Layi Olanrewaju, Ilorin
The Speaker, Kwara State House of Assembly, Dr. Ali Ahmad, has described the Federal Government’s preparation of another ‘Looters list’ as taking Nigerians for a ride.
Ahmad stated this in an interview with journalists in ilorin, saying that a new looters list would obviously contain names of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members, and might even contain members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“To me, the expected looters list is an opposition list. I didn’t even read the other one and this one that is coming I won’t read it. I know the names of those likely to be there, so I won’t waste my time reading it. I will rather invest my time on things that are resourceful and important. Honestly, preparing the looters list shows that the minister doesn’t have a serious work to do,” Ahmad said.
Ahmad expressed disappointment over the way the Buhari administration is prosecuting its war on corruption.
According to him, “You cannot fight corruption in Nigeria the way APC and Federal Government are fighting it and get good results. First, our judicial system is very slow. What should be done is to change the perspectives of Nigerians about corruption and then strengthen the states and national assembly to do it.”
The Speaker also noted that the best person that has the antecedents of fighting corruption successfully in Nigeria is President Muhammadu Buhari, but unfortunately he bungled that opportunity and he couldn’t see him correcting it.
Speaking on the President’s intent to contest the 2019 presidential election, Ahmad said that Buhari has the constitutional right to contest for a second term, although stressing that he does not know whether the current political climate in Nigeria would be favorable to the President running again.
“As a Nigerian and a politician, I want my party to win the presidential election,” he said.
The Speaker, who also said that he would be interested in becoming the next governor of Kwara State if allowed by the stakeholders, added that he has all it takes to take Kwara State to the next level, having been in the House of Representatives and now a State House Speaker.
“If the people in authority believe that I’m capable, I will be interested in becoming Kwara State Governor in 2019,” Ahmad said.
The Speaker, as an aside, said that the APC name was jinxed, saying: “I want our leaders to change it. In Kwara, we used to win very well, but with APC we didn’t win in the last local government elections the way we used to do, so we have to do something about it.”
He scored the ruling APC low in its handling of security, making reference to the bloody armed robbery attack in Offa that claimed lives of seven police officers and several civilians.
“It is very unfortunate that nothing was done until 72 hours after the attacks had been carried out,” he complained Ahmad.
