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Kwara State: The darling of central Nigeria |
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TEXT OF ADDRESS By Dr. Femi Ajayi At the
Official Launching of OTHER PAPERS PRESENTED AT THE LAUNCHING
Atlanta, Georgia Nigerians abroad should wake up and start the movement to bail out Nigeria beginning at the State level. If we are waiting for the current set of Nigerian elected officials to implement any meaningful project for the country, we might just say good-bye to Nigeria. The set of Politicians we have today is a bunch of selfish individuals who are out there to enrich themselves. Their trips abroad under the disguise of searching for investors without consultation with their citizens living in those countries visited, are mere wasting the Nigeria resources. Nigerians abroad are in better position to invest in Nigeria before enticing their business partners, or friends to invest in Nigeria. I believe the crusade should start from the grassroots. Nigeria problems are enormous. We can make our little contributions by organizing ourselves at the State level for DEVELOPMENT only, nonpolitical, nonpartisan. Through our connections in any country of our residence would carry Nigeria through the pains the set of politicians are putting us through. I believe most Nigerians who have met these politicians and went home to visit them would agree that they are just empty barrels. Most States need all the help they can get to survive. Take for instance Kwara State citizens that just concluded a well-attended gathering in Atlanta, July 1, 2000. They had a session where they discussed about Agriculture, Technology Transfer, Tropical Medicine, Revenue Generating Sources, and Politics all related to Kwara State. People should emulate good things. I believe that is one of the ways to help some of the crippled States in Nigeria. We might liken some of these States to treating a diabetes patient. A State where there is no visionary leader: Where the followers are handicapped and legally blind; and where resources are unnecessarily wasted. America becomes the envy of the world because of its patriotic approach to American affairs. It takes faith to make Pope go to the most dangerous parts of the world without fear. It takes a lot of hard work to make Israel a darling of progressive States. It takes perseverance for Iran and Libya to survive inspite of the sanctions placed on both countries by the United Nations. It takes courage to make Indian micro political groups to make impacts on the larger ruling Party. It takes good leadership to make China loyal to its tradition and culture and still make lemon out of lemonade. Kwara State is one of the pioneering states in Nigeria, created May 27, 1967, and composed of old Kabba and Ilorin Provinces. The Old Kabba Province and Borgu Local Government were carved away by General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida. Through this exercise Kwara State is left in the heart of a desert, without a shade, water to drink, road to reach out for help. Kwara State, that is one of the first states to emerge in 1967, is as poor as church mouse. Church mouse is even richer than Kwara State, because every Sunday someone brings snacks for the Children Sunday school. Kwara State is like a skeleton with no flesh. Unfortunately Kwara State is virtually undernourished. No major industry except for the Oduku in Offa. Kwara State needs good visionary leaders and identify whom they are, (North, South, Middle Belt), ally with their neighbors (Kabba), brothers and sisters who are at a distance in the same desert, and think of only one Creator - God. Kwara State should not cry over the spilled milk on the stolen of Ilorin International airport; the Kainji Dam; the River Niger Basin Authority, Ajaokuta Iron and Steel Industry and make lemonade out of lemon. Instead the State should focus on Agriculture, Sugar Cane products, Paper Mill, and the host of other small-scale industries in the State. The cheapest industry in the State is Agriculture. Adequate and avoidable food would liberate our people from mental slavery, and stop them from worshiping the leaders as gods. Kwara is neither in the north nor in the South. The North would use Kwara as fishing bait whenever something is needed from the Federal Government. When they got it, Kwara would not have any share. Kwarans living in Kaduna, in the current uprising (2000), were ejected from their houses and sent parking. You find them on the streets in Ilorin because they hardly know where they came from, because they lived all their lives in their northern home of Kaduna, because they are northerners. The case of almighty Awoniyi and Saraki is still very fresh on our minds. Chief Awoniyi took his northern cap and chased the shadow of his northern success to the PDP convention thinking that, he would be PDP Chairman. He failed to realize that he is a Yoruba man in the North. Dr. Saraki has his own taste of being a Yoruba man in 1977 and 1999. The South would normally refer to Kwara as part of the North. Kwara, I think should use that to its