(Opinion)Shamelessness as Kwara PDP’s trademark: Abdulhakeem Imam
It’s no longer funny how the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State self-identifies with shamelessness. Shamelessness is fast becoming their trademark. One wonders how audacious they are to ridicule the Kwara people at every given opportunity. How would a party that sank Kwara so deep in a mess the current administration is trying so hard to clean be so bold to pontificate on the consequences of their misdeeds and irresponsibilities whenever they rear their ugly head?
Trust him, Tunji Moronfoye, the spokesman of the Kwara PDP, was doing his principals another disservice when he jumped on the issue of NBC licence renewal debt without carefully watching the road. It’s amusing where somebody who served as Commissioner of Information in the state and under whose watch this licence debt kept on piling up find the moral ground to point accusatory fingers at a government that had paid the sum of N10 million out of the longstanding debt as of 2021. How does Moronfoye sleep at night, knowing full well he’s always mocking the Kwara people and telling unconscionable lies?
Like it is typical of their government, the Saraki dynasty had been accumulating the debt for the renewal of the license of the Kwara State Broadcasting Corporation since 2006. That’s the same way they left backlogs of salaries for the present administration in various MDAs. That’s the same way they engaged contractors and failed to pay them. They owed banks, owed pensioners. Debt everywhere! This is despite the fact that they were in government at a time when there was boom in oil sales, attracted Paris funds and other bailout funds, got various bonds and grants. No evidence of quality governance for all these. They sank public funds into Shonga Farms. What did Kwara reap from it? They poured public funds into Kwara Mall, yet the private partners have been benefiting more. They built Post Office overhead bridge at a ridiculously expensive bill. What did Kwara get from Ilorin Cargo Terminal? And many, many more?
The Saraki dynasty was notorious for diverting public funds. They diverted UBEC funds, and made basic education in Kwara suffer for several years. The current administration of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has corrected that. Even Tunji Moronfoye who pontificates about is in the middle of a prosecution on diversion of public funds and abuse of office. What moral right does such a person have in the society? Sadly, it is what it is. But Kwarans are not fools. They don’t take him seriously. The previous government claimed to have spent a huge sum of N500 million to revitalise the state-owned media houses. What manner of media houses did they leave behind?
In 2019 when Governor AbdulRazaq was sworn in, the state-owned broadcasting stations had gone off-air and The Herald tabloid was running epileptic publications. The staff were also owed backlogs of salaries running into several months.
The investment of Governor AbdulRazaq has however seen the stations coming back on air and running 24 hours service, with Kwara TV now on StarTimes. The Herald is now also regular publications, while backlogs of unpaid salaries of staff were cleared, with salary payment now up to date.
On top of this, the current administration has paid N10 million out of the longstanding licence renewal debt of Kwara State Broadcasting Corporation. The Governor has also shown commitment to pay off the remainder N20.5 million. But the shameless PDP in Kwara State that created the mess still has the temerity to rub salt in the wound of Kwarans. That was how they rolled out drums when Kwara properties were taken over by AMCON over a loan they took that had gotten bad. The Kwara PDP people have been petulant, spreading rumours and misleading narratives to Kwarans.
If shamelessness were a party, it would be Kwara PDP. The Shameless Opposition of the Year award goes to Kwara PDP. Tunji Moronfoye should step out to collect this award.
Imam writes from Ilorin.