Wole Adedeji, Ilorin.
Chairmen and members of federal boards and parastatals put in offices by the Senate President Bukola Saraki might be relieved of theor duties soon, says Minister of Information and Culture Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.
Mohammed said this, in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, on Thursday, at an All Progressives Congress (APC) women sensitisation event.
The minister said these people were still holding forte even when their leader, Saraki, had defected into the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
This statement by the Minister might worsen the wildly strained political situations in the camps of the Senate President and that of the Minister who, at the moment, heads a strong opposition to Saraki in Kwara State.
In the words of Mohammed, “Some people they nominated into federal boards are still there but I can assure you that by the grace of God very soon we will chuck them out”.
He decried what he termed ‘serial deceptions’ by Saraki’s claims that APC was desperate to annex Kwara to the South-West, coining the forthcoming elections as a kind of referendum between ‘landlords’ and ‘strangers’ in Kwara State.
READ ALSO: Atiku: Giving a dog a bad name
Short of mentioning Saraki’s name directly, the minister said there was nothing to query either about his (Lai Mohammed) own origin as an indigene of Kwara State or that of the APC candidate, Alhaji AbdulRahaman AbadulRazaq, a subtle reference to a controversy that once surrounded the authenticity of the Sarakis as bonafide indigenes of the state.
Mohammed also denied that the election in the state would be about religion or ethnicity, saying on the contrary, his party would focus on seeking answers to existing gaps in the state of infrastructures and social amenities, some 40 years after the state came largely under the control of a single political structure.
He continued, “In this season of politics, everything goes. We are therefore calling on our people to beware of those who are trying to sell snake oil to them.
“The issues we are concerned with here in Kwara have to do with good governance and better life for our people.
“Our problem is not ethnicity; it is not religion; it is not that of gender. These elections will not be determined on the basis of ethnicity, religion or gender.
“The main issues here have to do with how our state has been governed in the past 50 years, 40 of which have been dominated by a single family.
“What has happened to the commonwealth, which has been cornered by a single dynasty at the expense of the people. Where are the roads and other infrastructures to justify the huge resources that have accrued to the state?
“If you follow a path for so long, and it leads you nowhere, won’t you try another path? These are the issues.
“They say some people want to take them to the South West. Absolute lies from those whose family ties to Kwara are questionable. I can speak for myself. I am a bona fide and proud Kwara citizen.
“My father and mother are from here. No question about that. Our gubernatorial candidate is unquestionably a proud Kwaran, from right here in Ilorin, and there are no questions about his origins. So, who is the stranger here?
“In our campaign for the forthcoming elections, we have been proudly showcasing what the Federal Government has achieved since assuming office in 2015.
“That’s the way to go. When they come to you, ask them how many kilometres of roads they have tarred.
“Ask them why the people have no potable water to drink. Ask them why workers have been pauperised because of non-payment of their salaries. Ask them why the quality of life of our people is at the lowest point.
READ ALSO: Bayelsa gov. receives 9th police boss
“Ask them who tarred the Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa road that they took to Bode Saadu, where they launched their campaign a few days ago.
“That road was impassable during the time of the PDP, the same party they are now touting as the one with the magic wand.
“If they tell you that President Buhari was the reason they have not performed, ask them what they did with the several bailouts they received from the Federal Government.
“Ask them why they could not pay workers salaries despite getting bailouts and Paris Club refund.
“They claim they are helping the state to offset workers salaries. Remind them that they are only returning some of the commonwealth they have looted. They are only doing so out of panic.
“Ask them why they used their position to sabotage national budgets year after year, to the detriment of the people. These are the issues that will dominate this campaign, not those tales by the moonlight.
“Some of the people they nominated to the boards of government agencies and parastatals are still there, yet they claim that Kwara has not benefitted from this Federal Government. These people, some of who, are holding executive positions, will soon be shown the way out.
“You, our women, our mothers, our wives, our sisters are the closest to the grassroots. We therefore urge you to go out there and counter their lies.
“Don’t allow them to muddle the waters. These elections will be about issues, not about who can engage in the worst of mudslinging”.
State Women Leader of the APC, Hajia Rhamat Okin-Abolaji had, earlier in her address, assured leaders of the party that despite the neglect of women in the last primaries of the party, they have decided to forgive and forge ahead in the overall interests of the state.
A university don, Dr. Saadat Baki who presented a paper titled ‘The role of Women in Nigeria politics: Expectations of Kwara APC Women Leaders in 2019 General Elections’, expressed concerns about the negligible percentage of women giving political offices in Nigeria”.
She enjoined women not to wait for the affirmative action that conceded 35 per cent of all elective posts to women, but should rather, strive to secure elective positions on merit.