TheCable

Abdulfatah Ahmed, Kwara state governor, has told the people of his state that he feels the pain that they are going through.

According to Abdulwahab Oba, Ahmed’s chief press secretary, the governor said this in Ilorin, the state capital, when he played host to Ibrahim Gambari, emir of Ilorin.

“I’m concerned; I’m touched. I feel more than you feel because I’m supposed to make you happy and comfortable, even if it means making myself uncomfortable,” Oba quoted him as saying.

Ahmed said  in line with the resolve of his administration to cushion effects of the economic recession, government had given N1.7 billion to contractors to enhance infrastructural development in the state.

He said the newly introduced Kwara Infrastructure Fund would ensure that contractors who queue into the programme are paid quarterly upon certification of the quality of their works.

He added that the newly procured asphalt plants by the government would soon be commissioned, and “all bad roads across the state would soon be fixed while new ones constructed”.

On mass transportation and health, Ahmed said 12 luxurious buses were being procured to ply major roads across the state, while N700m, which would be accessed from the World Bank, would be channeled into primary healthcare.

He attributed the increase in the execution of projects to a reduction in the cost of governance by 40 percent, and assured the people that his administration would create more jobs, rather than sack workers.

Gambari called on Nigerians to pray for the success of “our leaders, as their actions or in actions will impact on the general well being of the citizenry”.

He also advised government to pay more attention to agriculture in order to ensure sustainable food security in the country.