The many help rendered Ilorin people by the Shagaya family •SUBSIDIZED FERTILIZER TO KWARA FARMERS THROUGH THE FGN-GES PROGRAMME Many people in Kwara today would think all the fertilizer that farmers use in the State was giving to them by the Kwara State government. No. The Shagaya family, under a sort of fertilizer subsidy scheme partnered with the Federal government to assist farmers in Kwara State so that their farm produce can yield better. Under the arrangement, the government agreed to pay only 60% of the total cost of the fertilizer supplied to farmers in Kwara State, while the family pays the balance of 40%. Sometimes, even after the family has used its money to buy and distribute the fertilizer, government would not pay its own agreed share of 60% for about 9 months or more. So, the Shagaya family gives the farmers 40% of the total cost of the fertilizer from its purse. I have documents to back up these claims. Till date, an estimated one hundred and twenty thousand (120,000) farmers in Kwara State have benefited from the subsidized fertilizer scheme. This is in addition to about a hundred and twenty (120) people employed during the farming season. The farmers and all those who are employed all have wives and children, so I will leave you to do the arithmetic and determine the number of lives that the Shagaya family has touched through the fertilizer scheme alone. Oh, ingratitude can be a consuming disease! • CREATING EMPLOYEMENT FOR KWARA INDIGENES May be those wanting to know the number of people that have benefited from the Shagayas should first ask the following questions: a. Who are the owners of Unity Bank Plc? b. Who influenced the bank to have so many branches (about 30) and why? c. How many Ilorin indigenes are currently employed in the bank? The answers to the above questions are quite simple: the Shagaya family own a stake in Unity Bank, and they are the same family who made sure the bank has many branches so as to increase its capacity to take in many staff, mostly Ilorin indigenes. This is not a fallacious claim, for I also have a document to support these assertions. In the area of creating employment for Kwara indigenes, Unity Bank will only come first because it is still a subsisting business. But as far back as the late 1990s and early 2000, the Shagaya family, through its now rested Fotofair, a photo printing Company, employed more than 60% of its staff from Kwara State to work in its numerous Photo Laboratories in all the 36 States of the Federation. And when the family decided to sell off the Labs, it equally ensured that many of the buyers, who of course bought the Laboratories at a very huge discount, were from Ilorin. Some of these people are still very much alive, and they know in their heart of hearts that they are not being grateful by remaining silent while the large number of Ilorin people continued to disparage their beneficiary (the Shagaya family) for being unhelpful to the State. • FACILITATING JOB PLACEMENTS As at the time we were struggling to get many of our people to secure Federal government jobs, Hajia Bola Shagaya was the one who was cornering many of these jobs, using her influence in government. When I was still working in the Presidency, I counted more than 50 Kwarans who secured appointments into the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Nigerian Navy, Custom, Immigration, and other Federal government parastatals through this same Shagaya family. When I now read Ilorin people saying that the family has not done anything to assist them, it is not only surprising but fearful. It is fearful to me in the sense that if people could shamelessly deny the help they received without feeling any qualm about it; then they may not even think twice before denying the grace of God in their lives. If there is ever another life, I pray my State will play host to a Shagaya family. It is true that I am not Kwaran, but if we are lucky to have a Shagaya family in my State; I am sure we would consider ourselves extremely lucky. • HELPING WITH FEDERAL GOVERNMENT APPOINTMENTS One Alhaji Elelu is now reputed as the first Assistant Comptroller General of Custom from Ilorin. How many Ilorin indigenes know how the man came about the appointment? As someone who was privy to the zoning politics of the Customs high command, I am certain Kwara State and indeed Elelu wouldn’t have secured that appointment without the influence of Shagaya family. One of the leading lights of that family, Hajia Bola Shagaya, was the one who pulled all the strings to make that appointment possible. I am highly disappointed in many Kwara indigenes who were aware of the efforts made by this same Shagaya family during that time, but who today keep mute as if nothing happened. Haba Ilorin! You are truly living up to your long time name of ‘mai su jamba’. Another instance I was privy to was when the APC government in Kwara State attempted to block the re-appointment of one of the illustrious sons of Ilorin, Professor Abdulraheem, as the Federal Character Commission (FCC) Chairman. It was again the Shagaya family who came to the rescue of the affable prof. The family stood by the man to make sure he retains his seat. This happened at a time when many of the so-called good men in Ilorin where engaging in face-saving. • ILORIN CENTRAL MOSQUE DONATION As a Christian, I don’t have the moral right to disclose the donations that were made during the launching of the remodelled Ilorin Central mosque. But since what I say here is the truth, I am sure even Allah Himself would be quite happy with me. I can testify that Shagaya family alone donated ten million naira (10,000,000) to the mosque renovation project. And while many were making mouth donations (donations the mosque never receive till date), the family indeed made available the money it pledged. Those who worked on the mosque renovation committee can testify to this. • ANNUAL RAMADAN DONATION When the information on the annual Ramadan donation leaked to me, my first impression was that Hajia Bola Shagaya must have made a lot of money doing Contracts for Kwara State government. Or how do you explain sending Ramadan donation to a State where you make no kobo? But I was shocked to learn that neither Hajia Bola herself nor any of her family members has ever done any Contract in Kwara State. Yet, every Ramadan, Hajia Shagaya would send a whopping sum of 5 to 8 million naira to be shared to the people of Ilorin emirate, particularly the indigents. This is apart from the many from the State who enjoy free trip to Hajj and Umrah, courtesy of this same Shagaya family. If people can forget so soon the act of generosity of fellow human beings during the holy month of Ramadan, then I am afraid there is a disease of ingratitude in Ilorin. I hope many of these people who shared from the several donations made by the family would find their voices and soon enough. There is no sense in hiding any favour done to you. If you will tell everyone when you are denied of help, isn’t it a great attribute to also tell the world when you receive favour? This Ilorin people self. • THE GROWTH OF PDP IN KWARA When the so-called PDP in Kwara began their “operation rescue Kwara from Saraki”, many were only chanting “Kwara Freedom, Kwara Freedom” and nothing else. It was the Shagaya family who, in order to ensure that the party gets stronger, gave out 20 million naira at a go. Since the period the Kwara PDP began its “operation rescue Kwara” project, the family has given out a cumulative sum of 50 million naira. I learnt Ilorin people are now saying that Bola Shagaya has not done anything to aid the politics of the State, and that she is a new comer in Kwara PDP. If a ‘new comer’ can give this huge financial backing to a party that needs it most, then I wonder how the PDP in Kwara hopes to win elections or even survive without the Shagaya family. I have the facts, so let anyone challenge the truth I speak. Hajia Shagaya and family are doing politics the same way they do business, good for them. While it is their right to remain quiet about the much assistance they have rendered Ilorin and by extension Kwara people, I think fairness demands that those who benefitted one way or the other from this family should speak. This will not be too much to give a family you have eating out of its sweat. Ilorin people should learn to show some gratitude.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 20:40:55 +0000
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