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…Police deploy personnel to land

…Stakeholders speak

By Clifford Ndujihe & Demola Akinyemi

TEN months after the 2019 elections, the wind storm up-welling from the change of political guards in Kwara State is still raging.

The Saraki political dynasty as represented by immediate past Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki and Peoples Democratic Party,PDP, candidates lost out at all levels to the All Progressives Congress, APC, flagbearers led by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq with the backing of Information Minister, Alhaji lai Mohammed.

As part of the disquiet arising from the 2019 electoral fiasco for Saraki and his PDP supporters, Governor AbdulRasaq is undoing some of the ‘’wrong-doings’’ of the immediate past PDP administrations.

Some of the alleged wrong-doings is the naming of Kwara State University after late Dr Olusola Abubakar Saraki, the former Senate President’s father, as well as the revocation of the late politician’s land in Ilorin.

The issues have elicited a spat between Governor AbdulRazaq and Saraki, with the later saying that the governor had crossed the red line and was not pursuing the interest of Kwara people.

Police deploy troops

To forestall breakdown of law and order, armed policemen have been deployed to the large expanse of land belonging to the late Second Republic Senate Leader, Dr Olusola Saraki, which the Kwara State Governor revoked, last Friday.

Vanguard reliably gathered that apprehensive residents of Ilofa, GRA, Ilorin where the land is located feared that yesterday’s deployment of policemen to the area was preparatory to a possible demolition of the structures erected on the land.

AbdulRazaq had announced plans to construct a new secretariat on the land which he claimed was obtained without any documentation, a claim that Saraki denied.

A neighbour who craved for anonymity told Vanguard: ‘’I am not surprised at the deployment of the police to this area going by the controversy and tension that the revocation have generated. Anything can just happen.’’

Since the revocation order was issued last Friday, Abdulrazaq and Saraki had engaged in accusations and counter-accusations over the ownership of the land.

It was gathered that heavy security presence was noticed around the area as early as 6:00 am yesterday.

It was further gathered that the presence of the armed policemen in the area might be to prevent aged women who usually thronged the “charity home” at the end of every month to receive monetary gifts from the Saraki family from gaining entrance into the facility.

Reacting to the development, the spokesman for the Kwara State Police Command, Ajayi Okasanmi, said that deployment of the security men to the area was for security purpose.

“It is important to forestall breakdown of law and order in the state, following perceived media war trailing the issue and various reactions from politicians on the matter.”

How land was revoked

The Kwara State Government, had in a statement, last week Friday, claimed that the said land was originally meant for Government Secretariat and parking space of the Civil Service Clinic but was unlawfully allocated to a private firm, Asa Investments Limited, without any record of payment to the state government.

The statement, which was signed by Rafiu Ajakaiye, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, also claimed that no certificate of occupancy was ever issued in favour of the firm.

“Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has signed a constitutional instrument withdrawing the allocation of plots of land 1, 3 and 5 to the firm…The Governor’s decision followed a resolution of the State House of Assembly urging him to reclaim the land because it was arbitrarily taken over in the 1990s without any evidence of payment by the Asa Investment Limited, even though the land was meant for public use,” part of the statement read.

Mixed reaction greets move

However, the governor’s move has elicited mixed reactions with some hailing him and others giving him knocks.

Those against described the move as ‘’vindictive politics’’ against ‘’perceived enemies’’ of Governor Abdulrazaq such as Bukola Saraki.

Indeed, the former Senate President accused the governor of setting out to fight his family, adding that the governor has crossed the line of decency with his efforts to erase the legacies of his late father.

He said the war of attrition waged against the legacy of his father portrayed the governor as “a man who lacks the sense of history and set out only to fight the Saraki family but not to serve the interest of Kwarans.”

Said Saraki: “The property was allocated to my late father under the name of one of his companies, Asa Investment Limited, and contrary to the claim of the Governor, the land was properly allocated and a Right of Occupancy title issued on it. It should be noted that the excuse given by Abdulrazaq in his revocation order holds no water since it is clear that this is the height of his vengeance against my father, Dr. Abubakar Olusola Saraki and I.

“Till today, many Kwarans have been wondering what problem the Governor has with the late Oloye Abubakar Olusola Saraki or what the late politician did to offend him. It is surprising that of all vacant plots of land in strategic places across Ilorin Township, the one that Abdulrahman found useful for his vengeful plan is the one owned by late Dr. Saraki. It is beyond comprehension why a Governor would set as his main agenda the objective of undermining and waging a war of attrition against a man who is no longer around,” the statement read in part.

