Ahmed empathises with citizens over economic recession

Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara has told residents of the state that he feels their pains caused by the current economic downturn.

“I’m concerned, I’m touched. I feel it more than you because I’m supposed to make you happy and comfortable, even if it means making myself uncomfortable,” the governor said.

Ahmed, who expressed this view in Ilorin, the state capital when he received the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu Gambari, said contractors engaged by the state government have been mobilised with N1.7 billion as part of efforts to cushion the effects of the economic recession through enhanced infrastructural development in the state.

He assured the people that the Kwara Infrastructure Fund recently introduced would ensure that contractors are henceforth paid quarterly upon certification of the quality of their works.

According to Ahmed, the newly procured asphalt plants by the government would soon be commissioned while all bad roads across the state would be fixed soon and new ones constructed.

On mass transportation and health, the governor said 12 luxurious buses are being procured to ply major roads across the state. He also disclosed that N700 million would be accessed from the World Bank for primary healthcare development to cater for mothers and children.

He attributed the increase in the execution of projects to the reduction in the cost of governance by 40 per cent, promising that the state government would rather create more jobs instead of sacking workers.

Earlier, Alhaji Gambari asked Nigerians to pray for the leaders as their actions or inactions will impact the general well being of the citizenry. He also advised government to focus on agriculture to ensure food security in the country.