By Abdullateef Ishowo
Isn’t it an interesting moment in Kwara as systemic failure culminates into governace crisis in the state? The weight and the torturousity of toxic governance is crippling the developmental pace (not growth) of the state and we all keep mute like nothing happens. Sheer hypocriticy or fear? “The man died in him, he who keeps quiet in the face of tyranny”, quipped Wole Soyinka. This is beyond mistakes invited by incompetence, there seems to be evil at the helm.
However, I am neither surprised nor fazed. I am rather innocently furrowing my brow at the quantum of anatomical distruction of the structure. Anyone who has read a book titled “Evil Men” by Miranda Twiss will but understand that the only unifying factor among certain rulers and the evil acts they perpetrate is the unlimited power they wield over their subjects. Either they appear in Kaki, suit or agbada, what they wear is immaterial, what the garments cover is mutually inhuman.
It saddens the heart and quite difficult to comprehend how and why Gov AA watches his subjects die cheaply without budge. I wonder how he sleeps lightheartedly with eyes closed and snoring noisily to the eardrums of the traumatised subjects. Act of irresponsibility or dearth of wisdom?
How do one describe the deliberate negligence of Okoolowo to the detriment of the downthroden? That the once bubbling area has now become a death-trap is unthinkable. From road accidents occasioned by failure of governance, poor condition of the community to kidnappings; our people get traumatised, kidnapped or killed on daily basis without any sign of empathy from the government. These reoccur right in the city of Ilorin, the state capital where the governor equally resides. Rather than nib the menace in the bud, our own very brothers whose families are equally feeling the toxic effects of the persistent misgovernance in the state are busy releasing epistles to continue tarnishing the image of past governments in the state. How commonsensical is this for God sake! What good does this act of insensitivity do the people of the state? Or is it a diversionary ploy to sway the unsuspecting Kwarans from the reality already starring them in the face? Haba! Where’s our conscience? While the previous governments weren’t perfect, the present isn’t comply without areas of performance but today reserves the huge opportunity to right tomorrow.
I wonder why we continue to chase shadows at the detriment of substance by thinking something good will ever come out of nothingness? You can’t give what you lack. Knowledge rules the world and poverty of it results in disaster. Plato emphasised the need for the Greek to prioritise meritocracy over mediocrity and education over ignorance when selecting a leader. He advocated for either a philosopher-king or king-philosopher as a leader. Sadly, our man is neither a philosopher-king nor king-philosopher. Hence, his nonchalant attitude to the exit of governance in the state. Governance has taken flight from here to unknown destination.
The current security situation in the state of harmony is unprecedented, as bandits take over the northern part, kidnappers ravage the south and the central is not spared of kidnapping and incessant strikes by rival cult groups resulting in lost of youthful lives. Former Governor Bukola Saraki in collaboration with Kwara Poly and Unilorin authorities fought cultism to a standstill in Kwara between 2004 and 2006. How we return back to the dark era of cultism beats commonsense.
Our earlier persistent calls to prioritise security over beautification by constructing a flyover at Okoolowo and Shao junctions rather than Tanke and Unity fell on the deaf ear of the governor. Thinking that he probably lacks good advisers, I persistently told him via different radio programs that the choice of Tanke to site an overhead bridge was almost useless as the road terminates at Unilorin and solves no tangible challenge as the case is at Oko-olowo and Shao junctìons. Ditto Unity flyover as a mere beauty contest; if there was a flyover at Post-office constructed by former Governor Bukola Saraki, there must be another one at a stone-throw constructed by ‘me’. Infrastructural development is good and governor AA should be commended for working hard to maintain what he met on ground by rehabilitating some existing roads, beautifying the city by constructing bridges, a single life lost as a result of insecurity negates whatever the achievement of beautification efforts is.
Kidnappers ravage the southern part of the state as traditional rulers contribute fund to protect themselves from the hands of the devil’s incarnates. In Oke-Ero local government in same Kwara south on Friday 25th April 2025, Head of Legal Department, Barrister Elizabeth Arinde and the Director of Personnel Management (DPM), Alhaji Musbau Amuda of the same council, were kidnapped with their abductors demamding a N50m ransom. On their release barely 48 hours later, it wasn’t clear whether the ransom was paid or they were released “fisaebilillah”. I don’t want to laugh please.
