In this interview with HEAD POLITICS, MUMINI ABDULKAREEM, the Magaji
Nda of Ilorin, Alhaji Soliu Woru Mohammed talks about the his position
on some of the actions of the Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq-led
administration among other issues in the polity. Excerpts:
Firstly, there seem to be a kind of controversy about the age of Emir
late mother who passed on recently, what is really the true picture?
Well, there is not controversy at all. She was 96 years of age. I am
the spokesman of the Emir and the Emirate and speaks on behalf of him.
The emir has never said I was wrong and those who saying she was 104
or 124 are poor researchers; they should go back to history. If they
say she is 124, it means she has been born before the father who
ascended the throne in 1919. She was 96 and that is the true story.
As one of the stakeholders that was involved in the reconciliations
process of some Kwara Central political stakeholders with the former
Senate President, where are we now on that and do you think you the
purpose has achieved?
Well, I am very delighted and proud to note that our mission to
various people three months to the election was very successful
because the election was very peaceful devoid of riot or violence.
Myself, Abdulwahab Sani and Magaji Atunluse went round to meet some
prominent people who have worked with former Senate President Bukola
Saraki before but are no more with him. We met the likes of Prof
Shuaib Abdulraheem Oba, Hon Moshood Mustapha, Yinka Aluko, Lukman
Mustapha, Ayinla Folorunsho and Ambassador Yahaya Seriki among others
through phone calls and physically. We told them to reconcile with
Saraki and even if they don’t, there should not be trouble in the land
because of politics or election irrespective of any party they are
before, during and after the election particularly during the
campaign. These people listened to us and there was no violence, the
merit and demerit of the election is not my concern here as the case
is already in court. But that it went peacefully means our mission was
not in vain and I am very delighted about the whole situation. When
Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq was announced as the Governor, there
was no violence from both sides and things were very peaceful. Though
some people were abusing me that I was being sponsored, but that
doesn’t bother me because we wanted peace in the state and nobody ever
sponsored me for that move. We have what we wanted to achieve to have
peace everywhere in the state which I am very happy about.
After the swearing-in of Governor Abdulrazaq, what is your assessment
of his administration so far?
Although I have never met the governor but I must commend him for the
steps he has taken so far and he has started very well judging from
his recent appointment. He didn’t appoint controversial figures as SSG
or CoS among others because I know some of those that were seriously
lobbying for it but he abandoned them and appointed Aminu Logun, a
highly respected citizen as CoS and seasoned administrator as SSG
including the CPS among others. I think God is behind him. People who
want to cause trouble have been making noise about it and want to
incite him to certain actions which will be very inimical to peace and
tranquillity but he refused. I appeal to him to continue to refuse and
be on his own. He is the governor of everybody and all the political
parties unless court decides otherwise. He should not listen to those
calling on him to probe past governments or political leaders except
there is glaring need for it, otherwise he may lose focus
concentrating energy on probe and may not succeed. Abdulrazaq must
remember that a lot of people surrounding him now are beneficiaries of
former Senate President or his father and even worked with former
Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and if we say the last government had
issues, they are also part of the problem.
The government has instituted a committee on recovery of government
assets headed by former Senator Makanjuola Ajadi, what is your take on
this?
I have my strong reservations on the appointment of the Senator Ajadi
to chair such a probe committee against the past government. I am not
criticising the Governor for such appointment because he might have
been stampeded. Ajadi is a politician who is an interested party and
had been at loggerheads with the past government and should not have
appointed to head such an enormous committee. The Governor could have
appointed a retired judge, magistrate, seasoned judge or lawyer rather
than Ajadi. I am also appealing to the Governor not to allow former
Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed access to his
government because he was the one that was promoting the Berlin Wall
narrative to divide the emirate. The governor should not allow the
former minister to mislead him unless he changes his altitude and
colour speaking with both side of his mouth.
There are other appointments yet to be made, what is your advice to
the governor going forward?
