The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State has sharply condemned Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for terminating the Kwara State Community and Social Development Agency (KWASCDA), a World Bank-funded program launched by previous Governor Bukola Saraki.
The PDP expressed significant opposition to the governor’s decision to exclude KWASCDA from the NG-CARES initiative, which aims to solve infrastructure gaps in rural communities.
According to the PDP’s Publicity Secretary, Olusegun Adewara, KWASCDA was removed from the program without any public explanation or justification, despite the agency’s success in other states.
The opposition party responded with the following statement: “While rural communities in other 35 Nigerian states will continue to benefit from this laudable project, Kwara State stands as an unfortunate outlier due to the governor’s self-serving political decisions.”
The PDP condemned the governor for what it called a “grave disservice” to thousands of rural communities that rely on KWASCDA for crucial infrastructure such as boreholes, classrooms, electrical transformers, and sanitation projects.
The PDP claims that these efforts have significantly improved the quality of life for many Kwara inhabitants.
The PDP further reminded that KWASCDA was founded in 2009 under the leadership of former Governor Bukola Saraki and sustained by his successor, Abdulfatah Ahmed.
The party said that KWASCDA’s termination was politically driven and that it will have an impact on towns who have already requested 2024 infrastructure projects from the agency.
“These communities, which had anticipated the construction and renovation of schools, health centers, community halls, water supply systems, and electricity transformers, have now been abandoned by a government that has chosen political vendetta over governance,” according to a statement.
The PDP further claimed that certain officials in the state government, in concert with some elements inside KWASCDA, planned the agency’s dissolution because of its affiliation with the Saraki-led administration.
The party accused the AbdulRazaq government of prioritizing political interests over people’s welfare, citing the agency’s success in obtaining World Bank funds, which the PDP claimed prohibited some officials from exercising control over project costs and contractor selection.
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“His administration’s ineptitude, insensitivity, and misplaced priorities are further deepening the socio-economic divide in Kwara State, condemning the majority of Kwarans to perpetual hardship,” said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In response to these developments, the PDP has urged for the decision to be reversed immediately, describing it as “ill-conceived policy” and “anti-people.”
The party also encouraged the World Bank, the Federal Government, and civil society organizations to investigate the situation to ensure that Kwara’s rural people do not miss out on critical development possibilities.
“Kwara State belongs to everyone, and as a political party, we will not stand by and watch a few individuals in government damage our people’s common progress.
“Kwara’s rural populace deserves better than a government that abandons them to darkness, water scarcity, dilapidated schools, and insecurity,” according to the statement.