“However, his open antagonism against my late father and his legacies is unwarranted and will not be tolerated. He has definitely gone beyond bounds as he cannot be allowed to ride roughshod on the deceased. In this war against my late father, he will not win.’’

Also, some critics have faulted the reasons behind the revocation, raising a number of questions: Is the location good for secretariat? Has the new secretariat built by immediate past Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed been put to use?

According to them the recent Government’s statement that some government agencies operated from rented apartments is false, there is no need for a new secretariat, and the state is not ready to recruit new personnel because the Governor said recently that 70% of the state fund goes into payment of salaries, and this will rise to 85% with the new minimum wage.

Nothing wrong with revocation – Oke

To Chief Wole Oke, former Secretary of Afenifere in Kwara State: ‘’There is nothing wrong in the revocation of the land by the state government. The land in question is owned by Kwara State Government, and like everyone is now aware the occupant has only Right of Occupancy. The land above all is still vacant as we speak, and the government has come and it has found the location very good to build state secretariat for the use of all. There is nothing bad in it. The controversy is mere politicisation of this matter because of the personality involved. There have been so many unpopular Kwarans that various governments over the years had taken over their land for one purpose or the other that no one was aware of.

We must establish how land was acquired – Babalola

On his part, Engineer Sunday Adebayo Babalol, a former governorship aspirant in the state said: ‘’We need to know whether the land was fraudulently acquired in the first place or not. We need to know who owns the land. The fact that your son was a governor doesn’t mean that due procedure must not be followed. The Right of Occupancy is only recognized in the local government and not in the city, I mean at the state level.’’

APC dares Saraki to go to court with evidence

Speaking on the issue on its twitter handle @media APC, the Kwara State APC challenged Saraki to go to court if he had evidence.

‘’Kwara State University belongs to Kwara State Government not Family Government. Ile Arugbo (revoked land) belongs to Kwara State Government not Family Government. If Ogbeni @bukolasaraki has solid evidence that KWASU and Ile Arugbo belong to his family then he should go to court,’’ the party tweeted.

It’s vendetta against Saraki’s family – PDP

However, the Kwara State PDP in a statement by its Chairman, Engineer Kola Shittu said that the revocation of the land belonging to late Abubakar Olusola Saraki by the state government is a further demonstration of Governor Abdulrazaq’s vindictiveness and vendetta mission against the Saraki family. The main opposition party in the state noted that the action of the governor does not in any way reflect the interest of Kwarans, adding that such move was capable of creating rivalry among people of Ilorin in particular and the state in general.

‘’Kwara PDP maintains that there is no basis or justification for the Kwara State Government to revoke the land which was duly acquired many years ago by the late Abubakar Olusola Saraki. This is a great error on the part of Governor Abdulrazaq and greater disservice to the memory of Baba Oloye, who during his life time made sacrifices and contributions to the development of not only Ilorin Emirate but Kwara as a whole and even beyond.

‘’Governor Abdulrazaq should stop beating the drums of war. He may sooner than later overreach himself. Kwarans are desirous of good governance and development, this should be the focus of any responsible, visionary and people-centric leader.’’

Why AbdulRazaq must learn from Fayemi – Ajayi

A public affairs commentator, Mr. Samuel Ajayi, advised the governor to learn from Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti because he may need Saraki in future. He said: ‘’When Governor Fayemi came in for second term, he was under intense pressure to probe his predecessor, Fayose, and embarrass him. In fact, both his aides and political jobbers were outdoing themselves to impress on Fayemi on the need to deal with Fayose. Their regular line: ‘If Fayose were to be in your position, he would do worse. But Fayemi stood his ground and told them repeatedly: ‘I prefer to face front and look forward.’

Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq has shown that his major preoccupation is to politically annihilate Saraki in Kwara State. That is unnecessary and childish. Above all, it is impossible!

Let me make it clear: if there is need to recover any illegally acquired government property from Saraki, no crime in going for it. I support it. But in Nigeria, we know that patriotism and altruism are hardly the motive when sitting governors go after their predecessors.

‘’The fact that Abdulrazaq is not fighting Ahmed, his immediate predecessor, but Saraki says it all.

Reason he has to borrow something from Fayemi who, even his opponents admit, is a more sensible and mature politician than his first term when he behaved like an untutored neophyte. Abdulrazaq will soon need Saraki.’

Vanguard

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