By Mumini AbdulKareem
Details emerged last night on the resignation saga of the former Kwara Commissioner for Special Duties, Aisha Ahman-Pategi.
Ahman-Pategi who was initially redeployed from the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, finally quit the cabinet after weeks of speculations.
Her resignation this time around on Friday was coming forty-six after her first decision which was reportedly rejected by Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq.
She has since changed her twitter bio-data to reflect her new status as a former commissioner in Kwara State.
Widely referred to as a “super commissioner” in the cabinet allegedly because of her closeness to the governor, Aisha’s exit is coming about a week after a similar one by another high profile appointee and former Special Adviser to Kwara State Governor on Health Matters, Dr Wale Suleiman.
It was gathered that her resignation statement which was reportedly sent in from the US was fallout of her protracted squabble with her counterpart in the Ministry of Finance, Mrs Oyeyemi Olasunbo over alleged illegal withdrawal of N300m monthly council fund when she headed the ministry.
Findings by National Pilot last night revealed that although the governor tried to avoid the situation and attempted to give her a soft landing, she rejected all entreaties toward that rejected before she reportedly relocated to the US despite the Covid-19 pandemic that has put international flight on hold in Nigeria.
According to top sources who craved anonymity on the issue in different responses with this medium, Ahman-Pategi was reportedly frustrated out of government despite coming with intimidating credentials.
The issue has continued to generate concerns within top circles in the state on Abdulrazaq’s style of governance coming.
According of the sources last night, “The former commissioner for special duties has left the shores of the country to America from where she sent her resignation statement. She believed that she was not been protected enough by the Governor over her dispute with the commissioner for finance. She still harbours grudges that the governor is taking sides with her counterpart (Olasumbo). But what she (Aisha) failed to realise is that His Excellency, the Governor knows what he is doing.
“The Governor believed that there is a way the issue could be handled better. You know she has been addressing and parading herself as a super commissioner to people and there are a lot of things which people have insinuated and are still insinuating about her with the governor. The Governor will be confirming such narrative if he is not careful in handling the issue. The Governor is trying to give her (Aisha) a soft landing but that has been difficult for her to understand”, the source added.
When contacted last night on telephone, though the tone of her phone indicated that she was outside the country, she did not picked not return the call.
However, when queried on the issue and when the governor is likely to fill the vacant positions during a telephone chat on Sunday, the Commissioner for Communication, Mrs Harriet Afolabi-Oshatimehin simply said “I will get back to you”. She was yet to do so before this paper when to bed.
Afolabi-Oshatimehin had on behalf of the Kwara State Government accepted the resignation of Aisha on Friday in a terse statement and wished her the best in her future endeavours.
“The government has received the resignation of Aishah Ahman-Pategi, who was Commissioner for Special Duties.
“The government accepts same, and wishes her the best in her future endeavours”, the two paragraphs statement added.
Already there strong indication of an imminent reshufflement of the cabinet of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq in response to the recent high profile resignations that has hit the executive.
This is even as the Governor is yet to replace his late Chief of Staff, Dr Aminu Adisa Logun who died in June as a result of complications from the Covid-19 disease at the age of 71.
Unlike the late Logun, the decision of Suleiman and Aisha that reportedly lead to their being frustrated out of government despite coming with intimidating credentials has continued to generate concerns within top circles in the state on Abdulrazaq’s style of governance.
Many sources and insiders who spoke on the development last night with National Pilot said the Governor is on the verge of carrying out a cabinet reshuffle following the recent development.
It was gathered that many other appointees who are similarly dissatisfied with the state of things in the administration but have been hanging on will in the coming weeks turn in their resignations.
According to a top source who craved anonymity on the issue, “After the minor cabinet reshuffle which was carried out when the issue of the two commissioners first occurred that affected about four ministries, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq will any time from now embark on another exercise to respond to the latest developments in the cabinet.
“We are approaching a crucial period in the life of the administration and coupled with the pandemic, there are lots of grounds to cover and the governor is very much aware of this”, he added.
