From N500m To ‘Beneficial’ KW-IRS:  Kwara PDP Reps Candidate Moshood Bakare Recalls 8th Assembly’s Fiscal Interventions, Promises ‘Courageous’ Representation

A former two-term member of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Hon Moshood Olanrewaju Bakare has criticized the performance of the current members of the state parliament accusing them of poor representation.

Drawing from his legislative history, the former state lawmaker urged the current lawmakers to prioritize the needs of their constituents.

Team@orientactualmags.com reports that Hon Moshood Bakare, who said this while appearing as a guest on Diamond FM’s National Affairs programme on Saturday, also reflected on his political journey, which began when he became a member of the state House of Assembly in 2011 at the age of 34, noting that during his first term, he held critical leadership roles, including serving as Chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts..

Hon Bakare, who is the Ifelodun/Offa/Oyun PDP House of Representatives candidate, noted that while serving as a member of the state house of assembly, he championed citizen-oriented bills targeted at addressing the issue of bad roads across both urban and rural communities.

His defining moment, he further noted, happened in 2015 when the executive arm of the state government approached the House of Assembly seeking approval for a ₦20 billion loan facility intended for legacy projects and the request was rejected.

‘The whole House of Assembly stood firm that we would not borrow money. We knew they wanted to use it for legacy projects, but we decided to move forward by looking inward. We agreed to focus on how we could dramatically improve our internally generated revenue (IGR) rather than burdening the citizens with unsustainable debt.

At the time of the financial standoff, I was heavily involved in oversight of the state’s fiscal infrastructure and in mid-2015, I directly supervised the progression of the landmark executive bill that brought the Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KW-IRS) into being.

Prior to the passage of the bill, the state’s monthly IGR hovered around ₦500 million to ₦600 million. Under the legislative framework guided by our committee, the autonomous revenue body successfully blocked leakages. Within its first two years of operations, it expanded the revenue base geometrically, elevating the state’s monthly returns to between ₦1.5 billion and ₦2 billion.

The bill did not merely raise funds; it also generated critical public-sector employment, created strategic roadmaps for community development plans, and grew to become one of the most vital sectors of the Kwara State economy today’ he said.

The PDP reps candidate alleged that the current legislature has failed to perform its core constitutional role of robust checks and balances asserting that there is a growing public consensus that the current state assembly is not doing enough to hold the executive accountable.

‘The fundamental purpose of legislation is to represent the constituents, speak for them, and demand what they need.

Unfortunately, what we have in Kwara State today is an eyesore. If you look around at the projects built over the last seven years, many of them are failing or underperforming. Yet, the House of Assembly has done nothing. What are they doing? They stand idly by while things are going wrong’ he submitted.

Hon Bakare reminded electors in his federal constituency that during his tenure, whenever the government brought sub-optimal proposals to the floor, he had actively stood up to defend public interests which is a brand of courageous representation that he promises to bring to the National Assembly if elected in 2027.

The Reps hopeful also said Kwara State PDP candidates as leaders of the state at the state and federal levels will if elected next year work in synergy to promote the growth and progress of the state.

Rejecting the notion that all the political parties share the same ideology, the PDP, Hon Bakare added, truly looks after Nigerians while also describing Kwara voters as smart and politically aware.

Warning against underestimating the public, Hon Moshood Bakare cited the outcomes of 2019 elections in Kwara State as proof that voters make their own choices while however predicting a surprising outcome in 2027.

He also said under a PDP-controlled state, federal and state legislators and the executive at the state level will cooperate and work in synergy to enhance growth and progress of the State of Harmony.

‘The major issue we have seen in this current arrangements is the lack of communication among elected officials.

State and national assembly members will cooperate closely under a PDP-controlled government. Leaders will talk to each other to solve ongoing problems and avoid past mistakes’ he added.

Emphasizing that development cannot happen without safety, he noted that ending safety fears in Kwara South will be his number one priority.

‘We must end safety fears and restore peace. Rising crime and insecurity have forced many residents to flee toward Ilorin.

Local health facilities in the rural areas have suffered severe neglect and damage due to ongoing security challenges, we must address the issue of insecurity first, we will also fix agriculture and health systems’ he said.

The PDP reps candidate also said electors in the state will judge the ruling APC strictly by its performance, asserting that ‘federal might’ can no longer save any party from the electorate’s visible anger because citizens are actively comparing their past experiences with current realities and are ready to make a defining choice at the polls.

‘We have about 24 assembly seats in Kwara, it seems like they are not functioning or doing anything. Last week, I was coming from Offa. The trip was supposed to take five minutes, but it took about 30 minutes more. What are they looking at?

Yes, the APC people can say there is no chance for us, but the people who will determine what will happen, the only thing they are looking forward to is to ensure that the PDP gets into government, because they know we can do better than the current administration.

Federal might is no longer working in the Kwara electoral system. If you do well as a government or an administration, you don’t need federal might. People are ready to show their anger and vote.

One of the principles of an election is voting, so, relying on federal might is like trying to bring people to their death’ he added-Team@orientactualmags.com  Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08035023079,  08059100286, 09094171980 or get in touch via orientactualmag@gmail.com.  Thank you