The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State has strongly condemned Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for dissolving the Kwara State Community and Social Development Agency (KWASCDA), a World Bank-backed initiative introduced by former Governor Bukola Saraki.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the PDP criticized the governor’s decision to exclude KWASCDA from the NG-CARES programme, a Federal Government and World Bank intervention designed to enhance rural infrastructure.
Olusegun Adewara, the PDP’s Publicity Secretary, expressed dismay over the move, highlighting that the agency was removed without any official explanation, despite its effectiveness in other states.
The party lamented, “While rural communities in 35 other states will continue benefiting from this vital project, Kwara has been singled out due to the governor’s self-serving political decisions.”
The PDP accused AbdulRazaq of harming thousands of rural residents who relied on KWASCDA for essential infrastructure, such as boreholes, schools, electricity transformers, and sanitation facilities, which have significantly improved living conditions.
According to the party, KWASCDA was established in 2009 under former Governor Saraki and was sustained by his successor, Abdulfatah Ahmed.
It alleged that the agency’s dissolution was politically driven, leaving numerous communities stranded after submitting requests for 2024 infrastructure projects.
“These communities, which had been expecting the construction and rehabilitation of schools, health centres, water supply systems, and electricity transformers, have now been abandoned by a government that prioritizes political vendetta over governance,” the statement read.
The PDP further accused some state government officials, in conjunction with certain KWASCDA insiders, of orchestrating the agency’s termination because of its ties to the Saraki administration.
The party alleged that the AbdulRazaq-led government was more focused on political control than the welfare of the people, noting that KWASCDA’s direct access to World Bank funding had limited officials’ ability to manipulate project costs and contractor selection.
“His administration’s incompetence, insensitivity, and poor priorities are widening the socio-economic gap in Kwara State, condemning many residents to perpetual hardship,” the PDP stated.
The party has demanded an immediate reversal of the decision, calling it an “ill-advised and anti-people policy.”
It also urged the World Bank, the Federal Government, and civil society groups to investigate the matter and ensure that rural communities in Kwara are not denied crucial development projects.
“Kwara belongs to everyone, and as a political party, we will not remain silent while a few individuals in government sabotage the collective progress of our people.
“The rural population of Kwara deserves better than a government that leaves them in darkness, without water, with crumbling schools, and facing rising insecurity,” the PDP concluded.