By Mumini AbdulKareem
The Kwara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), last
night, knocked Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq over the list of the
first batch of commissioner nominees in the state.
The list of the four commissioner nominees, all females, which was
reportedly forwarded to the Kwara State House of Assembly on Monday,
was read during plenary on Tuesday at the floor of the House.
Many of the party stakeholders who had expected an elaborate list and
announcement of their preferred choices were disappointed with the
action of the Governor following the tension and intense agitation
that the issue generated.
It was gathered that the decision of the Governor to announce the
names of the nominees in piecemeal was not unconnected with the
anxiety within the party stakeholders over the issue and the high
wired politics that had trailed it.
The choices of the four nominees which included Hajia Sa’adatu
Modibbo-Kawu, e wife of the Director-General of the National
Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Alh. Ishaq Modibbo-Kawu , daughter of
former Kwara State Governor, Mohammed Lawal from Ilorin East Local
Government, Arinola Fatimoh Lawal and Aisha Ahman-Pategi, a sister to
former House of Representative member for Edu/Moro/Patigi federal
constituency, Hon Ahman Pategi. Also listed is Joana Nnazua Kolo, the
youngest commissioner-nominee in the state’s history at 26. The 2018
graduate of Library Science from the Kwara State University (KWASU) is
presently having her National Youths Service Corps programme in Jigawa
State.
However, the main opposition party in the state, through its chairman,
Engr Kola Shittu commenting on the issue, last night, noted that
governance is a serious business and should not be reduced to a
jamboree.
Shittu, who said he was not against giving the youth opportunity to
showcase their leadership qualities in serving the state, emphasised
the need for such appointee to have requisite experience to move the
state forward.
He said: Anybody that must be appointed commissioner must be matured
person who will take decision on how to govern the state. Even if you
want to make youth a commissioner, the person should have at least 10
years minimum experience after graduation from the university or
polytechnic.
“Or else if a fresh school leaver is appointed a member of the state
executive council, he or she may find the environment difficult
because of lack of life experiences.
“I am not against appointment of the youth but we need experienced
people. If someone graduated at the age 21, before he gets to 31 yrs
of age, he would have gathered enough experience. Otherwise the person
will be a passenger in the state executive council. When you see the
way the state council is being run, if you are not experienced or
matured, you will not be able to cope and it will be a disadvantage to
the state”, he added.
The PDP Chairman said, “We should take governance very seriously and I
will not support anybody that is below the age of 30 to be a member of
the state executive council.
“We can’t just put people who don’t have knowledge of what they want
to do, it will affect the government and the people of the state. As a
commissioner, one should be able to reason and advice the Governor on
the ministry he or she is charged with and come with proposal to think
on how to move the state forward and not just fill the chair. We
should take governance more seriously rather than just jamboree. We
should be more serious, it’s very important”, he added.
