Though, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led-government in Kwara State, has been roundly criticised by the opposition over its continuity agenda, the agenda seems to have paid off after all.
When his administration came on board on May 29, 2011, the state governor, Alh. AbdulFatah Ahmed who was also a key player in the eight-year rule of the immediate past governor of the state, Sen. Bukola Saraki, left no one in doubt about his preparedness to ensure continuity in governance by ensuring the completion of all the projects he inherited from his predecessor.
Many have concluded that governor Ahmed, not only lacks vision and ability to prosecute his own programmes, but that “he is only running the third term of office of Sen. Bukola Saraki”.
But the spate of development in the state in the past one year has proved Ahmed’s critics wrong and thus vindicated the governor’s position on the continuity agenda. As at May 29, 2012, most of the ongoing projects inherited by Ahmed’s administration had been completed and commissioned.
The governor had during an interactive session with journalists in Ilorin recently, explained that continuity in governance has been responsible for the completion of some projects and progress made on many others by his administration in the last one year.
He added that the measure had also discouraged abandoned projects.
Addressing journalists in Ilorin on activities of the Governor Ahmed-led administration in the last one year, the state commissioners and governor’s media aide said the present government had also succeeded in building upon the programmes and projects of the immediate past administration of Senator Bukola Saraki to avoid abandoned projects usually occasioned by change in government.
The state commissioners and other aides of the governor said the development had been spread to all parts of the state, courtesy of the continuity agenda.
The commissioner for Works and Transport, Dr. Amuda Kannike, who said the state government would continue to provide all the necessary infrastructural facilities to ensure economic prosperity for the people of the state, said that it would not hesitate to intervene on federal government road projects for the socio-economic development of the state.
He said as part of its programme of strategic infrastructure development, the Kwara state government has constructed over 600 kilometres of roads across the three senatorial districts of the state as a deliberate effort to open up the state for agricultural and economic development.
He said the roads aimed at complementing government’s strategic priorities and enhancing people’s welfare, include over 350 kilometers of feeder and access roads specifically to create a value chain for mechanised agricultural practices designed to drive the economy of the state. The commissioner said most of the roads have been completed, while others are at various stages of completion.
He also noted that most of the road projects embarked upon by the last administration in the state have been completed.
The commissioner said that the expansion work on Sango-Oyun Bridge axis of Old Jebba road, a federal road was completed at a cost of N200 million to reduce traffic congestion on the road.
Other federal roads in the state, according to the Commissioner, have received intervention from the State Government because of its desire to make life more comfortable for residents of the State.
Kannike said the Kwara state Traffic Management Agency has been provided with equipment and other facilities for effective monitoring of traffic while six fire service trucks of the State fire service were renovated for effective service delivery.
He said most of the old projects like the Sulu-Gambari road, Ijomu-Oro road, Afon-Eyenkorin road, Asa dam/Dangote road among others had already reached 98 per cent completion.
He said that the Zango-Oyun bridge road had also been completed, adding that government was intervening on rural roads to support farmers and agricultural activities, especially in the movement of their farm produce to markets.
He said that government had included road maintenance as part of the project design to ensure absence of pot holes on the roads.
On fire fighting services, Kannike said government had refurbished six fire trucks to make them functional, while outlets had also been opened in Offa to save time in response to fire emergencies.
The commissioner for Water Resources, Engineer Idris Garba Abubakar, in his own presentation, said water works had been renovated and rehabilitated to ensure adequate provision of potable water, adding that motorised boreholes were also provided in most parts of the state.
The commissioner for Water Resources, said about 14 water works were rehabilitated by the state government in the last one year.
According to him “38 Water works were connected to the National Grid while the state government purchased water chemicals worth N200million for the treatment of water in the state”.
The Commissioner added that about N1billion has been earmarked for the ongoing water reticulation project which is at 85 per cent completion stage.
His counterpart in the ministry of Education and Human Capital Development, Alhaji Raji Mohammed Atolagbe who has been redeployed to the ministry of Commerce and Cooperatives, said more than 200 classrooms were renovated in public primary and secondary schools, adding that teachers were trained to ensure quality education while N131 million was spent to pay bursary to students in the last one year.
Also, the state government is to obtain N750 million loan from the Bank of Industry (BoI) to promote and encourage small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) in the state.
The state’s commissioner for commerce and co-operatives, who was during the week redeployed to the ministry of Education, Alhaji Saka Onimago, said Governor Ahmed has given his ministry the approval to obtain the loan.
Onimago further disclosed that the governor has released N250 million for disbursement to co-operative societies in the state as revolving loans.
He said that 147 co-operative societies have so far benefited from the loan scheme while 10 micro-finance banks were accredited for the loan disbursement to ensure probity and transparency.
On his part, the Special Assistant on youths employment, Alhaji Saka Babatunde, said the government has employed 2,000 youths under its bridge empowerment scheme (KWABES).
He said 1,000 of the youths would be given full employment within the next 10 days.
Babatunde noted that the fact that over 42,000 youths have registered with KWABES underscored the relevance of the scheme.
The commissioner for agriculture, Alhaji Mohammed Baba Kpan, said the government had entered into partnership with some foreign expatriates to further boost commercial agriculture and provide job opportunities for the people of the state.
He announced plans by the government to develop six grazing reserves in the three senatorial zones of the state to minimise the incessant clashes between the herdsmen and farmers in the state.