Meanwhile, residents in the state have been reacting to the issue on many social media platforms with some accusing the former commissioner of already acting as the first lady of Kwara State.
Some of the reactions: It is not impossible that they turned the heat against her. We may ask this, when she was redeployed to the ministry of special duties, apparently to enable unhindered investigation by the investigative committee, was same thing applicable to her counterpart in the ministry of finance?
If not, equation no balance be that!
Oh! ote ge. I thought this government of Kwara will not loot the fund. More shall resign – Odoba Young Ambassadors
More Resignation Is Coming, One Way Government – Soliu Saheed
Pls what is going on? May AA succeed – Rasaq Gasali
Gaskiya Luku Kwara need pray, Things fall apart.
Good of her she is not a bastard – Umar Ladi –
When we have uncomfortable numbers of well disciplined and capable hand from pategi. Why the undue publicity. Pls. forget her jare – Kayode Omookuorun
Maybe because of the rumors making round that she’s entangled with the governor and that she’s also playing the role of the First Lady – Sofiat.
Profiles
Aisha Ahman-Pategi
The former commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs before she was moved to special duties, Aisha Ahman-Pategi is a scion of one of Kwara’s oldest political families, Aisha Ahman-Pategi is a professional business manager with over 20 years experience in communication strategy, investment/financial consulting, and marketing and motivational leadership. She is a serial entrepreneur known for a contagious passion for excellence and innovation with great resource skills in research, government and relations. Ms Ahman-Pategi was educated at the School of Remedial Studies and FASS-International Relations in Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State in 1996; Agent and Broker License Barney Fletcher School, in Atlanta GA, USA in 2004; Capstone Institute of Mortgage Finance, also in Atlanta in 2006; Stanford University, Stanford California where she obtained a certificate in Political Science (Data Analysis) in 2013; Bachelor of Art – Mass Communication from Oklahoma City University, Oklahoma; and MBA Business Administration from American Inter-Continental University, Dunwoody GA. Aisha was Sales Manager for J&S Auto Sales Decatur, GA 30082 before founding A-Line Realty SMYRNA, GA 30082 in 2004 as the President and Managing Broker. The agency serves more than 300 clients by providing financial planning, assets management, commercial and residential estate transactions. Between 2005 and 2007, she joined Continental Mortgage/World Financial Services Inc., Atlanta, GA 30324 as Financial Advisor/Mortgage consultant where she assisted clients with their needs via financial need analysis. Aisha, a former Senior Special Assistant to the Speaker of the House of Representatives on Strategy and Communication, has also worked for the non-profit Project Coach Foundation since 2018 as executive director. The non-profit organisation serves the most vulnerable communities in Nigeria through Community Outreach, Advocacy, Capacity building and Health (COACH) projects.
Olawale Sulaiman
Olawale Sulaiman is a Nigerian neurosurgeon and academic. He is the CEO and Chairman of RNZ Global Ltd. He also founded RNZ Foundation to provide free neurosurgical care for Nigerian patients and training for healthcare professionals. In 2019, He was appointed as Special Adviser to the Governor of Kwara State on Health. He received a combined MD/MSc degree at Medical University, Varna, Bulgaria and a PhD in neuroscience at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. His neurosurgery training was completed at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada. He completed post-residency fellowship training in complex nerve reconstruction at Louisiana State University and complex spine surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, USA. He is board-certified in neurosurgery by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. He was System Chairman of Neurosurgery and Co-Medical Director at the Ochsner Neuroscience Institute until January 2019 and then serves as the Medical Director, International Medicine, African Region, Ochsner Health system. He is a Professor of neurosurgery and spinal surgery at Tulane University. He is the CEO and Chairman of RNZ Global Ltd, a healthcare development, operations and management he started in 2010. He has been involved in neurosurgery and spine surgeries in Nigeria and provides free neurosurgery services to indigent population that cannot afford complex spine surgeries. He and his wife, Patricia Sulaiman, a nurse practitioner with three children launched RNZ Foundation for their philanthropic activities in Nigeria.
