six years though he is from Abia State. In Kaduna State, The Chief of Staff, Hadiza Bala Usman is from a neighboring state while in Ogun State, the immediate past Head of Service, Mrs. Modupe Adekunle, is from Edo State. Thus, for Mr. Kawu to suggest that people were surprised that an indigene of Ondo state was given 'a sensitive position' is not only disappointing, but pedestrian.

Kwara State is forward looking and is focusing on capacity to add value, while also ensuring that indigenes benefit from key appointments in the state. In fact, the executive directors of Harmony Holdings Limited are Kwarans, while the board is headed by a retired Professor of Public Finance and current Emir of Ilesha Baruba, His Royal Highness, Prof Haliru Abubakar, a fact also known to but also ignored by Kawu.

Despite Kawu grandstanding on the issue, it is obvious to all that Harmony Holdings Limited is fully-owned by the Kwara State. This fact that is easily verified through the Corporate Affairs Commission(CAC). Clearly, Kawu appears on a mission to malign the Government and the political leadership in Kwara without justification.

In the interest of public good, we will not stop setting the records straight and disrupting his attempt to mislead Nigerians on the state of Kwara.

Dr. Muyideen Oluwafemi Akorede, is Senior Special Assistant, Media and Communication to the Kwara State Governor.