He should look for people who are not only loyal to him but dedicated
to the state because at times the former could misadvise him. They
must be credible and round pegs in round hole and the governor should
dialogue not only with his political party this time but with Emirs,
traditional rulers and community leaders. He can compensate those whom
he believed worked for him with contracts and not appointments. Those
to man ministries of Education and Local Government and Chieftaincy
Affairs should be people of competence who are grounded with the
history of Ilorin and Kwara State. For instance, whatever he wants to
do or reach out to the traditional rulers should be routed through the
Emirs or Obas whether in the Emirate or Kwara South depending on the
part of the state concerned rather than holding meetings with the
traditional chiefs without the consent of their superiors. Emir,
Kings, Obas are born and a creation of the constitution. So he
shouldn’t allow some Magajis, Alanguas or other traditional
opportunists derail him and he should be very careful about land
matters because Emirs and Obas are custodians of our cultural values
and tradition. The Governor should be very watchful especially coming
from a solid family background in the state just like the former
Senate President and must embark on solid background checks on his
appointees.
Do you subscribe to the governor appointing people from the opposition
to work in his government?
Of course he should form a unity government and there is nothing
stopping him to seat down and interact with former governors, SSGs and
CoS like C.O Adebayo, Shaaba Lafiagi, Bukola Saraki and Abdulfatah
Ahmed among others to ask how they had manage the state. He should
identify good materials from Saraki and any other political camps that
he feels can contribute and add value to governance whether from APC,
PDP, Labour party of SDP, he should go for it in consultation with the
political leaders and even among the traditional institutions. Those
who are saying he should not look towards the opposition who can help
him move the state forward are not sincere. The Governor should form a
unity government just as Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila has done by
involving the PDP in the committees of the House against the gospel of
the party’s chairman, Adams Oshiomhole. He should form an all
inclusive government and incorporate everybody. What matters now is
the present because the time for politics is gone, we are now at the
stage of governance and he should not allow APC politicians to derail
him?
As a traditional ruler, what do you make of the issue of crisis of
women market leaders in the state?
Everybody is expected to be loyal to the government of the day but
once there is a change in Government, everybody is expected to be
loyal to the new person. The new government should not fault that. In
some markets in Kwara including Ilorin and Offa among other place,
there is crisis by people wanting to cause trouble for the government
where some overzealous women are saying they want to remove the
Iyaloja because they didn’t support the new government. Emir and not
the government is the one that appointed the Iyaloja. It’s not a crime
to support the government of the day otherwise it will be a crime now
to support this government. So government should be mindful of issues
like this to avoid victimisation and spread their projects across. On
governance, former governors Bukola Saraki and Abdulfatah Ahmed tried
their best and I commend them for that, their best might not be enough
but they have left the state and I commend Governor Abdulrazaq for
starting from where the last government stopped because government is
continuum. Kwara is very peaceful place and I appeal to Governor
Abdulrazaq not to embark on vengeance, he is above that now and should
start on a clean slate. God has destined that he should be the
governor this time. But that does not mean he should not make some
changes if he feels a policy by the former government is not
acceptable to him. That is why I commend President Buhari who refused
to be stampeded into probing past presidents like Jonathan and
Obasanjo among others.
As one who has been once privileged to be chairman of board state
media houses, what is your assessment of the happenings in the media
space in the state?
What is happening in state media houses shall continue and even get
worse if they refused to follow this advice. Appointment of board
members or chairman for the boards of the three state media houses
should be based on professionals and people who know their onus and
not just who just want to warm the sit and collect sitting allowances.
I had been former chairman of Board of Radio Kwara and The Herald
newspapers before. During my time in Radio Kwara, I was the one who
contracted the 16 room uncompleted building behind the mosque without
taking a penny from the government or management. But I used my
influence to go round people in government who contributed to get that
structure erected but sadly it has been abandoned. They don’t need to
spend a lot of money in Radio Kwara for instance painting and
demarcating building and offices, I am not happy about that. The
remaining money to complete that abandoned building which can occupy
everybody then was just N15m then. I am not happy with what is
happening there. I appeal to this government to revisit the abandoned
project and even bring The Herald there so as to centralise the media
houses. The era of GM is no more, we are now in the era of a
Director-General because information is very vital. Sales offices
should be opened in strategic places and town across the state and
other political parties should be allowed to use them once they pay
and didn’t say anything contrary to the law to generate fund. Also,
there are mechanic and engineering departments in Radio Kwara, what
stops people who wants to repair their radios and cars from going
there. Why should they be idle and the government should invest in
them to expand their reach. These are the things I expect the governor
to do and I know he would do it.
