The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State has fiercely criticized Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for scrapping the Kwara State Community and Social Development Agency (KWASCDA), a World Bank-assisted programme initiated by former Governor Bukola Saraki.
In a strongly worded statement released on Tuesday, the PDP condemned the governor’s decision to remove KWASCDA from the upcoming NG-CARES programme, a Federal Government and World Bank intervention aimed at addressing infrastructure deficits in rural communities.
According to the PDP’s Publicity Secretary, Olusegun Adewara, the removal of KWASCDA from the programme was done without any public explanation or justification, despite the agency’s success in other states.
The party expressed its shock, saying, “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 slammed the governor for what it described as a “grave disservice” to thousands of rural communities that have relied on KWASCDA for critical infrastructure, including boreholes, classrooms, electricity transformers, and sanitation projects.
These initiatives, according to the PDP, have greatly improved the quality of life for many residents in Kwara.
The PDP also recalled that KWASCDA was established in 2009 under the leadership of former Governor Bukola Saraki and was continued by his successor, Abdulfatah Ahmed.
The party alleged that the termination of KWASCDA was politically motivated and affects communities that had already submitted requests for 2024 infrastructure projects under 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,” the statement read.
The PDP further claimed that certain officials within the state government, in collaboration with some elements within KWASCDA, orchestrated the agency’s termination due to its association with the Saraki-led administration.
The party accused the AbdulRazaq administration of prioritizing political interests over the welfare of the people, highlighting the agency’s success in securing World Bank funding, which the PDP claimed prevented some officials from exerting control over project costs and contractor selection.
“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,” the PDP charged.
In response to these developments, the PDP has called for the immediate reversal of the decision, which it described as an “ill-conceived policy” and “anti-people.”
The party also urged the World Bank, the Federal Government, and civil society organizations to investigate the matter to ensure that Kwara’s rural communities are not deprived of essential development opportunities.
“Kwara State belongs to all, and as a political party, we will not stand by while a few individuals in government undermine the collective progress of our people.
“Kwara’s rural populace deserves better than a government that abandons them to darkness, water scarcity, dilapidated schools, and insecurity,” the statement concluded.
