SARAKI'S SQUANDERMANIA
The essence of governance and democracy is meeting the needs of the
populace by rendering selfless service and delivering democratic
dividends. The impact of government is validated by the quality and
standard of living of people, existence of basic and affordable
infrastructures and schemes and putting measures are put in place to
improve the lives of people through accessible amenities and
opportunities. Governments are expected to place premium attention on the
welfare and wellbeing of citizens.
However, kwara state offers an irrational, illogical and depressing
prospect. If the above prerequisites are deployed to determine the
existence of government, I doubt if we have one in kwara state. Kwara
state has witnessed since 2003 is not government, but squandermania and
mismanagement of scarce resources by a regime adept at epicurean
pursuits preponderated by a band of marauders and pillagers. One is
shocked at the callous manner, money is flittered and looted under
several schemes to the detriment of the indigenes and treasury in a
state described as one of the poorest in the North central. There is
nothing like selfless service on the agenda of people in government, all
actions, programme and policies are motivated by the desire to fleece
the state.
It is only in kwara state that there is no pipeborne water, but the
state government spends millions of naira monthly on water purposely to
wet the bizarrely numerous flowers and trees planted on the road. While
workers are being paid fake minimum wage laced with heavy deductions,
our governor is buying Volvo limousines with Toyota Hilux pickups for
traditional rulers. To make matters worse, 2007 Toyota Camry cars worth
millions of naira were given to members of the state house of
rubberstamps and local government ‘sharemen”. All these happening in a
state that is an imperdible fortress for poverty. We have seen various
fruitless foreign trips and purchased awards which have served as
avenues to defraud the state.
With the grandiose filchering going on in kwara, one hopes the state
will not end up like Societe Generale Bank!. Substandard services by
government are prevalent and pervasive throughout the state, while
kwarans have become slaves groaning heavily under the yoke of a
thoroughly inept, rudderless and corrupt regime. Only God know who will
save us or when this slavery will end?
ADEKUNLE THEOPHILIUS, AN ABUJA BASED PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR