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Kwara and the Abiding Faith in Party Leadership by Hauwa Sambo It was a classic made in Kwara State. About three weeks ago, 15 incumbent local government chairmen and 181 Councillors in a move that should provoke a fresh study in consensus politics voluntarily tendered their resignation ahead of their tenure expiration in solidarity with the political structure and the leadership of the ruling party in the state. Newly elected chairmen and councillors were subsequently sworn in. What prompted this rare demonstration of commitment by these elected members of the local government was the move by some members of the Peoples Democratic Party, who lost out in the local government election primaries to scuttle the swearing in. These elements readily became the working tools of a faction of the party at the national headquarters in Abuja. On its part, the opposition political party, the All Progressive Congress, APC did not meet the time mandated by the electoral law to participate in an INEC organized elections. The party made spirited efforts to participate in the LG polls by seeking extension of the election date from the courts. It’s prayers that as a newly formed political party it needs more time to put structure in place to conduct its primaries were dismissed by the state high court on lack of merit. As the opposition APC was battling to participate in the election, the aggrieved PDP elements were also pulling the strings. They took their grievances to national headquarters of the party alleging irregularity in the conduct of the LG primaries. Unknown to them however, the party in the state had already satisfied all the requirements by the national body and was given the go ahead to conduct the primaries. Realizing they had lost at the party level, the aggrieved elements headed for courts. By this time, the election had been worn by PDP, with the elected Chairmen and councillors waiting to be sworn in on the expiration of the tenure of the incumbents. However, with the legal moves by the aggrieved elements which sought to truncate the swearing in of the newly elected Chairmen and councillors, the incumbents in rare show of commitment to the state party leadership, voluntarily resigned from their positions, paving way for the swearing in of the newly elected LG office holders. This patriotic move by the outgoing Chairmen and councillors guaranteed the political peace and stability Kwara State is known and reputed for. It also showed the abiding faith the resigning Chairmen and councillors had in the Bukola Saraki-led political structure. Historic as this development was, it should not come as a big surprise, especially to those conversant with Kwara politics. The emergence of the late Dr Olusola Saraki on the Kwara political scene in the 60s came with a brand of politics which has since become a case study for political scientists. Late Saraki provided a political leadership. He gave a political direction upon which Kwara thrives till his demise late 2012. His death did not toll the knell of his political philosophy and enduring followership. Kwarans have kept faith with his son and successor, Dr Bukola Saraki who has not only taken the mantle of political leadership to higher heights in Kwara, but has also risen to become a key player in national politics. Today, the younger Saraki is solidly on ground. He has further strengthened the political structure he inherited from his father and made it more formidable. The plethora of success the ruling party has recorded under Bukola’s leadership underscores his acceptance by majority of Kwarans as the de-facto strong man of Kwara politics. –– Hauwa, a freelance journalist writes from Ilorin

December 01, 2013

Kwara and the Abiding Faith in Party Leadership by Hauwa Sambo

December 01, 2013

ACN and It's Fledgling Bureaucracy ..... By Wale Bakare

February 22, 2013

In the build up to the April 2011 general election, the opposition parties, especially the Action Congress of Nigeria rekindled what is left in hope for Nigerians in the quest for a true opposition to the ruling party PDP who has held sway abysmally for close to 15years at the helms of affair of the nations ivory tower. The anxiety cum hysterical that caused a lot of ripples in the air during the election wasn’t solely borne out of the fact that we had conceived a messiah in the ACN to transform the country overnight but rather a virile opposition that will give us all the mist of a nation in dire need to preserve its nascent democracy as it was the practice in other third world countries. In essence, we wanted to send a positive signal to the global community to behold that our democracy is indeed practiced in line with best international standards, hence the need for a multi party system. The wands of power shifted within the South-West , the chicken has come home to roost and t...

Agriculture: Awakening the Youth to the reality of the 21st Century.... By Wale Bakare

February 05, 2013

As far back as the early 80s – Nigerias post colonial Agricultural revolution has recorded some remarkable feat in the global world . Farming became the imported old bride having learned the rudiments during the pre colonial era and it was fully mastered by the end of the same era. Crop production, Fish farming and livestock production contributed greatly to the economy, between 1960 and 1970, the country’s GDP quadrupled while the other sector of the economy largely (dependent on Agriculture) witnessed a steady growth. The land embellished with green vegetation, pastures grow in abundance for the livestock grazing and nomadic farming was practiced devoid of ethnic violence. Rice silos and yam barns of different sizes built were visible along the farm boundaries, irrigation channels flowed freely to nourish the germinating foliages. Nigeria’s cash crop market boomed, and we could hardly meet international export demand as volume increased incessantly. Neighbouring countries benefi...

Opinion: The burden of #Oilspill; The Niger Delta and the Rest of us….. By Wale Bakare

January 18, 2013

The challenges of managing oil spills globally has been a huge onus on government and the multinational companies to muddle through in recent times . Oil spillage occurs in nearly every oil producing countries, but responsible government all over, in anticipation of these spills comes up with stringent laws to protect its citizenry first in accordance with the government laid down regulations by abating spill occurrences and activities that undermines lives and sustainability. But in Nigeria, the reverse is more or less the case, but for a few good men advancing the course of the common man in the face of adversity. Nigeria’s economy is oil dependent with over 75% of its revenue accruing from the downstream sector. Being Africa’s largest oil producer and the fifth largest oil supplier to the United State, Nigeria exports about 2.5 million barrels of oil a day, almost entirely from the Niger Delta. Unfortunately this glowing figure does not translate into economic fruition for ...

The Subsidy Scam & the #OccupyNigeria anniversary : Part 1 – By Wale Bakare

January 07, 2013

The memories of the January 1st 2011 announcement to remove the subsidy on fuel will forever remain fresh amongst Nigerians for many reasons. This is the new year (2013) marking the anniversary of that infamous January bequest in a familiar old fashioned style reminiscent of the military era. Interestingly, Nigerians will dare to resist a dance to the mafia’s gong and stand the test of time thus birthed the #OccupyNigeria movement; a divine deal to end corruption in the downstream sector and beyond. The popular motion raised by Bukola Saraki, the Senator representing Kwara Central and the subsequent findings was an eye opener, till today, that gallant motion has liberated Nigerians to hold the government accountable on petroleum pricing and spending. Senator Bukola Saraki had dared to stir the honest nest, he reckoned that the federal Government operates a fuel subsidy scheme with the policy purpose of making petroleum products available that it should serve as a long standing palli...