Stakeholders canvass ministerial slot for Kwara North district 

A group of political stakeholders in Kwara State has stated that the state’s ministerial slot in the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu government should be ceded to the Kwara North senatorial district in the spirit of equity, progress,  peaceful co-existence, justice and fairness.

The people, who spoke in Ilorin at the weekend, recalled among others that immediate past minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed and Minister of State for Solid Minerals, Senator Gbemisola Ruqayyat Saraki, appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari were from  Kwara South and Kwara Central senatorial zones, respectively. 

Sources in the government also said that three names from the three senatorial districts had been sent to the Presidency by Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq for selection.

It was also gathered that one ministerial slot might be considered for Kwara State while the second backup slot would be at the discretion of the governor. 

As a result, lobbying had commenced among stakeholders in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) from the three senatorial districts to justify why the ministerial slot should be conceded to their senatorial zones.

In separate interviews, the immediate past Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, Salman Jawondo (SAN), former lawmaker in the state House of Assembly, Hon Al-Hassan Bagudu and former governorship aspirant of APP in the state Hon (Mrs.) Ebun Oyeleye, said that the ministerial slot should be ceded to Kwara North senatorial district. 

According to Hon. Oyeleye, also a former Board member, Kwara State Broadcasting Corporation and former Councillor in Ifelodun local government area of the state, she said that, “if the present situation should favour any zone at all it should be in the North because it’s Kwara South and Kwara Central appointees that had just left the ministerial seats.

“So, if we are going to have one ministerial slot, it should go to the North. If it’s two, the governor will use his discretion to give whoever he pleases. I don’t think anybody should go against ministerial slots going to the North”.

Also, the former legislator in the state House of Assembly, Hon. Bagudu said that Kwara North, being appreciative, reciprocated a compassionate gesture of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq to the zone with good votes in the last general elections. 

He added that it was clear that Kwara North is backward among other zones in terms of social and infrastructure development, stressing that by rotation it is the turn of Kwara North in order to develop the area.

“In the past eight years, we have not had federal representation in Kwara North apart from parliamentary representation and the rest of it. The period of the past ministers in last eight years did not bring any  impact to our area”.

The immediate past Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Salman Jawondo SAN, also said that “it’s not out of place if Kwara North is asking for the ministerial slot to be ceded to their zone.

“Talking about antecedent, for our people in Kwara North it is correct to say that they haven’t been there for a while”, he said.

READ ALSO FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE 

• Tinubu in closed door meeting with Nigeria Governors

• Tinubu swears in new SGF, George Akume

• Biafra is non-negotiable ― Nnamdi Kanu

• We used chattered aircraft from Ethiopia to unveil Nigeria Air ― MD

• ‘Time is right for new project’, Karim Benzema speaks on why he made Al-Ittihad move

• Alia nullifies last-minute appointments, recruitments by Ortom