Shock, grievances over Kwara ministerial slots

We however, wish to express our shock and grievance with the absence of a Kwara Northerner as a Ministerial nominee to the notice of the President and the general public.

While we understand that the choice of who becomes a Minister to represent Kwara State at the Federal Executive Council is the prerogative of the President, we are however, seriously pained that this prerogative did not consider the peculiar circumstance of Kwara State vis a viz power sharing since 1999 to date; federal appointments and the 2019 electoral performance analysis among the three senatorial district of Kwara State.

In view of the foregoing, we most humbly urge the President as a father of all to always take equity, fairness and justice in Kwara’s case into a greater consideration going forward.

From 1999 to 2011, Kwara Central Senatorial District produced Governor for 12 uninterrupted years, while Kwara South Senatorial District also governed the State for 8 years respectively. Kwara North Senatorial District based on Equity, Fairness and Justice ought to have produced the

Governor after long 20 years at the last general election, but in the interest of peace and progress of the State of Harmony, we humbly sacrificed our rightful opportunity and paid a great price to propel these administrations to victory.

The election result analysis revealed that Kwara North gave 31.71% (The second largest) bulk vote in the last Presidential election, while the Kwara Central and Kwara the South gave 40.59% and 27.70% respectively. APC lost one local government in Kwara South in that election. Kwara North further sustained and improved in the gubernatorial election in the State by also delivering 31.84% being the second largest bulk votes, the Central gave 39.16% and Kwara South polling 29.00%.

It is instructive to note that data revealed that Kwara North with the smallest polling units of 453 and bigger three times than Central and South combined together in terms of land mass performed better in voters turn out as against Kwara Central with 737 polling units and Kwara South with 682 polling units respectively.

The appointments ratio of Kwarans at the federal level showed that Kwara Central have 62%, Kwara South with 30% and Kwara North is just 8%.

Kwara North is the second largest populated district after Kwara Central and followed by Kwara South. Putting all of these together on a fair assessment scale, you will agree with us that, either on the scale of equality or equity, Kwara North deserves a consideration for Ministerial appointment and that was why we were shocked.

As such, this unfairness and inequality makes Kwara North to linger or wallows in a pool of marginalization and oppression.

We nonetheless going forward, state that we are not in contention with the competency and merits of the nomination of Alhaji Lai Mohammed and Sen. Gbemisola Saraki but all we say is Mr President should look into all of the appointments of Kwara with the tenet of equity, fairness and justice.

We however restate our unalloyed support for President Muhammadu Buhari and the Executive Governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdulrahaman AbdulRazak.

Mal. Zubairu Aliyu Rogun, Coordinator, Kwara North APC Youth Movement in Ilorin