IN 1996, in one of his usual visits to the Prison Service in Ilorin as the Governor, Sen. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, was welcomed by a born-again condemned armed robber. For 19 years he had been waiting for the hangman's noose. He slept and woke with the fear of not being alive the next day. Many who were condemned after him have been fired or hanged.When he narrated his ordeal, Governor Saraki granted him pardon and gave him money to build his church to begin his new found profession.That was one of the legacies inherited by Saraki, the son, from Saraki, the father.For as long as I can reflect, my generation has been an astute admirer of the Oloye. I mean Senator Abubakar Olusola Saraki. An astute politician, a welfarist par excellence, a mobiliser and orator pleni-potentiary. Abubakar Olusola Saraki is a legendary philanthropist who feeds and accommodates the indigents. Quite a number of people were also sent to school, both at home and abroad by him.He built schools, roads, hospitals and any thing he felt was in dare need by the people, Kwara State being a civil service State with very meagre resources with serious constraint in Internally Generated Revenue.Before his foray into politics, Dr Saraki was a successful medical practitioner who inherited wealth from his progenitor. Even as a practising doctor, his humanity was extra-ordinary as those who could not afford charges were treated for free.It was, therefore, not out of the ordinary that the people, especially the Kwara central, saw him as the long awaited messiah when he arrived the community to join politics. Of course, before him, many of the leaders, except the islamic scholars, benefited only members of their family. He was therefore welcomed as a liberator from political domination and economic subjugation.True to it, all those who benefited until recently were non-members of his family. But sadly enough, almost all of them, except few, betrayed the people.Senator Bukola Saraki, for people like Olatunji Dare who may not know or chose to sabotage the truth, was compelled to join the governorship race when the people became discontented with the the 'gbosa' politics. He pleaded on behalf of the then Gov. Muhammed Lawal for a second term but it was too late. The people had decided. Because of his being trenchant advocate for peace in the State, he was invited to run. Of course, the rest is history.Dare, no doubt, is one of the most celebrated writers in Nigeria but his write-up titled 'A Senator and the Oil 'Subsidy' was written in bad taste. From the beginning to the end, the piece was laced with falsehood and hatred. It is full of distortions and character assassination typical of self-conceited writers who see every other person outside their political empire as retrogressive.The piece was an unprovoked attack on Senator Saraki who needed no subsidy to survive. Sen. Saraki has always been an employer of labour and had never been an employee who must impress his paymaster.For the records, as the Executive Governor of Kwara State between 2003 and 2011, Saraki's tenure remains a reference point in spite of the state being the 33rd on the revenue allocation ladder. His programmes and projects were those that have direct positive impacts on the masses, especially in the areas of attracting investments, job creation, youth empowerment, agriculture and infrastructural development. His administration was labour ' friendly which was responsible for the harmonious relationship between the workers and the government.The cargo terminal and the Aviation College have immediate and long term benefits for the economy of the state. The peace that reigned throughout the two tenures of the former governor could be seen as a manifestation of political sophistry.The country's National Assembly is sufficiently populated with people of impeccable character who can not be swayed by myopic grandstanding. Having worked closely with the Saraki family for over four decades and with Senator Bukola Saraki for over twelve years, I'm convinced of his altruism, especially his mission in the National Assembly. His proposed Bills on the Environment and the N1.2trillion supposed petroleum subsidy are enough pointers to what Nigerians should expect from the point-blank Senator.His position on the subsidy which now has the endorsement of the governors and other major stakeholders in the Nigerian economy, is aimed at liberating Nigerians from the claws of those who milk us to the marrow in the name of subsidy.By the way, Senator Saraki, like any other National Assembly member or any Nigerian for that matter, has the right to hold, express positions on any national issue just as Dare has the right to his comments. But rather than revile one another, such positions should rather be emperical, especially from journalists who are supposed to be our conscience.Even as a governor, Dr. Saraki never hid his position on the controversial issue because he believes that only a few Nigerians are benefiting from the so-called oil subsidy.While the likes of Dare would quickly condemn the Saraki Political dynasty and subtly attack the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) controlled Government of Kwara State, they will not see anything wrong in what their benefactor and the leader of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN)is subjecting Lagos State to. The man is simply building political and economic empires around himself and they see nothing wrong in that.Abdulkadir Bolakale wrote from Ilorin through bolakale@gmail.com
Click here to read full news..
