When Will the Governor Forgive Offa?

Why Punishment without Trial?

-By Comr. Salahudeen A Lukman

There is a corner of Kwara State where political winter has refused to give way to spring. Offa, proud, resilient, and fiercely independent, has found itself shut out of warmth of Governor AbdulRahman Abdulrazaq’s embrace in the last six long years. In the minds of many, the town has been marked for punishment without trial.

Offa people are not known for fear; that much is certain. Yet, when conversations about the affairs of the state are held in hushed tones in our streets and courtyards, you suspect either resignation to fate or the quiet patience of a people waiting for the right moment to speak in the loudest possible voice.

The question, whispered so often it has become a chorus, remains: What is the sin of Offa? And why is that sin so unforgivable that Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq neither pardons nor forgets?

From the first day of this administration, Offa’s place in Kwara’s political equation has been systematically diminished. This is not a matter of speculation; it is visible in appointments, in the manipulation of traditional authority, and in the glaring absence of meaningful development projects. A city that once stood as a strong pillar in the southern belt of the state now finds itself relegated, almost systematically to the margins.

Among the many slights we have endured, several stand out:

The Speakership Denial: After the 2019 general election, Offa produced the only returning Honourable Member in the State House of Assembly — a natural candidate for the Speakership. Yet, for our “unknown sin,” His Excellency saw to it that he was denied the position.

Cabinet Formation Snub: When appointing commissioners, the Governor bypassed numerous Offa-based political and technocratic talents, opting instead for our daughter who resides and is married in Kwara Central.

Unfulfilled Development Promises: The Governor publicly promised to upgrade the Offa Township Stadium. Six years later, the promise remains unfulfilled. The Offa–Ikotun Road, a mere 1.6km stretch, still lies abandoned — seemingly because it is in Offa.

Loss of Federal Representation, Our illustrious sons and daughters in key federal agencies, such as the FCC and NPC, were removed without any attempt by His Excellency to defend them.

The most recent trigger for public anger is the removal of Hajia Fareeda Dankaka as Chairman of the Federal Character Commission. In Offa, her replacement was seen not as routine political turnover, but as the culmination of a long campaign of exclusion. Dankaka’s original sin, according to political whispers, was that her appointment did not come through the Governor’s influence. Add to that the fact that she is from Offa, a place the Governor, for reasons yet unstated, seems to treat as political enemy territory.

Incitement of Political Division, Offa’s political gladiators have been pitched against one another in a calculated pattern —
Sen. Lola vs. Hon. Femi
Hon. Femi vs. Hon. Saheed
Sen. Lola vs. Hajia Dankaka
Alh. Aro vs. Hon. Femi
…and so on.

The same cold shoulder appears to have been extended to the Olofa, one of the most respected monarchs in southern Kwara, whose stature has been subtly diminished in favour of a younger traditional ruler in the same zone. Even in matters of development, Offa’s story under this government reads more like a pause than a progression.

That might have informed why, during the last local council elections, the town rose with one voice and voted massively for their preferred candidates, defeating the Governor’s annointed choice in the process. It was a democratic statement of intent. But whatever victory the ballot box gave, the Governor and his puppets in KWASIEC swiftly took back. The rest, they say, is history!

This is the fate of Offa in the present milieu — punished without a publicly stated crime, kept at arm’s length without formal banishment.

Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq may have his reasons. But leadership, at its best, is about rising above personal slights and partisan grudges. Whatever offence Offa is deemed to have committed, it is time to let go. In the language of the people: e jébúre, sir, Your Excellency!

-Comr. Salahudeen A Lukman