Thursday 2 January 2020

Shall we fold our arms and let Abdulrasaq destroy the legacies of Saraki in Kwara?

Since the inauguration of Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq as Kwara state Governor, not much positive news have emerged from his side. It is obvious that for the remaining three years, the Governor may not be able to pull such strings like Seyi Makinde of Oyo state.





The reason is not far-fetched. He has began some sort of witch-hunting against his perceived political enemies, particularly, the Saraki dynasty. He is hell bent on a revenge following his loss at the five consecutive times he contested the governorship of the state.

To further his level of witch-hunting, the Kwara state government on Thursday commenced the demolition of the late Olusola Saraki’s accestral political home, Ile Arúgbó, in Ilorin.

To show the level of desperation, security operatives dispersed protesters who kept vigil to prevent the demolition. It was reported that the Government on Wednesday around 2am tried to demolish the structure but it was met with a protest as people around gathered to pursue them away.

Although AbdulRazaq had earlier announced the decision to revoke the late Olusola Saraki’s property owing to alleged illegality in its acquisition, it seemed he has forgotten the living legacies of Olusola Saraki and his family in the state.

He said the land was originally designated for the construction of a secretariat and parking lot of the civil service clinic, but that it was unlawfully allocated to a private firm — Asa Investments Limited — without any record of payment to the state government.

The claim by the present government that the land will be used to serve as the new secretariat is ridiculous because same government claimed to have injected 250million towards the completion of a new secretariat started by the immediate past government of Abdul Fatai Ahmed.

However, all the appeal and warnings by elder statesmen including the former senate president fell on the deaf ears of AbdulRazaq.

Bukola Saraki countered this statement, saying his late father lawfully acquired the land from the state government.

The political intention of AbdulRazaq has made him forget the philanthropic acts of the late peace loving and kind Olusola Saraki. The deceased empowered thousands and gave meaning to the lives of many through different organizations and schemes.

This fierce antagonism shows that the only ambition of AbdulRazaq is to plunge the state into destruction and erode the legacies of her heroes. Kwarans should not support his hidden agenda!