#8SenateAt2, 1 Budget Year, Too Many To Celebrate – Saraki’s Constituency Project Director
Today, I celebrate the 8th NASS and I say a big congratulations to the most distinguished President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bokula Saraki CON on his second year as the Nigerian Senate President. The 9th of June, 2015 represents different history to very many of us in our different folds. We appreciate Allah for giving us the wisdom to see from the distance that, even amidst the high turbulence of the gathered storm, the strength to weather it rests with Him alone. Today, we have testimonies on the awesome performance of the 8th Assembly under the leadership of Saraki. I say a big thank you to all kwarans, especially the constituents of the Kwara Central Senatorial District for giving out their votes and reposed confidence in the capacity of Sen. Saraki to represent them at the upper chamber of the National Assembly.
Two years, one budget. The celebration of Sen. Saraki’s two years in the office is the celebration of one budget year of the 8th NASS, the 2016 financial year budget. During the 2015 general elections campaign, Dr. Nikolai Saraki visited every of the 52 electoral wards in the four local governments that constitute the Kwara Central Senatorial District, the people he now represents as a senator. Part of the inspirations for the campaign visit was to have an on-the-spot assessment of the needs of each community from where he seek votes, in addition to other means through which the peculiar needs of the constituents were assessed.
One financial year budget is gone, and in the presence of a serious economic recession in 2016, the President of the Senate remained focus and committed to the fulfillment of those campaign promises by injecting different valuable projects in the 2016 Appropriation and through which loves of the constituents would be touched.
CONSTITUENCY EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM:
haven identified the need for value-based and competency reliance education system, in addition to improve on the infrastructure standard of our schools, Sen. Saraki appropriated for key education programs in the 2016 budget. These are School Infrastructure Development Programs (SIDP) and Student Capacity Building and Development Program (SCBD).
In the SIDP unit of the program, needs assessment was conducted on the existing infrastructure standard of our basic schools where certain infrastructure deficiencies were identified and captured for attention. As we mark the second year of the 8th NASS today, we mark our success in construction of classrooms with supplies of furniture at 48 different schools within the four local governments in the Kwara Central Senatorial District.
In the SCBD unit of our education program, the intention is to prepare the basic school students in line with the global economic revolution of the digital age. 8 different schools within the constituency have been equipped with digital capacity building equipment and E-learning facilities, powered with a renewable energy system – solar power system. Instructional materials and computer systems have also been distributed to over 18 schools in the constituency.
CONSTITUENCY WATER SUPPLY PROGRAM :
At the planning stage for the 2016 budget, our need assessment also revealed the necessity to approach water supply problems in two ways. These are improvement in our Surface Water Supply System (SWSS) and Underground Water Supply System. The two identifiable systems are explored to ensure a sustainable water supply processes in the constituency.
While the on-going Rehabilitation of Agba Dam waterworks is to address the surface water deficiencies by returning it the 3 mg/d capacity as built, over 128 motorized boreholes have been constructed across the 4LGs in the constituency, especially in the new settlements and community extensions where the existing water reticulation channels are not available. Every of the 52 wards in the Kwara Central is programmed to benefit from the scheme, following the peculiar needs assessment conducted. To God be the glory, over 85 percent of this has been completed and in use.
Other projects contained in the 2016 budget year are Road Construction to open up remote areas and alternative routes to major township roads, Erosion Control Projects to increase hydraulic capacities of major water body channels to save flooding, in view of the anticipated torrential downpour. We have a record of 11 road constructions that are on-going at different completion stages within the LGs in the constituency.
The Constituency light-up project is designed to provide solar streetlights to major areas for security upgrade in the city. About 1,150 poles have been installed out of the 1,500 poles available for the 2016 budget. The project would be completed as designed in the Ilorin East and Asa LGs, respectively.
Our target remains the same – “Minimum of one project per Electoral zone by 2019”
The project tracking is on. We welcome every concerned kwaran to be part of this change, devoid of political affiliation and party sentiments. The Senate President is a Nigerian leader. If truly our love is genuinely for the development of Kwara, we have the opportunity now to make it better.
God bless my state.
Olayinka Ibrahim.
The Director of Projects and Empowerment
Constituency office of the President of the Senate.
