PRESS RELEASE
Prof. Ali Ahmad: Kwara’s Descent into Insecurity is a Tragic Failure of Leadership
Ilorin, Kwara State – 19/09/2025
The relocation of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) camp from Kwara State is not a routine administrative decision—it is a national disgrace. It is a loud and painful admission that Kwara can no longer guarantee safety for its citizens, let alone for the young Nigerians posted here for service.
For over four decades, the NYSC has been a proud symbol of national unity, sacrifice, and patriotism. Generations of corps members have come to Kwara, contributed their skills, touched lives, and left with cherished memories. Today, that legacy has been cut short. Under the watch of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Kwara has been forced to surrender this national heritage.
To admit that corps members cannot be secured in our state is to confess the total collapse of governance. This retreat is not just shameful—it is humiliating. It is an indictment of the AbdulRazaq administration and a betrayal of the trust reposed in it by the people of Kwara.
What responsible government folds its arms while its state is branded unsafe? What leadership allows insecurity to fester until federal institutions are compelled to flee? This is not governance—it is surrender. It is a stain on our state’s name and a shame that Kwara must not carry in silence.
Equally heartbreaking is the reckless closure of Kara markets across Kwara South. These markets are not ordinary gathering points; they are the lifelines of our local economy. They feed families, empower farmers, sustain traders, and keep transporters working. By shutting them down, the government has chosen to punish the victims instead of fighting the criminals.
Today, farmers are watching their produce rot because there is no market to sell. Traders are sinking into debt and despair. Transporters sit idle, their vehicles parked, their daily income destroyed. Families cry at night as hunger tightens its grip. This is not a security policy; this is cruelty wrapped in cowardice.
The AbdulRazaq administration has abandoned its people in their moment of greatest need. Insecurity is not defeated by retreat. It is fought with courage, intelligence, and investment in the people. But instead of rising to the challenge, this government has chosen the path of silence, surrender, and shame.
Kwara is bleeding. Our youth are endangered. Our farmers are broken. Our traders are hopeless. Yet those entrusted with leadership walk as if nothing is wrong. This indifference is not just incompetence—it is betrayal.
History will not record this era as one of bold action. It will remember it as the time Kwara surrendered to fear. And history will never forgive leaders who abandoned their people when courage was needed most.
Signed:
Professor Ali Ahmad
Former Speaker, Kwara State House of Assembly