Kwara government denies reception of N1trillion as allocations

The Kwara State Government has debunked claims by a group, Organising Kwara Political Action Group that it had collected over N1trillion in federal allocations between the last administration of Dr. Bukola Saraki and the current administration of Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed.

In a statement in Ilorin by the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Communications, Dr. Muideen Akorede, the government described
the allegations as ill-informed and driven by deliberate falsehood.

The statement said Kwara has witnessed unprecedented development from 2003 till date, saying that the Saraki administration implemented various roads, electricity and water projects across the State. It listed other projects executed by the Saraki regime to include the Kwara State University (KWASU); Ilorin International Airport, and the International Aviation College; Harmony Advanced Diagnostic Centre; upgrading of Asa Dam waterworks and Phase 1 of the Ilorin water reticulation, and urban and rural electrification projects.

According to the statement, Governor Ahmed consolidated on the achievements recorded by his predecessor by completing most of the inherited projects, and implementing new ones across all sectors, which have contributed to the state’s development.

These include the innovative City and Guilds of London-backed International Vocational Centre in Ajase-Ipo; KWASU’s ultra-modern Engineering Complex; and renovation and equipping five general hospitals in Ilorin, Shaare, Omu-Aran, Offa and Kaiama with state-of-the-art
facilities.

The statement noted that the present administration also executed different rural and urban road projects across the State as well as people-oriented programmes, such as youth empowerment and Micro-credit Intervention schemes under which a cumulative N1.9billion had been disbursed to over 50,000 small business owners in the State. In the Housing sector, it said Ahmed flagged off the construction of 1,000 housing units at Budo-Osho area of Tanke, Ilorin, in March, to reduce the State’s housing deficit.

The statement added that the state government has commenced the implementation of critical grassroots development projects in 192 wards across the State under its N850million World Bank supported, Community Development Programme.

It also denied allegations that workers have not been receiving regular payments over the past three years, stressing that Kwara is one of the few
states that has continued to pay salaries regularly despite the current economic downturn that had affected the capacity of most state governments
to pay salaries.

On infrastructure, the statement said the government had conducted a study on infrastructural needs of the State and has identified a N225 billion
gap, and has outlined a plan to bridge the gap with the establishment of the Kwara Infrastructure Development Fund, (IFK).