CORRUPTION: WHY ALWAYS YOU, BUKOLA SARAKI?

- Ola Umar

Some years ago, Mario Balotelli while playing for Manchester City made a perplexing tagline after he revealed a shirt with inscription “WHY ALWAYS ME” shortly after he netted against my beloved team, Manchester United.

The goal angered me, but the tagline “WHY ALWAYS ME” angered me more and since then the tagline has been in my memory.
However, recent events in Kwara state with regards to the discovery of many corruption practices amongst the..

public and civil servants in the state during the administration of Bukola Saraki and his anointed godson, AbdulFatah Ahmed, has made me to dislike the tagline, “WHY ALWAYS ME” more.

During the administration of Bukola Saraki and his anointed godson, AbdulFatah Ahmed, corruption became a deep rooted parasitic culture among the government officials. It was worrisome that as obvious as corruption practices were Kwarans were left with no better choice than to...

wait for a day of reckoning when a Pharaoh that knew no Moses will help them to retrieve their collective patrimony from looters who looted the state with no regards for the future of the unborn generation and many civil servants who were just working with nothing to show for it

In no distant time, 2019 General elections provided an opportunity for Kwarans to liberate themselves, which they did by ending Bukola Saraki's political hegemony in the state.

As if that was not enough, the opening of Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) Zonal office in Ilorin served as the icing on the cake of many Kwarans.

The opening of EFCC zonal office in Ilorin is the best thing to ever happen to Kwarans after “OTOGE”.

Since the commencement of operation of EFCC Zonal Office, Ilorin, there have been revelations of corrupt practices and misappropriation of state resources by the previous administration in Kwara State.

Recent among these revelations is the revelation of how 24 former members of the Kwara State House of Assembly, the immediate past Commissioner for Finance, Ademola Banu, and some companies allegedly shared about N5billion belonging to Kwara State between 2015 and 2019;

arrest of 16 Local Government Chairmen in Kwara State for alleged misappropriation of 10 percent of state internally generated revenue (IGR) and part of N4 billion loan taken for the purpose of paying salary arrears of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) teachers..

Local Government Staff and Local Government Pensioners. It will interest you to know that these chairmen were elected in 2017 Local Government elections in the state, marred with terrible irregularities.

So, one will be right to say these Local Government Chairmen were brought into power as representatives of their political godfather at the local level so that the corruption enterprise can continue.
Don’t forget that last month, a Federal High Court in Lagos ordered the...

...interim forfeiture of two properties located in Lagos belonging to Bukola Saraki. Also, EFCC alleged that Bukola Saraki while serving as the Governor of Kwara State withdrew over N12 billion from the account of the Kwara state government.

So, this is how Bukola Saraki has been modelling his political students including the Local Government Chairmen whom he unilaterally sponsored their election campaign in 2017 and ensured their emergence as Local Government Chairmen in their various Local Government Areas.

Like the popular saying, “show me your leader and I will tell you who you are”. These Chairmen have all proven to be good mentees of their mentor.

Going forward, Kwarans must guide and protect their collective victory in 2019 general elections by ensuring that Bukola Saraki and his political mentees are never entrusted with the leadership of the state since it has been established that their sole aim in..

government is to enrich themselves to the detriment of Kwarans.

I urge Kwara State Government and EFCC to exhibit political will to prosecute Bukola Saraki, the 16 Local Government Chairmen and anyone who has misappropriated Kwara State resources.