By Abdulwahab Oba
As the 2023 election draws nearer, it has become more glaring that the state’s governor, AbdulRaham AbdulRazaq lacks the basic requisite administrative knowledge and competence. He is not only confused and disheartened but surrounded by a bunch of yo-yos.
Circulating a video of bad portion of diamond underpass while claiming that it was a result of shoddy job execution is not only shameless and awful but shows that the governor is incompetent and lacks maintenance culture.
For the record, the Geri Alimi Diamond Split and Underpass was completed in April 2019 by Duravil construction Ltd, the same contractor hired by AbdulRaham to construct Ilesha/Gwanara road. The Underpass has two bridges and a roundabout, with an underground stormy water drainage of 900 metres, security post, control room and CCTV monitors and cameras for security and surveillance, standby generator and dedicated transformer, Solar Street Lights, making the project first of its kind in Nigeria ahead of Underpasses in Maryland, Lagos which has one head bridge, and kano underpass. This was once attested to by Senetor kabiru Gaya.
The 2nd phase of the project and a maintenance contract were awarded to the same company at about 400 million and N1.5m monthly, respectively. The maintenance contract covers May 2019 to May, 2021, for first phase. It is meant to maintain the stormy underground drainage to forestall silting or blockages and its attendant damage to the underpass road. It also includes maintenance of security equipment in the control room, carrying out surveillance work, maintenance of street lights, transformer, lawns and fuelling of the generator.
Unfortunately, AbdulRaham abruptly stopped the maintenance contract in June, 2019 without providing any alternative for the first of its kind edifice. He obviously lacks maintenance culture.
The results of this is the vandalisatation of control room, CCTV, generator, solar street lights, and bushy roundabout lawn, blockages of stormy underground drainage and consequently, the latest spill over damages to the underpass Road.
Now, Kwarans should asked AbdulRaham AbdulRazaq why he stopped the 2nd phase of the project from Geri Alimi to General Hospital Roundabout which was designed to evacuate water from the stormy underground drainage to surface drainage to Odo-Okun stream. The stoppage of work at the 2nd phase resulted in to the stormy underground drainage which now depressed the underpass underground soil and resulted into the road damage.
The 2nd phase of the project must resume now to give access to stormy underground water in the underpass to Odo-Okun stream. Experts need to teach our governor on the importance of the 2nd phase and the nexus between the 1st ad 2nd phase of the project.
Though AbdulRaham must have abandoned all legacy projects of past administration for vindictiveness, he should, however, be adequately informed of collateral effect on the economy of the state and the hardship inflicted on kwarans. Other legacy projects abandoned by AbdulRaham are the metropolitan Square, Deputy Governor’s office, Sango-Oke-Ose Dualisation Road work, Arobadi Maigida road, Salahudeen Baki Road in GRA, Governor residence, among others.
AbdulRaham AbdulRazaq should deliver dividend of democracy to Kwarans in the remaining six months of his administration instead of cheap and unprovoked blackmail and unnecessary shenanigans. This administration has not completed a single dual carriageway, a bridge, any residential estate or a new hospital or school since 2019.
This shenanigan can not continue. Our state is headed towards the wrong direction. We can not continue on the path of a governor unprepared to speak to the people but ready to put journalists behind bars. We can not continue on the path of wastage through abandoned projects. We can not continue on the path of unprecedented indebtedness. A debt of N110b is unacceptable for a state like ours. Kwara state is presently headed in the wrong direction not envisioned by our founding fathers. We’re fast losing their dreams of a prosperous state.
A Yaman/Makanjuola government will guarantee freedom of expression and will protect the rights and security of journalists. A Yaman/Makanjuola administration will communicate with the people. It will be an administration that will create wealth and improve the efficiency of our revenue-generating agency, the KWIRS.
When voted into office, Yaman shall embark on pragmatic measures that will bail us out from this exclusive government into an all-inclusive participatory government, and restore the hopes and aspirations of career officers whose promotions have been largely politicised.
It is time for AbdulRaham AbdulRazaq to vacate Ahmadu Bello Way. The decision time is now here. It’s Yaman O’clock.
*Oba, is former CPS to former Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed.
