Prominent indigenes of Kwara State on Sunday lamented what they termed the underdevelopment of the state in comparison with other states that were created with it in 1967.
They stated that the state's development was far below the resources that had accrued to the state since the administration of Gen. Yakubu Gowon created it.
Those who spoke included a former governorship aspirant under the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. Sunday Babalola, a former chieftain of Afenifere, Mr. Ayo Opadokun, and a member of the National Executive Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Mr. Issa Aremu.
Babalola said Kwara State was lagging behind in development.
He was represented by an official of the Zealous Kwara Youth, Mr. John Adeboye, during a lecture of the group in Ilorin to mark the 50th anniversary of the creation of the state.
He said, "is no doubt that the state has not done well in its 50 years of existence. The regimes of Chief Bamigboye and George Ini made some landmark achievements and progress. But aside those two, not much has been achieved.
"Dr. Bukola Saraki's administration was worse. He did not basically do anything and we are not surprised over the corruption charges that are on him now. The current government, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed is just Saraki's surrogate. Many of the leaders that have worked in the state have not added value. When the state was bigger and maybe the size could not make them do what they are supposed to do. But you find Bamgboye and George Ini doing very well within the limited knowledge they had and the limited resources they had.
"After that, we have had a lot of resources that had been squandered. It is very sad that there is no vision for the state by the leaders and no direction that the state is following. You cannot say this is what this state will be in the next 20 or even five years except if there is a change of political leadership which is not based on religion or where the person comes from."
Aremu said Lagos, Rivers and Kano states, which were created at the same with Kwara, were among the first 10 states with highest gross domestic product in 2010 while Kwara was number 28. He stated that Kwara should improve on productivity through industrialisation.
Opadokun, in an interview with journalists, alleged that the state had been short-changed. He stated that other states created at the same time with Kwara had surpassed it in development.
But the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Shola Gold, said the state had recorded great achievements. He identified peace and unity and infrastructural development as the greatest achievements of the state.
Also the Chief Press Secretary to the Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulwahab Oba, said the state had made tremendous progress with the resources available to it.
Oba said, "That kind of conclusion by the opposition is both political and highly subjective and it has no empirical basis at all. If anybody wants to honestly and sincerely criticise government, the person must have facts and records. They should tell us how much we generated within the period under review, how much we have spent on salaries and wages.
" can confidently say that we have justified our earnings and have even surpassed expectations. Based on what we have been doing, we have justified the financial resources at our disposal."
