Concerned youths in Kwara State under the aegis of Kwara Youth Alliance for Development (KYAD) has accused the Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq-led government of siphoning over 20 million dollars NG-CARES fund targeted at empowering more than three thousand small and medium scale business owners in the state.
The group added that the Kwara State Government diverted the NG-CARES Fund while deceiving kwarans with petty twenty thousand Naira distribution when the actual amount designed by the federal government was N3.2million Naira for each beneficiary.
The Federal Government of Nigeria, on behalf of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, requested and received assistance from the World Bank in the amount of USD 750 million for on-lending to the States and FCT in order to implement a two-year emergency response programme known as NG-CARES.
Olaoye Oluwatimileyin A, president and convener of KYAD made this known in Ilorin, the state capital on Sunday, January 15.
He accused Governor Abdulrahaman Abdulrazaq of squandering the future of youths in the state with the mismanagement of the NG-CARES fund targeted at lifting young entrepreneurs out of poverty.
The statement partly reads:
“We are appalled by the recent revelation by a section of the Senate Committees where it clearly stated by the chairman that state governments in Nigeria have shortchanged Nigerian youths with the fraudulent diversion of the NG-Care fund.
According to the viral video which our organisation have studied keenly, it was revealed how some state governors, Kwara inclusive, diverted this fund and replaced with petty cash gifts to citizenry.
“Under the NG-CARES scheme, each state is allocated $20 million with thousands of small businesses (3,000 to 5,000) were designed to get #3.5 Million Naira each. These small businesses and their names would be supplied by state coordinator of NG-CARES, and the Federal Government would capture their data including bank details.
“It is, however, unfortunate that Kwara state governments politicised this lofty scheme which is capable of taking 5,000 youths out of poverty.
“KYAD watches with disdain as Governor AbdulRahman turned a poverty alleviation programme from which 3000 to 5000 young entrepreneurs were to be given #3.2M each as grant to build their businesses to the one they were given peanuts of #20,000, #15,000, #30,000 each.
“What can these stipend do in this economy engulfed in inflations and instabilities the APC government plunged it? How many of those 20k beneficiaries can come out today to say their lives have been impacted?
“The state government simply hijacked this programme which was designed to bring life changing developments to the lives of the people. Is this not a way of institutionalising poverty in the state?
“Kwarans have not smell the good scent of FG’s NG-CARES, instead Abdulrahman and his cohorts are rolling out #20,000, #30,000, etc calling it empowerment for artisans just for the purpose of elections.
“As citizens and concerned youths, we ask for accountability. We ask for whereabouts of Kwara’s share of 20 million dollars NG-CARES fund . Just like tranformer money and the 17billon stashed in unknown bank accounts, Kwarans are asking Government of Mallam Abdulrahaman Abdulrazaq to explain how this fund disappeared into thin air without any explanation.
“The lives of our youngsters were dependent on this grant from the Federal Government to resuscitate their businesses. This grant was meant to keep their hopes alive in the betterment of this country. This will sadly not come to be in Kwara State under the inept government of Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq as he converted the future of the youths and self-employed Kwarans to personal pockets of his stooges.
“Governor AbdulRahman and his agents can quote and unquote numbers and give non-existing statistics while Kwarans languish in poverty. The government agents keep giving facades to the public and the world just for political ratings.
“We call on the Federal Government of Nigeria as well as anti-graft agencies, namely Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices & Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to see to how Governor Abdulrahaman squandered the fund.
“We heard and saw how other states used the same grant to build their citizenry. What did Kwara target and what was achieved? The good people of Kwara State deserve accountability, transparency and response from the government.
“The Kwara APC has shown itself to be rudderless, confused and lacks anything substantial to give the people. This is no surprise as the APC government was one founded on lies, deceit and media propaganda.
” We urge our people not to be intimidated but rise up and voice out against an attempt to morgaged the future of our teeming youths by the Ramoni led APC government.
Signed:
Olaoye Oluwatimileyin A.,
President & Convener,
15th of January, 2023.