advantage, rather than waiting for manner to fall from heaven. My knowledge of Geography is that River run forward and not backward. When that happens everybody should get worried. Our people at home are handicapped, not because they don't have functioning brain, but their mouths are sealed because of the level of poverty in Nigeria. The government is the sole employment agency: Civil Servants, Contractors, and Educators rely on the government. How do you want to bite the finger that feeds you? Who can make the changes? Who can influence the policy-making process in the State? Nigerians living outside the confines of the country will bring changes to that country, especially, Kwara State. Part of what we are saying is that the government should provide opportunities for everyone in the state, showing them how to fish which is better than feeding them with fish. It does not take too much to invest in the State if the opportunities and adequate provisions are made for such. What could be done is to encourage Kwarans to come home to invest. Their presence would encourage their counterpart to join them in reinvigorating Kwara economy. The state has enormous potentials. Our leaders should realize that part of the Developing Countries' problems is the West. Our leaders prefer to deal with them rather than take advantage of the presence of Nigerians living in those countries. Those who have lived in these countries for so long understand the system and are in better position to deal with the Oyinbos. The West loves to keep Developing Countries in perpetual poverty so that they can keep on coming back for more like Oliver Twist. When are we going to stop our begging appetite? The position of Dr. Olusola Saraki, the Turaki of Ilorin, is unequivocally clear in the political leadership vacuum in the State. Dr. Saraki came to the scene at a time when there was the leadership vacuum in the State, the time Chief Olawoyin was gradually retiring from active politics. The rest of the state leaders were busy fighting among themselves on very trivial issues. He seized that golden opportunity and ran away with it. The self-groomed politician took advantage of the opportunity and capitalized on the leadership vacuum. Dr. Saraki's humble beginning is paying off politically for him even though the North that he's allying with always derailed his political ambition each time he gets very close. He bailed out National Political Party of Shagari's administration, 1977, when the party was in a serious financial mess. The hungry politicians then succumbed to the wishes of Dr. Saraki. His political strange bedfellows seriously wounded Saraki. The second time, he was denied the opportunity again by the All Peoples Party, hence rolling over Kwarans' votes to Peoples Democratic Party in 1999. As of today 2000, his party, APP is the only Party that is stable. He is a great strategist. He really orchestrated or mapped out his plans and he immediately dislodged all potential good politicians in the state. He actually bought their conscience. Dr. Saraki became the political kingmaker in the state. Adamu Atta lost his bid for the second term in office during Shagari's Presidency. Dr. Saraki endorsed Chief Adebayo of Unity Party of Nigeria, a political party with different political philosophy and agenda. Meaning that Dr. Saraki would go for any Party if the price were right. We could not tell whether Chief C.O. Adebayo could have done what Adamu Atta did to Saraki. Where will that lead Governor Lawal to at this time is going to be people's choice? As it is now in the state, nothing moves except Oloye approves, which is making the Governor looks bad to the people. Is this good for the state? We might be attacking Lawal for doing nothing in the state. Can we blame him also? His hands are tied so to speak. What we are saying is that, whosoever is the Governor should be allowed to lead the state fairly. With much respect that I have for Dr. Saraki, I disagree with his political game he is playing in Kwara State. He should work with whomsoever "the people's choice is" as the Governor for the progress of the State. Dr. Saraki has invested so much on Kwara Politics that it would be hard for anyone to dislodge overnight. When you invest in a business, your expectations are to get some returns in the business. Is that good for the Kwara politics? That is a question all Kwarans have to answer. The answer might be too sour for us to taste. Working with and educating Dr. Saraki would be an ideal thing. We have to come to the grip that things are changing and the State needs to assemble some visionary leaders that have the State interest at heart, and not those that are looking for the political gains. Dr. Saraki's leadership should provide people with hooks, strings, show them where to fish and how to catch fish will be more beneficiary to them rather than the Friday sadaka. Any well-established manufacturing industries in the state would employ quite a sizable number of people, with families benefiting from that. What about the Jews of Kwara State, the Igbominas, who left the Ekiti with their akada. The Igbominas