RE: Kwara Central and the Need for a BIG IDEA By Temitope Muideen (Convydence)

Recently, I read an opinion by Mr. Kamil Rasak, a former Aspirant for Ilorin East State House of Assembly in the concluded primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), titled “Kwara Central and the Need for a Big Idea.” Ordinarily, I may choose not to respond to his opinion if not for the fact that it was channeled to persuade the electorates to vote for Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi of the Peoples Democratic Party as the next senator to represent Kwara Central in the 10th assembly.
Mr. Kamil in his word “Right now, Kwara Central is at a crossroad election. Perhaps, the most significant election for generations to come. This significance is derived not only from the fact that Kwara Central is in a perilous time of high rate of unemployment, insecurity, endemic poverty, high rate of hungry children, high rate of out-of-school children, etc but it also derived from the reality that we will be choosing between the peddlers of primordial politics of big money that got us in this dire times in the first place and the proponents of politics of big idea who seek to get us out of it.
Talking about the beauty of the above excerpt, Mr. Kamil openly admitted that the politics of big money got us into these dire times in the first place, the politics of big money under the watch of his party leader Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki where money is the only instrument to influence electoral victor, but Mr. Kamil forgot that at the moment, the occupant of the seat is rewriting the story. Kamil refused to recognize the achievements of Senator Oloriegbe across all sectors because he is not a member of the PDP, for the avoidance of doubt, Oloriegbe has performed excellently, especially in the reformation of the country’s health sector and civil engagement. I should allow the cat out of the bag to properly inform you of Sen. Oloriegbe’s achievements, but it’s a discussion that is worth a new leaf.
Talking about big ideas and the politics of big money, Kamil failed to separate realities from dreams, portraying Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi as a man with big ideas who can’t stand the test of time. Oscar Wilde said “An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all” Bolaji Abdullahi has failed the test of big ideas on two different occasions, he resigned as the Minister for Youths and Sports in 2014 because his political godfather cross carpet the ruling party, he left the people who needed his big ideas for loyalty. Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi resigned as the Publicity Secretary of APC in 2018 because his almighty political leader and decision moulder Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki decamped to PDP, again he left the people who needed his big idea for loyalty.
Talking about the politics of money, Kamil deliberately ignored the concept of money politics and the creation and recreation of wealth among the citizens. Mallam Salihu Mustapha (Turaki of Ilorin) is the APC Kwara Central Candidate in the forthcoming election, Turaki has been creating and recreating wealth before his emergence as the candidate of APC, Turaki wealth creation can not be likened to the popular “Eba ati Waso” politics of the dynasty where Mallam Bolaji reign from.
On the last note, let Kamal and his cohorts be reminded that serving humanity will be placed ahead of serving loyalty in any contest, Turaki is a humanitarian, there can’t be a misconception about the politics of money and the politics of recreating wealth. In my usual submission to the good people of Kwara, “it’s only the Emir of Ilorin that can defeat Turaki in any election“ Turaki is the man with big ideas.
Temitope Muideen Convydence writes from Ilorin, he can be reached via Temitope.muhideen@gmail.com