Kwara Alternative slams State government over Lavish spending amid worsening insecurity
A civic advocacy group, Kwara Alternative, has sharply criticized the AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq-led administration and the Kwara State House of Assembly over what it described as “irresponsible and shameful budgetary priorities,” amidst rising insecurity and violence across parts of the state.
In a statement issued Wednesday and signed by Comrade Ridwan Elemosho, Secretary of the group’s Public Engagement and Strategic Communication Committee (PESCC), Kwara Alternativeexpressed outrage over the state government’s allocation of 1.4 billion for luxury vehicles for lawmakers and officials, while only 350 million was set aside for security votes.
Quoting both public records and an investigative report by SaharaReporters, the group highlighted that
867 million was earmarked for lawmakers’ vehicles.
569 million was allocated for additional SUVs, buses, and Hilux vans for presiding officers.
91 million was spent on “Office Maintenance” in Q1 alone.
“This is not just a dereliction of duty; it is a betrayal of trust,” the group said. “While innocent citizens are being kidnapped, displaced, and murdered in Kaiama, Ifelodun, Edu, Baruten, and Patigi, lawmakers are riding in brand-new Prados.”
They also decried the lack of meaningful government response to attacks by the so-called Mahmuda militants in Kwara North and parts of Kwara South, insisting the people have been left vulnerable and abandoned.
“What is the value of government when it protects itself with tinted glass and convoy sirens while leaving the people exposed to bullets and machetes” the statement queried.
Kwara Alternative called for an immediate review of the 2025 budget to prioritize security and rural development, a full public audit of non-essential spending, and a strategic intervention plan for violence-prone areas in the state.
“Our fathers and mothers in Kemanji, Duruma, Tenebo, and Yashikira now sleep under trees in fear, while their elected representatives sign delivery notes for Toyota Prados,” the group added.
The statement concluded with a call to civil society, media, and political stakeholders to rise above partisanship and hold the government accountable.
“Kwara deserves better. Our silence ends now,” it declared.
