THE Yoruba saying on the need to exercise caution and thoughtfulness best describes the essence of continuity and effective following in every progressive society.” Igi yi ko dara, a yo ninu ina. T'ohun o suwon, a yo sonu. Igba wo ni ounje yoo wa jina?”, literarily means that if one complains about woods being used in cooking and removes the wood, when will the food be ready for eating?

Many political watchers in Nigeria have identified disregard for continuity as the bane of progressive and sustainable development. They said that in as much as successive governments at any tier refuses to sustain programmes, projects and infrastructural development for any reason, without finding means of addressing grey areas, if any, sustainable development may be a mirage in the Sub-Saharan Africa. Thus, the present administration of Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed in Kwara State has thought it wise to tag his government as that of continuity.
Apparently, the decision was made easy because Governor Ahmed was at different times in the administration of his immediate predecessor, Senator Bukola Saraki, commissioner of Finance and Planning and Economic Development. Thus, he understands the import of continuity.

Speaking on the efforts to complete some projects inherited by his administration, Governor  Ahmed said that it promoted the concept of continuity of legacies when it started in 2011.”We looked at it from the angle that we have just come out of an administration that had driven governance under clearly spelt out policies. It would only make sense for people to begin to see the benefits of some of the programmes that were carried over from the  last administration to this administration. We need to ensure that there is benefit to the people in terms of completion of projects to fruition level. Hence, the first thing we did was to take on projects that were ongoing. We wanted to be sure that these legacies that were promoted in the last administration were taken to finishing levels.

"A typical one was the Aviation College. The structures had just been completed when we came in. We needed to ensure that every other area that was needed to make it a functional school was taken care of and we diligently pursued that by injecting money into it. I am happy to tell you that our students are already flying. It is one of the very few aviation training institutions in Africa today. Insha Allah, we will soon expand to the level where we will begin to feel the economic impact directly in the state.

"We also have the International Diagnostic Centre. We met it at the level when it was almost completed and we had to take it to the level where people will begin to benefit from it. I am happy to let you know that we have since completed that programme.” Also speaking on the efforts of his government on road rehabilitation and construction, Governor Ahmed said his administration had commissioned many in both rural and urban areas of the state since his assumption of office.

"The Ahmadu Bello Way, Murtala Muhammed Way, we have other roads across the three senatorial districts which were started by the previous administration but were completed by us. This is part of what we call Shared Prosperity. This has also impacted in the area of education. We've added a lot more classrooms, both at the basic levels and at the senior secondary school levels. We've since started the Ajase-Ipo International Vocational Centre, which will be an international institution that will train our youths to be entrepreneurs and become people that are employable and can generate employment themselves. These are all parts of what we are carrying out under Shared Prosperity driven by continuity.

"Of course, you can see the CDC laying the pipe for water here. In addition, there are 14 waterworks currently being rehabilitated. We have sunk over 220 boreholes. We've made electricity available to over 179 communities. These are all benefits of Shared Prosperity; all driven under policies that fit into the medium term sector strategy. We have spent over N2.7 billion on rural roads. Not up to 10 per cent located in Ilorin metropolis. All these roads are located in the three senatorial districts, largely in the villages and other communities. The essence of it is for our people at these levels to begin to feel the impact of government.

"When we renovated about 400 schools, not up to 10 per cent were within the metropolis. They are scattered across the three senatorial districts. We are renovating five General Hospitals, only one is located in Ilorin. We have two in Kwara South and one in Kwara North (senatorial districts). If you keep going, you will see that a lot more activities are spreading to other parts of the state.

"Don't forget that we have worked under a structured methodologically designed Medium Team Sector Strategy frame work which ensures that we are not only carrying the work to completion but generating new projects driven by the same policy. If this policy is continued for three, four or five generations of governors, you will begin to see real development and growth in Kwara State and people will have hope and their hope will be anchored on the desire to see that government must be given time to complete everything it does because life itself is anchored on hope. When there is a will, there is a way. And that is why we must get things to completion”, he said.

Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Media and Communication, Dr Muideen Akorede, said that it was generally accepted in Nigeria and elsewhere that the lack of continuity was the bane of sustained development.

"Changes in government, especially where acrimonious, often result in truncated policies and abandoned projects, regardless of the merit of such. In Kwara State, we have bucked that trend through Shared Prosperity, which is underpinned by legacy continuity.  The philosophy behind the Medium Term Sector Strategy (MTSS), which is the framework for budgeting and governance between 2011-2015, is a review and scaling up of programmes implemented by the previous administrations in view of current realities as well as the introduction of new ones by the Ahmed administration. So for political, economic and ideological reasons, continuity makes sense as it saves resources, gives the people hope for better things to come and illustrates the benefits of sustaining pragmatic and visionary policies and projects. "

Dr Akorede said that projects inherited and completed by the Ahmed administration included  the International Aviation College, International Diagnostic Centre, Ilorin Airport Cargo Terminal, Ilorin Water Reticulation Project (Phase 1), adding that Phase 2 is now ongoing. He listed others to include Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete's Engineering Faculty being taken to conclusion, completion of Ahmadu Bello Way, completion of Murtala Mohammed Way, completion of Dualisation of Michael Imoudu-Offa Garage Road, Lafiagi Township Road, Omu-Aran-Landmark University Road, Eruku-Koro Road, Zulu Gambari Road, and Offa Township Road.

"There is Every Child Counts, sustained and up scaled through continuing teacher training; monitoring of teaching standards by Quality Assurance Bureau which is to be empowered shortly with additional staff and vehicles; the overhaulled Education Resource Centre and imminent establishment of others in Kwara South and North. Apart from this, the administration is refocusing on youth empowerment and job creation through formalisation of skill acquisition centres, the introduction of entrepreneurship education from secondary school level," he stated.