Notwithstanding the suit filed against the government of Kwara State by the Chairman of Crystal Group, the open letter written to governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq by Alhaji Mashood Mustapha, has set the agenda for a court of public opinion in Kwara state.
The vibrancy of the ensuing debates in the last 48hrs since the open letter was released, has left no doubt that the people of Kwara State are very much interested in how their state is governed, and willing to voice their takes against all odds.
Within 24 hrs of the Open Letter coming into public domain, rejoinders and counter- rejoinders flooded the media spaces. Many of these were inflamed with passion and sentiments, which clouded clear senses of judgment.
Whilst the cacophony of sincere and sycophantic voices, competing to explain, debunk, or even malign persons raged, one thing was clear, no one viewed nor put forward people centric arguments
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Ibrahim Akaje, a former Commissioner for Business, Innovation and Technology in the state, faulted Crystal Group’s claim to a sealed deal to renovate Kwara Hotel for N3b.
Akaje’s comparison of the N3b renovations deal to a N17.8b upgrade of the hotel dwelt unwaveringly upon the belief of the government.
National Moonlight, however, spoke to a number of Kwara State indigenes and residents.
An academic, one of two who spoke to National Moonlight wondered “why the need for such a project, especially when the state government is yet to accomplish the ambitious international conference center, amongst others that are equally unaccomplished.”
Another former Commissioner who served, not under the AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq government kicked against the expenditure of “a staggering sum of N17.8b on upgrading an existing hotel to a 5-Star status that is unaffordable to majority of Kwara residents.”
He listed several yearning needs of residents in Kwara, which cost far less than the cost of renovating and upgrading a hotel, but which has potential for a ‘better Cost -benefit ratio.
The former Commissioner is one of three Kwarans of high intellect who mentioned the Kwara State University Malete’s satellite campus at Ilesha Baruba as a priority needs area, which will parade world class facilities with just N5b This satellite campus, if developed, has economic potential for transforming the economy of the host community, and this is besides the job openings inherent in the completion of such a project.
A similar satellite campus exists undeveloped in Kwara south senatorial zone of the state. Another N5b investment into this satellite campus will not only spread the collective prosperity of the state to the host community as earlier identified possible, but will bring about more jobs, and influx of new taxable persons and business entities.
To Abubakar ‘rigata’, his community and neighboring communities in the Kwara North Senatorial zone cultivate so much rice annually. He stated that with N3b, a rice milling industry could be established; and not only will his people be taken out of poverty, but the economy of his LGA will be lifted, taxable persons and activities will increase in the area.
The debate on the correctness or otherwise of the usage of the earmarked sum raged more in the heart of the state capital. National Moonlight spoke to a cross-section of retirees. An overwhelming number of them wished the government would halt on this venture and take time to listen to the people in a public consultation.
Musa (full name withheld) a retiree of the Local government service Commission lamented that “N1b of this gigantic sum of N17.8b” will go a very long way in offsetting owed gratuities to him and several of his fellow retirees, many of who have died and are dying because of the sudden poverty that has bedeviled them after retirement.
” Many of us hoped to start a little business after our retirements, but the gratuities we relied on became a mirage,” Joseph ( full name withheld) another retiree of the state civil service Commission lamented.
