Stakeholders Canvass Ministerial Slot For Kwara North District

Some stakeholders in Kwara state have canvassed that the ministerial appointment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the state should be conceded to Kwara North senatorial district in the spirit of equity, progress, peaceful co-existence, justice and fairness.

They recalled among others that Alhaji Lai Mohammed who was Minister of Information and Culture and Senator Gbemisola Ruqayyat Saraki, Minister of State for Solid Minerals respectively, appointed by the immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari were from Kwara South and Kwara Central senatorial zones respectively.

Saturday Vanguard reliably gathered that three names from the three senatorial districts have been sent to the presidency by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.

Further findings however revealed that one ministerial slot might be considered for Kwara state while the second backup slot would be at the discretion of the governor to give whoever he pleases.

Consequently,competitions have begun by stakeholders in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)from the three senatorial districts to justify why the ministerial slot should be conceded to their senatorial zone.

The immediate past Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in the state Salman Jawondo SAN ,former lawmaker in the state House of Assembly Hon Al-Hassan Bagudu and former governorship aspirant of APP in the state Hon(Mrs)Ebun Oyeleye at different interviews expressed their supports that the ministerial slot should be ceded to kwara North.

According to Hon(Mrs )Ebun Oyeleye also a former Board member Kwara state Broadcasting Corporation and former Councillor in Ifelodun local government area of the state,she said,” “if the present situation should favour any zone at all it should be in the north because its kwara south and kwara Central appointees that just left the ministerial seats.

“So if we are going to have one ministerial slot it should go to the north.If it’s two ,the governor will use his discretion to give whoever he pleases. I don’t think anybody should go against ministerial slot going to the North.”

For his part former legislator in the state House of Assembly,Hon Al-Hassan Bagudu described Governor AbdulRazaq as compassionate to the zone in the last four years adding that that was why kwara North reciprocated the gesture with good votes in the last general elections.

He added that it was clear that Kwara North is backward among other zones in terms of social and infrastructure development stressing that by rotation it’s the turn of kwara North so that the office can be used to develop the zone.

He said,”In the last elections,kwara North was able to make a very good outing in both gubernatorial and presidential elections we didn’t take the third position in the three senatorial districts. We came second in terms of return of votes.

” This is because in the history of governance in kwara state we didn’t have a governor that showed us consideration in terms of our needs as this governor and that was why we returned our votes in that manner.

He however said that,”Of significance is the fact that in terms of parameters for development in terms of economic,social,infrastructure and human development kwara North is the most backward.

“Like it is better you’re there unlike somebody is there representing you. So it’s our wish and a very strong wish too that we have one of our own who we feel will protect our interests in terms of development of our area.

He also said that”In the past eight years we have not had federal representation in kwara North apart from parliamentary representation and the rest of it.The last Ministers that represented the state from Kwara South and kwara Central what impact did they make to the state itself?not to talk of our geo political region.? There was no impact.

“So its not anything wrong for us to make a loud call for kwara North to be given the opportunity of ministerial appointment to be represented at federal level this time around.”he said.

The immediate past Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Salman Jawondo SAN also said that it’s not out of place if Kwara North is asking for the ministerial slot to be ceded to their zone.

“Talking about antecedent, for our people in Kwara North it’s correct to say that they haven’t been there for a.while.”he said.

Credit: Vanguard Newspaper