Saraki Laments Worsening Security Situation In Kwara, Calls Gov Abdulrazaq Administration ‘Clueless’

Former Senate President, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki on Saturday expressed grave concern over the worsening insecurity that has posed a critical threat to lives and property in Kwara State while accusing the Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq administration of ‘inaction’.

Team@orientactualmags.com learned that Dr Saraki, a one-time governor of Kwara State, said this while giving his speech during the state congress held by the state PDP at Arca Santa Arena, Ilorin on Saturday.

 Accusing the current administration in the state of ‘neglect of duty’ and describing it as ‘a clueless and lackadaisical government’, Dr Saraki cited Section 14 sub-section (2) (b) of the 1999 constitution.

‘The theme of this Congress indicates the primacy and importance that our party places on the issue of the security of lives and property.

 The theme also showcases Kwara PDP as a platform of responsible, responsive, and compassionate political leaders who will always show empathy for the plight of the people. Today, Kwara State is in a precarious state. Our state is being overrun by bandits, kidnappers, and killers who have waged a ceaseless, needless, and careless onslaught on our people.

Yet, the government in Kwara State and all the people in governance in the state have maintained a posture of apathy, nonchalance, and a carefree attitude. The people in government have watched without a clue on how to stop the violence waged against our people by insurgents. Every day, the story from Kwara State in the national media is about killings, kidnappings, and the displacement of people from their communities.

 The government in the state in a carefree manner observes in the breach the provision of Section 14 sub-section (2) (b) of the 1999 constitution which states that ‘the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government’.

In the last 12 months, about 70 people have been reportedly killed in Kwara North and South while about 50 people have sustained various forms of injury from the assailants. Within the same period, about 42 people have been kidnapped. Also, over 25 communities have been sacked as the residents abandoned their homes in the same period. Under the present government, Kwara State is becoming a one-town-state as everybody in the northern and southern senatorial zones is converging on Ilorin to escape becoming the next victims of the spate of insecurity.

 It has never been this bad in our state known as the State of Harmony. The state government is living in denial and trying to suppress the facts, figures, and scenarios from coming out. They focus on accusing the opposition, which has been alerting the Federal Government and security agencies of the danger that now lurks in our communities, of playing politics with security’ he said.

While submitting that ‘no responsible citizen or party will play politics with the danger to the lives and livelihood of the people’ Dr Saraki noted however that as ‘responsible politicians and political platforms who want to genuinely serve our people’, the PDP leaders will not display a lack of interest or show indifference.

‘We will continue to alert the national and international communities about the danger that daily confronts our people. We will continue to urge the people who can help to come to the rescue of the Kwara people.

The spate of killings, kidnappings, and the collapse of the security system in Kwara State is unprecedented. We never witnessed anything of this sort since the creation of the state. Either during the military era, during the tenure of my predecessors, in my time as governor, or during the period of my immediate successor as elected governors, has this type of terrible occurrence ever happened in Kwara State? 

 Did we see this type of security lapse when late Alhaji Adamu Atta and Senator Cornelius Adebayo governed the state in the Second Republic? No. Were people being killed like this when Senator Shaba Lafiagi was the governor? No. Did people have to abandon their communities in the North and South to relocate to Ilorin when Admiral Lawal was the governor? No. I governed this state for eight years, did we face a security crisis like this? No. Alhaji Abdulfatai Ahmed was the governor of this state for eight years, did we live in constant fear for the safety of our lives in Kwara during that time? No. I challenge anybody who has facts to contradict these claims to come out with them.

 Why will this present government continue to fail the people by folding its arms and being complacent about the security of lives and property? .

Meanwhile, it should be noted that this spate of security crises is just festering in Kwara State to the exclusion of its neighbours. Insurgency is no longer a menace in Niger State. The state government working with security agencies there has chased the criminals out. The problem of insecurity is not a big menace in Oyo, Ekiti, Osun, and even Kogi, our neighbouring states, at the rate we have it in Kwara State. This is just a reflection of the clueless and lackadaisical government we have in Kwara State’ he added.

The former Senate President also said Kwarans are now witnessing ‘the clear difference between those who know how to govern and those who know how to deploy cheap and empty propaganda’ while urging the new party officials to meet with Kwarans, young and old, men and women, community leaders, professionals, workers, artisans, traders, transporters, win their support and confidence, and make them vote for the PDP in the 2027 elections.

‘We should be up and doing at all our ward meetings and constantly engage with Kwarans. The stakes are too high now for Kwarans to reward failure’ he told the party officials.

‘There is no other way to explain the security situation we have found ourselves in the state but to describe it as a complete failure of a government that has abandoned its constitutional responsibilities. This is even in the midst of huge funds coming to the states from the federal government. This is not a time to grandstand. It is a time to tell our people the hard facts. The sad experience of our people today is a clear indication that the government in power in the state has failed. The government has abdicated its responsibility. The government has not effectively and judiciously utilized the huge funds coming from the federal government and the internally generated revenue which the last PDP government created’ he added.

 Ahead of the party’s primary elections, Dr Bukola Saraki urged PDP members in the state to sustain the ‘mode of selection’ that has shown a ‘one united family’ adding that a victory for the party is larger than individual and personal victory.

 ‘At this point, dear PDP members, let me remind us that next year, the party at the national level following the guidelines by INEC will roll out the timetable and guidelines for the nomination of candidates for the 2027 polls. I want us to be prepared to conduct these primaries with the maturity, patriotism, devotion, sense of sacrifice, give and take, and love with which we did with the congresses that we just concluded. All the available offices for which we will need to produce candidates are just 35 in number.

 From the Governor, Deputy Governor, Senators, House of Representatives members, and House of Assembly members. Therefore, everyone cannot fit into this list of 35 candidates.  A victory for the party in all these elections is larger than individual and personal victory. Every member of the party and all the citizens of the state will benefit when our party is victorious and unfolds its agenda for across-the-board development.

 Let us make the primary elections for the selection of candidates another family affair where all of us will congratulate each other at the end of the day and be ready to work for our collective victory. We have to realise that the task ahead requires that all hands must be on deck’ he said 

Dr Saraki also urged party members to continue to show that ‘what we need at the helm of affairs in our state are people with purpose, clearly spelt out goals, and ideas on how to improve the standard of living, bring down the cost of living, and make lives and property secure’–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. Thank you