With Saliu Woru Mohammed
Continued from last Monday
Crime can be defined as the infringement of law of which punishment is provided for. To achieve speedy trial of cases, the Bukola Saraki’s administration appointed many judges, magistrates and other judicial officers. The government constructed new courts and opened judicial offices in various parts of the state. Suffice to say that the government performed creditably in waging war against crime and criminality and made efforts to ensure the observance of rule of law. The government did not interfere with the functioning of the judiciary.
One of the reasons always referred to that is responsible for engaging in criminal activities is the absence of job creation by the government. Though, this claim is debatable as criminal records showed that some people who are gainfully employed sometimes engaged in crime and criminality. To arrest this ugly situation, the saraki’s administration provided gainful employments for the citizenries without discrimination. This no doubt contributed to crime reduction and peaceful co-existence among various communities in the state.
Furthermore, the state civil servants smile home at the end of the month after collection of their salaries and dues regularly and promotions deserving workers. The state was relatively peaceful, because the government considered qualitative education of the youths who are the leaders of tomorrow as a must. The period can be referred to as the moment of education without tears, the students were given scholarships and free text books, it was a moment of joy and happiness for the teachers, students and the parents. The giant step demonstrated by Saraki no doubt contributed immensely to crime prevention and detection in the state. The Poverty Alleviation Programme (PAP) of Saraki’s purposeful administration in the state is another commendable stride in his bid to fighting crime in the state during his tenure.
The administration ran open and purposeful administration by carrying the traditional rulers, community and religious leaders along in the execution of projects. His leadership style made us believed that democracy is rulership by the people. At that memorable period, the administration established Vigilante Groups across the sixteen local government areas of Kwara State, provided the group with all necessary tools to operate effectively. His administration also established cordial relationship with all law abiding citizens, various associations, cultural and religious organisations including all categories of students, which made them to contribute to winning the war against crime and criminality. The law enforcement agencies, the military, the Civil Defence Corps were beneficiaries of the government’s support thereby making them to discharge their constitutional duties effectively and efficiently. That led to the huge success recorded in all facet of governance throughout his tenure as the State Chief Executive.
To be continued
