OPEN LETTER TO KWARA’S NEW COMMISSIONER
By Abdulrasheed Akogun
Congratulations on being appointed as Commissioners by the Executive Governor of Kwara State, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq. Your appointments is a great privilege and honour, yet it can be your Achilles heel.
As you take up your new roles, it is important that you understand the expectations of the citizens of Kwara State and deliver on them, especially the Ministries of Works and Transportation, Education, Youth, Lands and Housing (not minding the fact that Youths and Works are yet to be filled).
Thus, this open letter is aimed at providing you with advisory on how to execute your roles effectively and efficiently to the expectations of Kwarams. It is expected that this advisory will highlight some key challenges in your respective sectors and provide open-ended recommendations on how to address them. It is important to note that this advisory reflects the opinions of several polity stakeholders in Kwara State.
Ministry of Works and Transportation
The Commissioner for Works and Transportation is responsible for the construction and maintenance of public infrastructure in the state. The key challenges facing the Works sector in Kwara State include inadequate funding, poor project management, and corruption.
Inadequate funding: The Works sector in Kwara State has over the years been severely underfunded. This has resulted in the poor state of public infrastructure such as roads, schools, and hospitals. It is, therefore, important for the government to prioritise funding for the works sector to ensure that critical infrastructures are built and maintained.
Poor project management: The Works sector in Kwara State has been plagued by poor project management, resulting in the abandonment of projects or delays in completion and delivery of poorly done job. To address this, the government needs to implement effective project management strategies, such as project monitoring and evaluation, to ensure that projects are completed on time and within budget and more importantly, to specifications.
Corruption: Corruption is a major challenge in the Works sector in Kwara State. It is, therefore, important to implement anti-corruption measures such as transparent procurement processes and the establishment of descreet anti-corruption units to prevent corruption in the sector.
Recommendations:
1. Prioritise funding for the Works sector to ensure that critical infrastructure is built and maintained.
2. Implement effective project management strategies such as project monitoring and evaluation to ensure that projects are completed on time and within budget.
3. Establish anti-corruption measures such as transparent procurement processes and the establishment of anti-corruption units to prevent corruption in the sector.
Ministry of Education
The Commissioner for Education is responsible for the development and implementation of policies and programmes aimed at improving the quality of education in Kwara State. The key challenges facing the Education sector in Kwara State include inadequate funding, poor infrastructure, and low morale among teachers.
Inadequate funding: The Education sector in Kwara State has been severely underfunded, resulting in the poor state of public schools and low quality education. It is important for the government to prioritise funding for the Education sector to improve the quality of education in the state.
Poor infrastructure: The state of public schools in Kwara State is deplorable, with most schools lacking basic infrastructure such as classrooms, libraries, and laboratories. It is, therefore, important for the government to invest in the infrastructure of public schools to improve the quality of education.
Low morale among teachers: Teachers in Kwara State are demotivated, and this has resulted in poor quality education. To address this, the government needs to improve the welfare of teachers, including increasing their salaries, providing training and development opportunities, and improving the teaching environment.
Recommendations:
1. Prioritise funding for the Education sector to improve the quality of education in the state.
2. Invest in the infrastructure of public schools to improve the quality of education.
3. Improve the welfare of teachers, including increasing their salaries, providing training and development opportunities, and improving the teaching environment.
Ministry of Youths
The Commissioner for Youths is responsible for the development and implementation of policies and programmes aimed at empowering and engaging youths in Kwara State. The key challenges facing the Youth sector in Kwara State include unemployment, underemployment, and poor access to quality education and training.
Unemployment and underemployment: Unemployment and underemployment are major challenges facing youths in Kwara State. To address this, the government needs to provide job opportunities for youths through entrepreneurship, skills acquisition, and vocational training.
Poor access to quality education and training: Access to quality education and training is limited in Kwara State, resulting in poor job prospects for youths. The government needs to prioritise investment in education and training to provide youths with the skills necessary for employment.
Recommendations:
1. Provide job opportunities for youths through entrepreneurship, skills acquisition, and vocational training.
2. Prioritise investment in education and training to provide youths with the skills necessary for employment.
Commissioner for Land and Housing
The Commissioner for Land and Housing is responsible for the development and implementation of policies and programmes aimed at providing affordable housing and ensuring efficient land management in Kwara State. The key challenges facing the Land and Housing sector in Kwara State include inadequate funding, poor land management, and corruption.
Inadequate funding: The Land and Housing sector in Kwara State has been severely underfunded, resulting in the inadequate provision of affordable housing. It is important for the government to prioritise funding for the sector to provide affordable housing to citizens.
Poor land management: The land management system in Kwara State is inefficient, resulting in delays and corruption. The government needs to implement effective land management policies and procedures to streamline the process and prevent corruption.
Corruption: Corruption is a major challenge in the Land and Housing sector in Kwara State. It is, therefore, important for the government to establish anti-corruption measures such as transparent procurement, registration processes which will help tackle corruption within the sector.
Recommendations:
1. Prioritise funding for the Land and Housing sector to provide affordable housing to citizens.
2. Implement effective land management policies and procedures to streamline the process and prevent corruption.
3. Establish anti-corruption measures such as transparent procurement and registration processes.
4. The government should embark on mass housing schemes through partnerships with Federal Mortgage Bank and other interest friendly agencies.
Finally, as Commissioners for Works, Education, Youths, Land, and Housing in Kwara State, you have a critical role to play in the development of the state. Your success will be judged by your ability to execute your roles effectively and efficiently.
The key challenges identified in this advisory require urgent attention. The recommendations presented are aimed at addressing these challenges and improving the quality of life for citizens in Kwara State.
I wish you all the best in your roles, and hope that you will utilise this advisory as a guide to make the necessary changes in your respective sectors to improve the lives of the citizens of Kwara State.
_Abdulrasheed Akogun is an Investigative Journalist, he writes from Abuja he can be reached via shoboiakogun@gmail.com_