AbdulRazaq has revived Kwara State Solid Minerals sector – ex Aide

The former Senior Special Assistants to the Executive Governor of Kwara State on Solid Minerals, Dr. Mohammed Abubakar Mohammed has said , AbdulRasaq’s led government is taking giant strides in revamping the lost glory of Kwara Solid Minerals sector.

In this interview with Mike Adeyemi,the eloquent Tsaragi born Geoscientist said Kwara Solid Minerals before now was in the state of comatose and explains how Gov. AbdulRaman AbdulRazaq is reviving Kwara’s economy through economic diversification. Excerpt;

How was growing up as a child look like with you?
I came from a Nupe background and my father who also doubles as my mentor, Dr. Mohammed Ndakogi Haruna, having being a two time commissioner in Kwara State and a Director before he moved to Abuja where he retired in the presidency.
I’m the first child of my mum and the first of twenty seven children. All of us today are an ambassador of our family. 13 of us memorised Quran at a tender age of 18. My childhood was interesting because we started like an average normal person, where our father as a Doctor had to struggle and then virtually he was able to make it relatively.
Barely when I was four years old, he became a commissioner in 1986, and you know as a commissioner of then, you should expect me to also change. But I never moved with the family to the government residential lodge where our father was allotted to stay. He insisted I should stay in the core area of Ilorin called Okesuna.
So, I was brought up by a woman who God never blessed with a child till she departed this world. So she trained me and see me as her only child. And that is where my way of life defer from my brothers and friends within my circle.
Because , I can say I have seen it relatively coming from a well learned family and how I was trained by a local woman. As she doesn’t have a child ,she gave me everything I required. I got to know my real mum at the age of 7. She do visit and often time I called her Anti, not until when it was time for me to move back with the family.
I was privileged to have been introduced to the importance of life and that transition shaped my life which has made me to be what I am today interns of achievements, my relationship with people and how I carry myself.
What informed your decision to take Geology as a career?
Well again, I never knew there is a course called Geology. As a boy growing up and I always had my father called Dr. Mohammed. At that time, I started calling myself Doctor too. So from childhood I had wanted to become a medical doctor.
Immediately after my graduation from G.S.S Ilorin, I was at Bayero University struggling to study medicine for two years, highly competitive then. So my Dad decided to recalled me back from Kano, after which most of my colleague had gained admission into the university.
My Dad had purchased a JAMB form for me and he asked me, ‘Mohammed which course would you do now since you have wasted time.’ I said just put Geography for me. He responded why not Geology? I said Daddy, what is Geology and what career would I have as a Geologist?
He said as a Geologist, you can work at energy sector, you can work at oil and gas, and he wanted to say solid minerals, but immediately I heard oil and gas, I said Daddy, put it! That is the course I will do and as God would have it, I secured admission at Federal University of Technology. That was how the journey begins.
In fact I started practising Geology right away from my days at the university. But I would say I became a refined Geoscientists during my masters studies.
And how has been the journey as a Geologist?
Before finishing my masters degree, I aspired to go for my PhD and also had opportunity to lecture in that university in Russia. In this profession, one must be active and follows the technological trend. You know we works on soil surface and for you to know what beneath the soil, you have to adapt with technological advancement.
How did you received the news of your appointment as S.S.A on Solid Minerals to Gov. AbdulRaman AbdulRazaq?
The news was not shocking because myself and my boss, my benefactor, His Excellency, Mall. AbdulRaman AbdulRazaq had been together since the era of CPC. But he is from the Central and I from the North. So I worked more in my terrane.
When he contested for governor in CPC, we canvassed for him in the north and eventually in 2019 we became colleagues as we both vires for governorship together. I contested because I wanted to showcase the talents we the youths have ,so that our fathers would believe that there is no cause for alarm.
So when God granted Mall. AbdulRaman AbdulRazaq the success to be the governor and Islam thought us that ‘whoever God has chosen for you as a leader, join hand with him and build your community and nation.’
As soon he was voted, I started giving him advises in my strength and him as a person would not look down on me. He often give me assignment on other areas. Believe me, he is a wonderful person and mentor to behold. So I have been working on that capacity of solid minerals with him since 2019 and solid minerals before 2019 was not good. That was the first thing he did when he assumed office as he blocked leakages in the sector.

