The Abubakar Bukola Saraki Media Office says the relentless and unnecessary attacks launched against Senator Bukola Saraki by the current governor of Kwara State, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, is just a way of diverting people’s attention from his (Abdulrazaq) non-performance in office.
A statement signed by Saraki’s Press Officer, Local Matters, Abdulqadir Abdulganiy, described the claims contained in a press statement by the Abdulrazaq government entitled ‘Assets: Try Saraki, Others for Criminal Conspiracies against Kwara. White Paper Panel Tells Gov’ as “fallacious.”
It noted that neither Senator Saraki who left the office as Kwara State governor ten years ago, nor Alhaji Abdulfatai Ahmed, the immediate past governor, was invited to appear before any investigative or fact-finding panel set up by the current administration.
“Thus, it is clear that the so-called investigation being conducted is not about finding facts; it is about throwing mud and staining the predecessor of Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq in office,” it stated.
On the issue of Kwara Mall mentioned in the said statement, Saraki’s office said the project, contrary to what the sitting government wants people to believe, stands today as the epicentre of economic activity in Ilorin, the state capital.
“In fact, its importance is further underscored by the decision of the (Abdulrazaq) government to give the owners of businesses inside the mall a grant totaling about N1 billion to cushion the harsh effect of the ‘EndSARS’ protest on their property.
“It is obvious that the mall today provides direct and indirect employment to hundreds of Kwarans and Dr. Saraki is proud that his administration initiated the idea where Ilorin became the first town outside Lagos to host a Shoprite in its mall.”
The Saraki Office said the issue of Shonga Farms, one of the projects on which the current administration wants to make Saraki look bad, further “demonstrates the cluelessness of the current governor of Kwara State and his advisers.”
That is why, it said, on some occasions, key officials of the administration will hold the Shonga Farms as a glory of Kwara State, and on some other occasions, like the case of the press statement under reference, it will seek to paint it in bad light.
“This same Shonga Farms is not only a model in how we need commercial farming to revolutionise agriculture in Nigeria but it is the second commercial farm in the country. The farm today has an investment worth over $100 million and has in its service over 1000 Kwarans in the state. It is a project that went through the scrutiny of President Olusegun Obasanjo and the CBN,” it noted.
It said that the Abdulrazaq’s administration has failed woefully to attract any investment in its two years in office and is just resorting to diversionary tactics to shift the attention of people from his non-performance and lack of tangible projects that can be showcased during the second anniversary of his administration, which is about 48 hours away.
“We know that Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq is always incensed about Saraki and will always seek to malign the person of the former President of the Nigerian Senate.
“However, we think it is in his interest to focus on how to deliver on his numerous promises to the people of Kwara State, after he has wasted two years chasing shadows,” the statement reads.
The Saraki Media Office further advised the Kwara governor to stop getting jittery about the name of Saraki and focus on working for the people of the state and executing projects, initiating programmmes and policies that will benefit the people of the state.
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