By Yusuf Mubaraq Authority
No one should be under any illusion as to how well we have fared as a State since the emergence of His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq.
We are at a strategic point in history where reality has met with vision. As a goal-getter and a silent achiever, the Kwara State Sheriff has continued to wow every doubting mind of our shared strength as a State and the value we represent as a people. Things we never thought were possible are hitherto made possible by his fledging vision and unrelenting guts as the numero uno.
When he took up the mantle of affairs, The rot in our system was so great that we were almost at the brink of total collapse in Kwara economic placement. You needn’t many attestations. The vote that brought him in spoke of our situation.
Just before Kwarans unanimously agreed to oust the last dispensation, they tactically created another mess in the name of “Sun Set” teachers without due process just to frustrate the effort of the incoming administration when all odds are already against them. Well, that was their way. Like the Yoruba would say, “Booba opa, booba obu leese”. I don’t even know how to put that in Queen’s language, so I say, if you catch them, you kill them. If you can’t, you endanger their lives. Thank God we had just voted a man who understands our problems. He manned up and embraced these people, while a new process is designed to ascertain the preparedness of the newly recruited teachers.
Expectedly, scores of them fall short of genuine qualifications. They were mostly “politically” favoured teachers without sterling and proven records of professionalism. Sad. Why must the past administration entrust the future of our state to minnows? Disgusting.
A new process was soon birthed to accommodate new Eggheads who will propel the future of our beloved state to the next level of dynamism through concrete and impactful teachings.
The much pervaded “Sun Set” teachers were constitutionally disengaged, and we’re immediately given the fair option of applying for the same job they had constitutionally been disengaged if at all they meet the requirements. That’s the Kwara we have been dreaming to have for a long time.
Far and wide, the process was applauded. Even the greatest critic of this administration commended the outstanding outreach. Men and women of high calibre manned the process, and in turn, it birthed a new wave of great teachers in Kwara. Our futures were thrust into the hands of professionals. Kudos AA.
Today, less than a year into the recruitment, the procedure is here for all to see. Our young pupils and students across our various Primary and Post Primary schools are doing us proud. Parents are proud. Community leaders are proud alike. Everyone is happy.
Recently, Kwara emerged top amongst the States of the Federation at the recently held Presidential Inter Basic Schools Debate in Lagos. This is unprecedented. And it didn’t just happen incidentally; it takes a visionary man like His Excellency to achieve such a feat through his investment in Education.
For the wonderful performance of our Eggheads in Lagos, they are billed to represent Nigeria at the world debating Competition next year. This is massive.
For seven years, Kwara State was blacklisted by UBEC and extensively banned from accessing UBEC funds. This horrible experience is not unconnected with the rot of the past. Just after that, We were fined 30 million for gross misconduct by WAEC. The State was going into a forsaken path already. Then came a man committed to rescuing Kwara – AA. Paid the necessary fund required to get us working again. UBEC granted Kwara access to 7 billion bailouts funds for the effort of His Excellency.
Now, the funds are being channelled towards developmental projects across the State. As it stands, Kwara State Government is currently overseeing the construction and rehabilitation of 600 schools across Kwara with our local contractors as beneficiaries – emphasis on local contractors. If all these are not attestation, I wonder what they are.
Our schools are receiving a major facelift. Our students are being prepared extraordinarily. Our teachers are one of the best in the Federation. The investment is huge and rewarding. In the next few years, Kwara State will not only be competing locally but internationally due to the landmark investment of His Excellency, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, in the most productive sector of our state – Education.
Yusuf Mubaraq Authority writes from Ilorin
