With the level of borrowings by the Kwara State government, the people of the state expect visible gains, writes SUCCESS NWOGU

The 'Shared Prosperity' mantra of the Peoples Democratic Party-led government in Kwara State under Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed has become a point of disagreement between the government and stakeholders in  the state.

Many of the stakeholders have argued that such a slogan is uncalled for in a state in which the last administration of Dr. Bukola Saraki took a bond of about N17bn. The current governor has also borrowed N10bn from Guaranty Trust Bank for some projects, and having got approval of the state House of Assembly, obtained a N335m loan from Guaranty Trust Bank Plc and Fidelity Bank Plc to purchase monetised vehicles for political office holders in the state.

According to them, most homes in Ilorin lack good water supply despite the huge amount of money spent on water reticulation, while other infrastructure challenges still stare the state in the face.

They state that there is a high rate of unemployment, while Small and Medium Enterprises are finding the business environment harsh owing to alleged increment in taxes. According to them, it is a common sight, especially in the Ilorin metropolis, to see a hoard of beggars, who deface the State of Harmony. For them, the 'Shared Prosperity' mantra is a misnomer.

The chairman, Action Congress of Nigeria, Kwara State chapter, Kayode Olawepo, said the 'Shared Prosperity' slogan was laughable, claiming that Kwara was the 33rd poorest state in Nigeria. He alleged that Kwara was the poorest of  all the first generation states in Nigeria, that is, those created in 1967, 1976 and 1987, even though it belongs to the first generation of the states.

"Now, with such grim statistics and glaring abysmally low living standard of the people, how do you explain the laughable mantra of 'Shared Prosperity'?

"How do you explain such mantra in a state where a large segment of the people in the state capital – much less the local communities, whose inhabitants only know that the government exists, when its top functionaries go to beg or coerce people for votes – don't have access to potable water or health care services? We can go on and on," he said.

National Vice-President, Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, Taiwo Otitolaye, says the much talked about 'Shared Prosperity' is a cacophony of deceit and rigmarole.

"The Bukola Saraki regime spent over N3bn on water projects with no attendant benefits to the people. The state under Saraki was indebted to the tune of several billions. The present regime cannot be expected to be a departure from that of its predecessor.  No doubt, Kwara is in a huge bondage; politically and economically," Otitolaye says. The Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association, Ilorin branch, Rafiu Balogun, said it was legitimate for Kwarans to know how this stupendous money was spent.

He stated that the NBA as the conscience of the nation and the civil society is interested and will commence the procedure under the Freedom of Information Act to find out how such money was spent with a view to juxtaposing the expenditure of the state government with the projects embarked upon or contracts awarded by the state from the time the loans were obtained and the revenue of the state.

He said after their enquiry, they would know if the 'Shared Prosperity' slogan was well founded or a mere political statement.