could actually bail out the state from its economic dislocation. Chief Sam Adedoyin of Agbamu is a typical Jew of Kwara that I am referring to. Why people like him have been so evasive about the political cancer in the state? He could actually pull the political string in the State if he wants to do so. Why the lukewarm attitude toward the political development of the State. What about others like Tejumolas, the Baloguns, the Oredolas, and the Owolewas, just to mention a few. I would challenge them for the correctness of the economic political situation in the State. The Ibolos, Olofa Mojos, with their militant approach to community issues, ought to have done something about the marginalization of the State by the North. Instead they are fighting over the Moremi statue that had been erected for years, and the Moslems are now saying that it's against the Islamic faith by erecting Moremi Statue close to the Mosque. They ought to have understood the atrocities the state suffered under the North. The Ekitis are better known to have an education rivalry among them. Their quest for education made them built a strong civil service. May be, too much education might be dangerous sometimes. The Ekitis dealt with irrelevancies of the day. Let me give you a typical example of what happened in the Third Republic when Obbo-Aiyegunle had a Local Government Chairperson, and a Deputy Governor. Ask me what they did for their Village. Even Ordinary State Road that connects their town with Osi did not get their blessings, because of in fighting over leadership. Is that not pathetic? They produced Permanent Secretaries, Top Government Officials without any benefit to their people, which made me to agree with the Ilorin entertainer that common sense is better than the classroom education. What about the minorities who have been the Kings and Queens of the land? They have been enjoying the fruits of the labors of the Igbominas, Ekitis, and Ibolos to mention a few. Lafiagi have produced Speakers, Governor. The Asas and Moros are beginning to see the light, even though their leaders had in the past absconded to Ilorin, like Oniyangis, and Idiaros. They need to say bye to the Feudal System of oppression and slavery. Traditional rulership has changed from the uneducated to businessmen, with formal education, been-tos, and more enlightened today. They tend to occupy more prestigious traditional position of their ancestors in our society. They should remain the custodians of wisdom guiding the Kwara politicians. The issue of the MiddleBelt forum is something that gave me some sleepless nights when I thought over the definition of Middle Belt. If we may ask ourselves, who are the Middle Belters? The success of Middle belt forum is a challenge to the leaders like Dr. Saraki, Chief Awoniyi and Chief Lar. Do we have to go this far to be a Nigerian? Unfortunately, the Yorubas have allowed themselves to be kicked around like a Soccer Ball because of what they would eat. Yorubas are like the story of Joseph in the Bible who sold his birthright for a pot of porridge. I doubt if there is any more birthright to be sold in Yorubaland. Kwara State, which is at the periphery of other southern states, for instance, could not be proud of any major development since its establishment in 1967. Getting out of the slavery would not be easy, because the slave owners would be at loss. Ilorin is the least place I would expect religious clash. The coexistence of Christians and Muslims in Ilorin went back to years of brotherliness. They celebrate festivals together. That coexistence has been challenged now under the leaderships of Governor Lawal, Emir Zulu Gambari, and Dr. Olusola Saraki. However, where are other leaders like Chief C. O. Adebayo, Hon. Wole Oke, Hon. Oguntoyinbo, Shaaba, Fadumilas, Olawoyins, Adisas, Ajes, Adedoyins, Ogunsanyas, among others. The cohesion of Yoruba life has prevented any high level of sectarian conflict, as witnessed in the North in the 1980s, Islam and Christianity have challenged even where traditional beliefs simultaneously. Although some Yoruba felt the influence of Islam in earlier centuries, it was not until the early nineteenth century, following the Fulani Jihad, that old Oyo came within Moslem influence. Ilorin fell to Moslem rule under a line of Emirs that persist to the present. In Ilorin the two ruling houses are the Afonja and Alimi. Kwara should remain a darling of all groups, North, South and MiddleBelt. It should focus on its overall development without attaching itself to the Middle Belt, south or north. Let us take advantage of our position -- a beautiful young lady does not need to hunt for men, men would hunt for her. Encourage the Jews of Kwara - the Igbominas in Lagos - and those Kwarans abroad to invest at home. We need services from the government, not making themselves semi gods. I guaranteed the power that be in Kwara State, that your sons and daughters that you sent on exile both within and outside Nigeria are monitoring your performances and will descend on your policies of doing nothing. 
Dr. Femi Ajayi |
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