If this bothers you, the situation is alarmingly worse in the northern part of the state as bandits kill at will. Just few days ago, unknown gunmen attacked Ilesha-Baruba, leaving a deathtoll of six innocent people.
Rather than being alive to his core responsibility of protecting lives and properties of citizens who voted him to the office that gave him the power he now wields blatantly nacked, Mr. governor continues to enmeshed himself in politics of bitterness unprecedented any of his predecessors. For instance, he has persistently stopped constituency projects facilitated by the performing Senator representing Kwara Central in the red chamber of the NationalAssembly, Mallam Saliu Mustapha, without considering the interests of the electorates and the general public. We saw this action perpetrated by the governor when he stopped the construction of Isale-jagun road; forcing the affable senator to relocate the project to another area within the state capital. Similar act is metted on the proposed Sulu Gambari Pavilion at Emir of Ilorin’s Palace as requested by the Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU) executives. Till this moment, the entire well-meaning Ilorites are still pleading to our amiable governor to temper justice with mercy.
In the last six years, well-meaning individuals like me, who desire development for this state, would have voluntarily joined the government of Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq without being persuaded or sought after if we had witnessed good governance which surpasses the previous ones vehemently condemned by the o toge crusaders. Alas! The governance vehicle of the state has been put on a reverse gear. This position clearly resonates with that of Kwara Redemption Movement (KRM) group, a faction in the Kwara APC that broke away from the governor’s camp.
Ministries and local government departments have been killed as workers are on sabbatical leave. Gone were the days when commissioners and local government chairmen execute multimillion naira peojects. Duties of the workers of the finance ministry are now executed by unknown foreign consultants. Thereby denying many workers from getting their salaries as at when due. Many KWSUBEB Pensioners are still expecting their February, March and April salaries as payment of gratuity becomes a previledge. Kwara Road Menenance Agency now lives in its past glory. Worse still, the sole administrator who withdrew all these functions hardly stay back to govern the state. Ours is a part-time governor.
As I had stated in many media, our problem isn’t political parties but the human beings who are the operators of these parties. Whichever party you belong to, be a good person there. Political parties remain mere vehicles to convey your interest and deliver your ambitions; your character resides in you permanently. It’s in your blood, mostly an inborn attribute. It follows you everywhere like your shadow. It refuses to separate from you. So what has party got to do with your character? This explains why I align with Prof. Hassan Saliu’s clarion call on Kwara politicians that if you’re not prepared to proffer solutions to some of our numerous challenges as a state battling with leadership crisis and have an idea of what to do to fix them, don’t bother to contest come 2027; God spares our lives. It’s not your birthright. It’s now about who, not about political party.
As President Bola Ahmed Tinubu keeps searching for solutions to our numerous challenges as a people yearning for progress, I implore him to graciously see to the ongoing misgovernance in Kwara under governor Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq. It’s unprecedented, as the governor feels that security of lives and properties, citizens participation and engagement, accountability and human capital development should all bow to rehabilitation of few existing roads. Let Mr. President look around and ask some fundamental questions, why is Mr. Governor fighting everybody? Why are people running away from him in spite of the enormous resources at his disposal? Where’re the yesterday’s original O’ toge crusaders? Why have they abandoned the ‘beautiful’ house they built together? Mr. President should reflect on all this.
I am not so sure if all those who carry out inhuman acts live to suffer the repercussions, but JS Mill’s admonition comes to mind that “the dictum that truth always triumphs over persecution is one of the pleasant falsehoods which men repeat after one another till they pass into commonplace, but which experience refutes. History teems with unstances of truth and goodness put down by persecution.
Wiston Churchill’s assertion that history will be fair to him because he will write it corroborates Mill’s position, as we’ve withnessed many tyrants living a comfortable live after unceremonious exit from office. However, the evil done by men lives after them, I so belive. Law of karma is real after all.
Abdullateef Ishowo is an author, development analyst and political strategist
