One Year Anniversary: Kwara PDP Scores Governor AbdulRazaq Low

By Steve Oni, Ilorin

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara state has scored the administration of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq low in its performance in the last one year.

The leading opposition party described the one year of Abdulrazaq in office as disappointing and a waste.

The PDP in a statement by its state chairman, Engr. Kola Shittu, posited that the “euphoria that greeted the coming of the present administration has waned significantly,” adding that no tangible achievement or accomplishment in any sector could be attributed to the governor since he assumed office on May 29, 2019. To the PDP, the government had always churned out false performance indicators.

It said: “The Governor’s performance has been utterly disappointing, uninspiring and a colossal waste. This explains Kwarans’ growing disillusionment with this government. There is no gainsaying that the euphoria that greeted the coming of the present administration has waned significantly.

“It’s saddening and disappointing to Kwarans that after a year in office, the present administration cannot point to any tangible achievement or accomplishment it has recorded in any sector. The Abdulrazaq’s administration cannot lay claim to the completion of a single project, initiated by it in the last 365 days, save for rehabilitation of roads, construction of culverts, interlocking and fixing of potholes here and there.

“Also, in the last 365 days, the Abdulrazaq’s administration has not implemented any policy or programme that has had direct impact on the lives of Kwarans. The administration which prides itself as a pro-masses is yet to implement its much-talked about social intervention programmes for the suffering masses that voted it into power. It also has not initiated any programme to address the issue of youth unemployment in the state.

“The PDP government of former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed had at inception, launched the Kwara Bridge Empowerment Scheme (KWABES) as a platform to generate reliable data of unemployed youths in the state and engage them in productive ventures. About 2,000 unemployed youths in the state were engaged under the scheme within the first 100 days of the administration, and more than 1,000 of them transited to permanent positions in the state civil service.

“Also, the issue of the implementation of the new N30,000 minimum wage for workers in the state is still in abeyance. Various negotiations held on the new minimum wage between the government and the organized labour before the outbreak of COVID-19 did not yield any fruitful result, and there is no assurance that the Abdulrazaq administration will implement the new minimum wage policy, which he promised Kwara workers.

“Under Abdulrqzaq’s first year in office, we have witnessed all sort of impunity and infractions such as the unlawful suspension of elected local government chairmen and dissolution of duly constituted statutory commissions, flagrant disobedience of valid court orders, among other illegalities, which have raised concern about this administration’s attitude to and respect for the rule of law and due process.”