Biola Azeez, Ilorin
Governorship candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) in Kwara state, Waziri Yakubu Gobir, has said that his administration will deploy development data by civil society organizations in the state to bridge present development gap in the state if elected governor.
The YPP governorship flagbearer spoke at the presentation of the
Citizens Enlightenment and Mobilisation Programme (CEMP), which assessed and documented needs of 2,764 communities in the state and organized by a non-governmental organization, the Elites Network for Sustainable Development (ENetSuD) in Ilorin, the state capital.
The programme assessed a total of 1,105 communities in Kwara North Senatorial District, 761 in Kwara South Senatorial District, and 898 in Kwara Central Senatorial District, revealing such needs as water supply, healthcare, road infrastructure, education, sanitation, electricity and agriculture, among others.
Waziri Gobir, who said that the report had empowered him with the data needed to fulfill duty to the nation, the state and every ward, added that it would help to facilitate development, uphold justice in all its forms and ensure security of citizens in each of the 16 local government areas and neighbouring areas.
“Thanks to the excellent work ENetSuD did with this report, we now know the areas we need to channel our energies and resources to in each of the Local Government Areas: water supply in Oke-Ero, healthcare in Irepodun, road infrastructure in Ifelodun, education in Moro, sanitation in Offa, electricity in Baruten and agriculture in Patigi to mention but a few.
The YPP governorship candidate said that many of the needs had been left unattended for years, while attributing the neglect to alleged misalignment between state projects and the needs of the local government areas.
“For instance, Share in Ifelodun LGA has lacked road access for decades — neglected by previous administrations who have fastidiously built more primary schools.
“In 2020, the foundation was dug for a visual arts centre in Ilorin by this administration, when thousands of children are out of school. These mismatches between the needs of the people and the projects signed off by past administrations will have been avoided with data.
“In 2019, when I embarked on the Okesuna Project, I only did so after gathering precise data that highlighted what the needs of the school were — and the result speaks for itself. Okesuna Primary School, as we all know, is the oldest primary school in Kwara State constructed in 1915. At the time of the project’s commencement, the school’s historic quality was evident not only in its history but in its structures as well: the classrooms were dilapidated, the school lacked lavatories, and classroom furniture was sparse.
“Pupils were sandwiched in classrooms, to the extent that four modules were taught simultaneously in one classroom, with children sitting on dusty floors. Today, through my Foundation, the school has been completely renovated with modern classroom furniture, running water, toilets, laboratories, a library, an ICT Center and a fully functional solar power system — that powers the school”, he said.
