Ahmed’s Dilemma and the Struggle for Survival
Caught between the current economic realities and the responsibility of delivering on his electoral promises, the Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed is presently battling his biggest challenges, writes Hammed Shittu
Since assuming office in 2011, the Governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed has taken pragmatic steps towards ensuring that the development and growth of the state of remain his key priority. His determination to move the state forward was not far-fetched as Ahmed was part of the crucial part of the immediate past administration of Dr. Bukola Saraki for almost eight years, during which he held very strategic positions.
He was the Commissioner for Finance for almost six and a half years before he was moved to the Ministry of Economic Development, where various policies and programmes of the immediate past administration were designed. These two important offices during the period afforded Governor Ahmed the opportunity for serious inputs and exposures in the art of governance, which had prepared him for the progress of the state.
As a result, he was instrumental to nearly all the programmes left behind by his predecessor in office and ensured that all the uncompleted projects left behind by the past demonstration are completed for overall development and growth of Kwarans.
His works in the first term in office between 2011 and 2015 were mainly on the completion of all uncompleted projects left behind Saraki while new ones were also embarked upon in the determination to ensure that the dividends of democracy get to the doorsteps of the rural populace across the 16 local government councils of the state.
The legacy projects that were completed during the first term cut across roads, education, health, such as Ajase-Ipo international vocational center, completion of Ilorin Metropolitan Square located along Asa dam road, completion of Ibrahim Sulu Gambari-Post Office road, Offa garage-Micheal Imoudu dual road and the Ilorin water reticulation project, among others.
The administration also awarded the renovation of five General hospitals located in Ilorin, Share, Offa, Omu-Aran and Kaima. The affected hospitals were equipped with contemporary health facilities and with competent medical personnel to reduce infant mortality in the state. It also embarked on the construction of new roads across the tree senatorial districts of the state.
In the education sector, Ahmed constructed modern day school buildings while teachers’ welfare received major attention. The administration also lived up to expectations by ensuring the protection of lives and property of the people.
Here, it purchased security vehicles for the state police command while transport owners like National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Road Transport Employers Association (RTEAN) received the support by making available, buses at low interest rate to them. Women and youths empowerment were not left out as they were given soft loans to start businesses. This was believed to have helped reduce social vices in the state.
The operation no-pot-holes on various major roads within the Ilorin metropolis was also introduced by the administration while the youths were given employment under the scheme of Kwara State Bridge Empowerment Scheme (KWABES) and after their one year service, some of them were given permanent employment in the state ministries. These were the situation of things during the first term of the administration.
However, upon resumption for the second term, the administration set the ball rolling with the commitment to add more values to the socio-economic growth of the state. During his inauguration for the second term, the governor said, “By now, most of you know the challenges we face; our national economy is on its knees.
“Global oil prices, the mainstay of our economy, are dropping daily, limiting our ability to fulfill our obligations. These challenges are enormous but we refuse to give in to despair and I believe that this will be a defining moment in our history.
“I, Abdulfatah Ahmed, will not rest until the prosperity that our state once enjoyed is restored. My administration’s priority remains the people’s welfare. We will build more schools, roads, hospitals, power projects and structures needed to get more of our youths working, businesses growing, food on more tables and greater prosperity for everyone, who calls Kwara State home.
“This administration will upscale development and boost entrepreneurship to get a greater number of our youths working. Starting from today, we will begin the work of transforming our state to the North Central’s Economic hub. We will create a new frontier of prosperity, where everyone has the opportunity to better their lives subject only to their willingness to apply themselves.”
And despite the dwindling federal allocation accruable to the state in the last one year, Ahmed has continued to develop and grow the state. Among such giant strides put forward for the benefit of the good people, which cut across different sectors are roads construction, provision of housing accommodation, construction of commercial hub located along Fate road, Ilorin, the continued works on Ilorin water project, provision of drugs to some hospitals and health clinics and construction of schools among others.
Some of the roads already awarded for construction include Aduralere-IsalekokoOjagboro-Sanu Sheu road, Henry GeorgeAgbo-Oba road, Henry George-Unilorin mini campus road, Ita-Alamu village road, Oloro’s palace road, Share-Oke ode (lot 1), Share-Oke ode (lot 2), and Kishi-Kaiama road.
Others are Egbejila road, Ilorin, Arobadi Magida road in Moro LG, Baboko market road, Ilesha Baruba-Gwanara road, Rore-Ipetu road, construction of three-span bridge in Ilala, Ifelodun LG, and Anilelerin road, Offa.
For the administration that has set the pace in the delivery of good governance and believes in sustaining the legacy of development, the administration of Ahmed penultimate week, after its weekly executive council meeting in Ilorin, announced some projects that would be of legacy ranking in the present administration.
Briefing journalists, Commissioner for Works, Alhaji Aro Yahaya said the state executive council approved the construction of Geri-Alimi split diamond interchange in order to ease peak-time congestion in the axis at the cost of N2.9billion.
The project, which according to the commissioner, would be in three phases includes reconstruction of Geri Alimi Sawmill garageGeneral Hospital road. He said the council took the decision in order to reduce the traffic situation at the Geri-Alimi roundabout and also improve the beautification of the area.
Yahaya further explained that Egbejila-Asa road and Gerewu phase one already under construction were to serve as a link and alternative routes, when the Geri-Alimi Split Diamond Interchange project begins. The commissioner, who said only Lagos and Abuja had similar project at Maryland and Mabushi explained that the project, when completed would accommodate more vehicles than that of Maryland in Lagos.
He added that the council also approved the dualisation of Ita-Alamu-Micheal Imoudu-Afon junction and the dualisation of Kulende-Oyun-UITHC-Oke-Ose road to decongest traffic along the axis and allow free easy vehicular movement and passengers.
In his presentation at the briefing, Managing Director of the contractor handling the project, BAL Engineering Limited, Alhaji Bashr Lawal explained that the close circuit television camera and a security post would be provided to give adequate security in and around the interchange of the projects.
With the current move by the administration of Governor Ahmed to reinvent the echoes of projects of legacy in the state, there is no doubt that the possibility of the state to witness more socio-economic development would be higher and this would have multiplier economic effect on the social wellbeing of the populace in the area of industrialisation which in turn would aid job creation and also improve the socio-economic advancement of the Kwarans.
If successive governments take a cue from this development ingenuity as it is being done by the present administration, the state will be better for it.