Kwara South senatorial candidate of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), Alhaji Abdulahi Mohammed, has said that the ADP is in good stead, as a leading opposition political party in Kwara state, to provide a better alternative that would usher in more prosperity and good governance.
Speaking with the Tribune in Ilorin, the ADP senatorial candidate said that the ADP has a blueprint to address issues such as high cost of living, low agricultural development, persistent insecurity and poor micro, small, and medium entrepreneurship growth.
Alhaji Mohammed, who hails from Balogun Ward in Offa, Kwara South district also urged the electorate to shift focus away from the two main political parties in the state, saying that ADP has a lot to offer to better lives of the people.
“One problem we’re having here is this focus on the two major political parties. The people have refused to see alternatives in many other platforms that can be used for political emancipation. Interestingly, the two don’t have a clear cut agenda or manifesto for the masses”.
The senatorial candidate, who berated lack of continuity in projects and policies among successive governments in the state, said that people had suffered consequences of such actions.
“If the ADP is given the opportunity to serve Kwara, people will see a lot of difference in governance and even spread of projects to the three senatorial districts in the state, because our main objective is to assist the poor people, empower them by creating opportunity for them to grow.
“For instance, if you are good in engineering, it’s the responsibility of the government to assist those who are in the engineering sector. If you are a farmer, the government should assist the farmers and provide an enabling environment for them to plant many food and cash crops. At least to assist the people in the state”.
Alhaji Mohammed, who lamented low school enrolment in the Kwara South district, said that successive administration had neglected educational development among the people.
“There is a large population of our people in entrepreneurship. Some are artisans, traders and the like. Most of them lack financial capacity to even have their own shops and capital for business. They need support from government. And that’s the reason most of the people organize themselves in cooperative. But at the end of the day, where does it take them to? No where!”
He said that the ADP would provide change when it gets to power
“If we get the opportunity to be in power, that’s the kind of people we will face. When you empower people, the progress will be felt in the society. It’s not for government to be constructing this, constructing that, more so when we lack maintenance culture. We will provide assistance.
“When people are progressing in their different fields, nobody will think of kidnapping others. Less number of people will engage in illegal acts”.
Alhaji Mohammed, who opined that relationship between the federal lawmakers and their state governor should be cordial, said that it is in such situation that development could be attracted to the state and not when they are at loggerheads.
“My point is that when you look at those elected officials in the National Assembly and the governor, they are supposed to have a very good relationship so that they can collaborate and develop the state, because they are representatives of people. When a good relationship is established, peace will be there, the security will be there, development will be there, and all that”.
