How I’ll avoid being ‘stoned’ by Kwara people – Gov. Abdulrazaq
The Kwara State
Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has assured people of the state that he would
deliver on his campaign promises to avoid being “stoned”.
He gave the
assurance during a meeting with top officials of the Kwara State Road
Maintenance Agency in Ilorin, the state capital, over the weekend.
AbdulRazaq said he
was aware of the high expectations of the people and has resolved to meet their
yearning, especially in road construction and provision of other social infrastructure.
He said: “The state
of our roads in Kwara is disappointing. This is particularly true of Kwara
North.
“There is no road,
for instance, to Gwanara especially now that it is raining and yet the
contractor handling it is collecting money. That was why the previous
administration was stoned (in Gwanara).
“We don’t want to
be stoned.
“Kwara people have
woken up and if I don’t fix the road, they will protest. So, we will sit with
the contractors. We are not sacking or removing them. We want to be proactive
so they can do their job.”
Governor
Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq on Friday announced his first appointments namely the
Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Chief of Staff, CoS, and the Chief
Press Secretary.
A statement by the
Deputy Chief Press Secretary, Mr Agboola Olarewaju, said the appointments
include: Alhaji Aminu Adisa Login – CoS; Alhaji Mamman Saba Jibril – SSG; and
Alhaji Radius Ajakaye – CPS.
Logun, Chief of
Staff is a pioneer industrialist in Ilorin and an alumnus of the National
institute for strategic studies, NIPSS, Kuru Jos, Plateau state.
He hails from
Ilorin and was Chairman of the 80-member Kwara state Transition committee
appointed by Governor Abdulrazaq.
Logun also an
alumnus of Barewa college, Zaria, Kaduna state, attended King’s college, Lagos,
had a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical engineering from Loughborough University of
Technology, and a Master’s of Science, M.Sc from Birmingham University, both in
the UK.
He worked at
various times in Lever Brothers, Port Sunlight, UK, Cerekem Arhus, Denmark,
North Brewery Ltd, Kano and Nigeria Iron Ore Mining company, Itakpe, Kogi state.
Jibril, the new
SSG, hails from the Kwara North senatorial district and was until his
appointment the head of Geography department at the Nigerian Defence Academy,
NDA, Kaduna.
He has a bachelor’s
degree in Geography Master’s of Science, M.Sc, in Geography and Planning, and a
P.hd in Geography and a specialist in remote sensing applications.
Jibril who has
published several articles in local and foreign journals is a member of the
Association of Nigeria Geographers and Cartographic Association of Nigeria.
The new Chief Press
Secretary, Ajakaye, a seasoned journalist holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in
History and International Studies, and currently a Master’s degree student in
History and Diplomacy both from the Lagos State University, LASU.
A native of Alabe
in the Irepodun Local Government of the state, he was until his appointment,
the Nigerian correspondent for Anadolu Agency, Turkish semi-official news
medium and world’s fifth largest news agency.
Ajakaye with over
15 years of experience in active journalism, has reported for various local and
international news media as politics and development journalist including the
Daily Independent.
Kwara: Gov. Abdulrazaq reveals what he’ll do over civil servants’
political leanings, N30,000 minimum wage
The Kwara State
Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, has assured civil servants in the state that
he will not witch-hunt anyone for his or her political convictions.
He gave the assurance
on Thursday in Ilorin, the state capital, during his maiden meeting with civil
servants in the state.
“We would not label
anyone. We will carry everybody along and promote a culture of transparency and
independence.
“We want Kwara to
regain its rightful place, particularly in the North where it used to be the
number one in terms of education and so on,” Abdulrazaq said.
The Governor
promised to ensure prompt payment of salaries, and also to pay the minimum wage
after due consultations with the civil servants and proper assessment of the
financial situation of the state.
“We will pay May
salary almost immediately. We want to get to a place where there are no backlog
of salary and pensions.
“We’ll discuss the
minimum wage. The intention is to pay, but we need to sit down and resolve a
few issues.
“There has been so
much plundering of the state resources, but we will rise above all that.
“We’ll ride on your
back to get things done while your welfare is taken care of,” he said.
The governor
declared that his government would strive to plug loopholes and reduce overhead
costs through prudent management of resources.
He also promised to
address the infrastructural deficit in the state and create wealth through
private enterprise.
The News Agency of
Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting was attended by top party leaders led by
APC chairman, Mr Bashir Bolarinwa; Head of the Civil Service, Mrs Susan
Oluwole; permanent secretaries, directors, and other senior civil servants in
the state.
Offa Bank Robbery: 10 Persons Including 4 Police Officers Confirmed Dead
Ten persons have been confirmed dead, including four policemen after robbers
invaded a commercial bank in Kwara State town of Offa yesterday.
It is reported that the bandits gained access to the town from
Ijagbo, in the western end.
Eyewitnesses who recalled the deadly incident told our reporter on the
telephone that “The robbers carted away substantial amount of money from the
banks’ vaults.
“They blew open the security of the banks with dynamite. Many passers-by
were hit by stray bullets. A commercial motorcyclist was among those killed.”
It was gathered that the bandits, numbering about 15, came in with about
four vehicles. They blocked access to the town from Ilorin and Osogbo. They
operated for about one hour from around 4:30pm.
The injured were taken to the Offa General Hospital.
Kwara State police Spokesman Ajayi Okasanmi who confirmed the raid, said,
“victims included policemen and other individuals.”
Kwara Gov. Ahmed Reacts To The Bank Robbery That Left 4 Persons Dead In The State
Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State has reacted to the arm robbery
incident in Offa area of his state that left four persons dead.
It is reported that four
persons were killed and several others injured after suspected robbers
attacked a popular commercial bank in Offa, Kwara State.
A resident of the area, who gave her name as Bosun, said that
no security personnel confronted the robbers throughout the operation.
The robbers, she said, shot sporadically forcing residents and businesses
to close shop in the Sanni Aba area of the town.
Reacting, Governor Ahmed expressed sadness at the incident, urging
resident to be calm as security agencies were working earnestly to bring the
attackers to justice.
The governor in a statement on his Facebook page wrote: “I am very
saddened by the tragic events at Offa today. Our thoughts and prayers are with
the families of those who died in the armed robbery attack in the town today.
“I am in constant touch with the security agencies in the state and have
urged them to do all within their power to secure Offa and environs and bring
the attackers to justice.
“I have also directed the health services to rapidly deploy emergency
services to treat those injured in the attack. My heartfelt condolences to the
people of Offa and the families of victims of today’s attack.”