Of Pavilion, Politics and the People’s interests
By: Jamiu Sakele
April 27th 2025
I genuinely thought the argument over the pavilion project facilitated by Senator Saliu Mustapha had run its cours, until a fresh article surfaced, this time by my elder brother and latter-day APC convert, Habeeb Tallest.
I must confess my doubts about the true authorship of that piece. If it indeed came directly from Tallest, it certainly didn’t reflect the familiar cadence of his thoughts. Being close enough to him, I can say with some authority that the article bore little of his intellectual fingerprint. Instead, it regurgitated, almost word for word, the same tired arguments long championed by a segment of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s media team.
The “due process” refrain, the blackmail accusations, the bashing of Senator Saliu Mustapha’s aides, all standard fare from the Governor’s inner media circle. That Tallest would lend his name to these arguments without reaching out to his long-time associates on the Senator’s side, if only out of courtesy or a commitment to balanced storytelling, is disappointing.
But then, it’s political season, and in politics, expectations must be tempered. Still, even amidst the noise, some minimum standards must remain sacrosanct: fairness, objectivity, reasonableness. I have chosen those words deliberately, knowing full well that absolutism is a luxury we can no longer afford.
Now, to the crux of the matter.
Amid the swirl of accusations and counter-accusations, one challenge stands out, crystal clear: a certain writer threw down the gauntlet, asking communication managers of the Kwara State Government to present just one instance, in the last six years, where it imposed such stringent bureaucratic conditions on any other National Assembly member’s constituency project. Just one.
Has there ever been a time when projects in Kwara South or Kwara North were subjected to these same suffocating demands? The truth is, there are two major pavilion projects currently underway in Kwara South, alongside countless road projects in Kwara North. Where are the demands for redundant approvals? Where is the bureaucratic witch-hunt?
Let us not feign ignorance. Senator Saliu Mustapha’s role in the pavilion project is clear: he facilitated the N500 million funding. Full stop. The responsibility for execution and supervision lies squarely with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and the contractor duly awarded the project, both publicly known entities.
Yet somehow, rather than direct inquiries or criticisms at these responsible bodies, the Governor’s media warriors would have us believe that the Senator ought to act as facilitator, executor, supervisor, and perhaps even gatekeeper. Pray, in what manual of governance do they find such prescriptions? If the Senator assumed all those roles, would it not trigger a scandal far greater than the present manufactured outrage?
Even if, and this is hypothetical, the original process had its faults, what about now? I learn that it has been several days since a fresh request for formal approval was submitted. What excuse remains for the delay? At what point do we set aside political bitterness and let development lead?
Senator Saliu Mustapha has, without doubt, proven his capacity to attract impactful federal projects to Kwara. Efforts to weaponize bureaucracy against these developments do no damage to him personally, they only hurt the people who deserve and await these dividends of democracy.
Tallest and others who wish to participate in public discourse have every right to their views. But when the dust settles, it is essential that we all look ourselves in the mirror and ask: Did we argue fairly? Did we act justly? Did we prioritize development over division?
The answers to those questions, not political loyalty, will ultimately define our legacy.
Let development lead. Always.
Jamiu Sakele writes from Sakele, Adewole ward.