The listening governor, having gone through my memo agreed that yes, if we want to diversify our economy, solid minerals should be a full fledge ministry on it own. So he took up that and he created the ministry of solid minerals.
When I was told I will be appointed as Senior Special Assistants on solid minerals, I knew this is another test from Allah.
How faired was kwara solid minerals under your purview as aide?
We met Kwara State in 2019 in a state of comatose. We met all sectors dead. The dividend of solid minerals Kwara suppose to be getting from the Federal Government was calculated to be 13 per cent, while other neighboring state are getting 25 percent, 30 percent and alas, Kwara was created before these states.
They were getting good monies from federal government interns of royalty return on solid minerals part of what this administration has achieved with our efforts. It won’t have happened if not for the effort of our listening governor, Mall. AbdulRaman AbdulRazaq.
It is also pertinent to acknowledged that this will be the first time in the history of Kwara state that we had an Senior Special Assistants that is a professional. With this we knows that the governor mean business in that regards. Again, bringing my profession to work will be the first time that Kwara is going by the digitizing Concept letters.
Now we expecting guest from revenue mobilising from Abuja to come and revenues this 13 percent I said we are getting from federal government. Kwara state is among the states that has Cole. Currently you can see the light of Lithium. Kwara Lithium is the best in Africa. Now people have being to see prospects in our solid minerals.

This administration is also reviewing Community Development Agreement (CDA). We have seen a situation where companies takes much from communities without giving much back. Now we are saying no to that. Also, there is social responsibility which is demanded from any organization, company that is operating in your domain. We want to revalidate this.
Another moment is that Kwara was captured among the first phase that has opportunity to have airborne details that was done early this year.
What happened to your house of assembly ambition?
In March/April this year, I was among aspirants justling for the kwara state house of assembly sit because my community people wanted me to represent them at that level. And people that went round with me during the campaign would have seen my acceptability.
But you know, everyday things are changing. Electoral reforms etcetera. This year we had delegates, and as the saying goes that ,’after women,

fear delegates.’ That is the new slogan!
So if it were to be the people that actually determines my faith, it would have been a very good opportunity for me to serve my people at that level. The delegates have chosen whoever they think is okay for them and a winner has been declared to which immediately I gave my acceptance speech alongside my undiluted support to the person that emerged. The election was actually free and fair. To me it is not a do or die affair.
What do you think informed the raw show of love on you by the people of Tsaragi community?

Well, I am a silent achiever and often time my friends do tells me that am not suited in the politics, based their argument on the fact that I don’t trumpets what I do for public to hear which they said is typical of Nigerian politicians.
I do replied them that my own is not like that. Whatever do to people is between me and my God. Hence you will never see me saying I do this or that. But if you go to my community and samples people’s opinion, they will tell you that I have impacted many lives. I’m a grassroots person and that is the reason for the show of love you have seen.
How would you adjudge the performance of Gov. AbdulRaman AbdulRazaq’s over three years in office?
If there is anything above excellent, I would have used it. The governor has performed tremendously well. Different roads networks are ongoing, where is the resources? That is the question I kept asking His Excellency.
He was one of the governors that implemented minimum wage, where is he getting the money from? And that hasn’t stopped him from infrastructural development. Where is he getting the money from?

Tphere is a flyover project ongoing at Tanke, epxpansion of road at Yebumalt. Where is he getting the money from with little resources coming to Kwara. Please give it to him, he is a silent achiever. I will continue to rate him high and I believes kwarans will not betrays him. They will give him their votes to go back for second term.
..cut in; But there are sections of people who sees nothing good from his adminstration.
That is human being for you. Don’t we have people that castigated prophet Mohammed? Don’t we had people who stoned Jesus Christ? In this world if you don’t have antagonist, you will not achieve anything. Let them continue with their noise making, they are entitled to it.

Would you say Nigerian youths are ready for leadership?
We are ready, but the ready ones are minimal. But give and take, Nigeria youths are waking up for reality now. Some of us are still using the tools that will take us to power negatively, like social media.
If we don’t decease, it will consume us as a country. We should channel our talents to what will develop our country. You will never see American projecting their country negatively like we do here in Nigeria. Shooting happens in America everyday, but do you see them in the media? I pray it won’t be too late for us as a youth to take the mantle of leadership.