You are here: HomeEntertainment2020 01 04Article 335632

Politics of Saturday, 4 January 2020

Source: www.mynigeria.com

My father's legacy lives on- Gbemisola Saraki

Minister of State for Transportation, Gbemisola Saraki Minister of State for Transportation, Gbemisola Saraki

Unhappy with the sudden twist of events culminating into the demolition of her late father's building by the Kwara State Government, Minister of State for Transportation, Mrs Gbemisola Saraki has warned Kwara state Governor, AbdulRazaq AbdulRahman against using security agencies to settle political scores.

In a statement by the Minister, she called upon the Inspector-General of Police to intervene speedily into the matter.

“I call upon the Inspector-General of Police to caution the state Commissioner of Police. Using security agencies and live ammunition to settle political and personal scores is not what the Buhari administration is about. We must stand up against vindictive politics, driven by envy, motivated by jealousy and practiced without integrity,” the statement read.

Popularly called Ile Arugbo (home for the aged), the house is located along the Ilofa Road in the Government Reserved Area of Ilorin.

The building was a place where the late Olusola Saraki used to distribute food, money and clothes to old women, a tradition that the immediate past Senate President and Gbemisola’s brother, Bukola Saraki, inherited.

However, the building, which became a subject of controversy in the last few days, was demolished around 4am on Thursday by security agents of the state government.

It was gathered that the men of the Nigeria Police Force first took over the property 48 hours before the demolition to forestall the breakdown of law after some aged women protested against the state government’s decision.

The Minister who couldn't hide her grievance against the demolition of her late father's property, said her father's legacy would continually live on.

“At the end of the day, what is on that land is nothing – no block of flats that the family is getting rent from; no office building, no factory, or any other commercial venture. Just a bungalow where the old women gather and get their basic needs attended to.

“Nonetheless, were my father alive today, surely, he would have been saddened to see bulldozers in Ile Arugbo. However, I am comforted by the knowledge that my father’s good work and his respect, support and love for the aged, which was sadly lacking in the governor’s activities on Thursday, simply cannot be erased by demolishing a bungalow,” she said.

She also expressed sadness against the state government for unleashing terror and mayhem on innocent and defenceless aged women, who were protesting against Ile Arugbo’s demolition.