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From Layi Olanrewaju, Ilorin
The Media Office of former Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has dismissed claims by the Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq-led administration that it has constructed more roads than previous governments in Kwara State, describing the assertion as false, misleading, and driven by what it called the governor’s “obsession” with Saraki.
In a issued on yesterday and signed by the Press Officer to Saraki on Local Matters, Mr. Abdulganiyu Abdulqadir, the Media Office said the road construction claim was another attempt by the state government to divert public attention from what it described as a worsening security situation in the state.
“It is easy to grandstand and make dubious claims with figures of kilometres of roads. Are we talking about just pouring asphalt on existing roads as achievements? If scrapping already tarred, smooth roads and putting new asphalt on them at huge cost with all the contracts awarded to one big contractor for obvious reasons best known to the governor is what the Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq administration is celebrating, then its understanding of development is warped, narrow, and infantile,” the statement said.
The Media Office challenged the state government to publish comprehensive details of all roads it claimed to have constructed, including how many of them opened up new areas or brought development to previously uncharted communities.
“Again, the Kwara State governor knows quite well that what he called road construction cannot compare to what past administrations in the state did. It is a mockery of the phrase ‘road construction’. And that is why the so-called ‘road construction’ has not brought development or economic prosperity to the state.”
The statement further accused Abdulrazaq and his media team of being overly fixated on Saraki, who left office as governor over a decade ago.
“We also, once again, want to call public attention to this Kwara State governor’s obsession with the name of Saraki, a former governor who left office in a dignified blaze of glory 15 years ago. Why are Governor Abdulrahman and his handlers always so incensed when they hear the name of Saraki? If it is true that Saraki did not do well as they want the people to believe, why is his past administration always the standard with which the present administration measures its success?” the media Office stated.
According to the Media Office, this fixation has led the present administration to lose focus on governance.
“This obsession with Saraki has led the government to make several mistakes while leaving the substance to chase the immaterial,” it stated.
The statement also claimed that Abdulrazaq did not campaign with a clear manifesto in 2019, alleging that his emergence as governor was based largely on opposition to Saraki rather than concrete policy proposals.
“Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq is resorting to this obsession with Saraki because he has no manifesto with which he campaigned to become governor of the state. He did not promise the people anything. His campaign theme in 2019 was built around the scaremongering of ‘don’t vote for Saraki and his party. They have been in government for too long,” the statement said.
The Media Office argued that the administration’s continued emphasis on road claims was a deliberate distraction from insecurity in the state.
“It is also noticeable that the media handlers of Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq’s administration are always seeking ways to divert attention from serious issues. Let us ask them: Is the issue of scrapping of roads and pouring asphalt on them which they termed ‘road construction’ more important than the security of lives and properties which is at the lowest levels in the state at this particular period?” Raising concerns about safety across the state, the statement alleged that killings, kidnappings, and displacement of farmers and residents had become frequent.
“Daily, people in the state are being killed, kidnapped, displaced from their homes and farms, while their properties are also being assailed. This negative development came with the incompetence and inability of the governor to think ahead and be proactive when some of our neighbouring states battle a security crisis,” it stated.
The Media Office contrasted the current situation with Saraki’s tenure as governor, insisting that Kwara was relatively secure during that period.
“Is this the insecure state that Saraki left in 2011?. Even when Boko Haram was operating at its peak in the North East and other parts of the North when Saraki was governor, his administration made the state a haven for residents and visitors.”
The statement urged residents to be cautious of what it described as “cheap propaganda” and diversionary tactics.
“However, the public should be wary of the constant resort to diversionary tactics so as not to exacerbate the security crisis plaguing the state. All these unwarranted attacks on individuals and making false claims are cheap propaganda tactics that will be rejected by the generality of the people,” it stated.
The Media Office concluded by calling on the governor and his team to refocus on governance.
“We call on the Kwara State Governor and other members of the administration to focus on key issues that will bring genuine and sustainable peace and development to the people. They should stop all these ineffective diversionary tactics,” it concluded.
