Mr. Femi Ogunsola, a Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State has congratulated the Governor-elect, Mr. Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq and stated his expectations from the incoming administration.
Ogunsola, a former Commissioner of the Federal Character Commission, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin on Monday that the education and health sectors of the state needed urgent attention.
He urged the people of Kwara State to support the incoming administration in the development of the state.
“We need a new hand and a new voice that God has sent to move this state to a higher level.
“At this point I must once again commend the INEC for a job well done.
“This is not a time to go thuggery. It is a time to join hands in order to move Kwara State forward and commit everything to the hands of Almighty God to lead us to the next stage.
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“Let us give another set of persons a chance to rule and if after four years there are no changes, the masses will cry out,’’ Ogunsola said.
He noted that there were challenges, saying that schools in rural areas had no roof; the teachers were no longer there; and the teachers did not want to return.
“The incoming government needs to look after the teachers. Pay their arrears, salaries and meet with the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) to proffer lasting solutions to challenges facing the education sector in the state.
“In those days I asked that the Local Teaching Allowance be introduced, so that if they are posted outside the capital, even if it is N5,000 added to their salary, they will stay.
“The health sector also needs overhauling. Nurses are no longer in rural communities and we do not even have very functional dispensaries anymore.
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“The nurses have gone to urban areas. If the government pays what is due to them, they will work anywhere.
“Our hospitals need to be upgraded, especially in the rural areas. There should be mass deployment of teachers and nurses to rural areas,’’ he said.
On pensioners’ gratuity, he urged the incoming government to ensure that salaries and pension arrears are paid.
“If you don’t pay pensioners’ money, teachers’ salaries within the four years, they will cry out again.
“Hospitals are dead. All these things should be attended to.
“Even though there is no money but something must be done quickly.
“There are brains that need to be harnessed in the state to move it forward and I hope this government will make use of the them,’’ Ogunsola said. (NAN)
