“While our people die in silence, their lawmakers ride in luxury.”
The Kwara Alternative, a platform of conscious citizens and political advocates, strongly condemns the irresponsible and shameful budgetary priorities of the AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq-led administration and the Kwara State House of Assembly, as exposed in recent budget documents and investigative reports.
According to publicly available data and confirmed by SaharaReporters, the Kwara State Government has allocated a staggering N1.4 billion for the purchase of luxury vehicles for lawmakers and legislative officials, while setting aside a paltry N350 million as security votes for a state currently battling terrorism, armed banditry, and systemic insecurity.
We find it utterly disgraceful and unacceptable that while innocent citizens are being slaughtered, kidnapped, and displaced particularly in Kaiama, Ifelodun, Edu, Baruten, and Patigi, the state’s ruling elite sees exotic jeeps and official motorcades as more urgent than securing the lives and properties of the people they swore to serve.
Let it be known that:
*In the first quarter alone, N91 million was spent on “Office Maintenance” under the guise of governance.*
*N867 million was earmarked for lawmakers’ vehicles and an additional N569 million for Prado Jeeps, buses, and Hilux vans for presiding officers.*
Meanwhile, rural communities across Kwara North and parts of Kwara South are being ravaged by the so-called Mahmuda militants, with no strategic response or concrete plan from the government.
This is not just a dereliction of duty; it is a betrayal of trust and a gross insult to the suffering masses of Kwara.
*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?*
*What legacy is this administration building, one of bulletproof SUVs and gated privileges, or one of broken communities and bloodstained silence?*
As citizens, we demand that:
1. An immediate review of the 2025 budget to prioritize security, rural development, and emergency response in all affected areas.
2. A full audit of vehicle purchases and non-essential expenses, with details published for public scrutiny.
3. A strategic security response plan focused on Kwara North, Kwara South, and border communities, including stakeholder engagement and support for local vigilante groups.
4. The Kwara State House of Assembly rises above selfish indulgence and begins to legislate with conscience, not comfort.
We are deeply saddened that while our fathers and mothers in villages like Kemanji, Duruma, Tenebo, and Yashikira now sleep in fear or under trees, their so-called representatives are busy signing delivery notes for Toyota Prados.
Let it be stated unequivocally: This level of misplacement of priorities is not governance, it is political gluttony, and history will not forget.
We call on all well-meaning Kwarans, media outlets, civil society groups, and opposition voices to stand firm in exposing this charade and demand a state that protects lives over luxury.
The time has come to ask hard questions. And when the time comes to choose again, let the people remember not just what was done but what was neglected.
Kwara deserves better. Our silence ends now.
Signed,
Comrade Ridwan Elemosho
Secretary, Public Engagement & Strategic Communication Committee (PESCC)
Kwara Alternative
