By Yahaya Idris, Lafia
Former Chairman of Karu Local Government Area, Hon. Joseph Kaura, has criticised the Panda Development Area Political Coalition Forum over its defence of projects attributed to the Nasarawa State Government in the area.
Kaura, in a response titled “Re: The Purported Achievements of Engr. A.A. Sule and Karu Local Government in Panda Development Area,” maintained that the Nasarawa State Government had not executed any significant physical project in Karu Local Government Area in the last seven years.
The former council chairman, who described himself as a founding member of the Panda political coalition, said he was disappointed that the current leadership of the forum had allegedly shifted from demanding development to defending the government.
According to him, the coalition was originally established to engage government officials and elected representatives on development, youth employment and other concerns affecting the people of Panda.
“When we talk about PROJECTS, we do not mean political appointments. A project means visible, physical infrastructure that impacts the lives of the people,” Kaura stated.
Kaura Lists Abandoned Projects
Kaura challenged the government and the coalition to account for several projects he said had been abandoned in Panda Development Area.
Among those listed were the Gitata-Panda-Gurku Road, Panda Electrification Project, Panda-Akwap Road, Panda-Kube-Padan Gwari Road and Angwan Ayaba-Dutsen Gogo Road.
He also alleged that the deplorable condition of roads in the area had affected the operations of the Panda Development Area administration.
Kaura questioned what he described as the limited infrastructure benefits accruing to Panda despite the area’s political participation in state affairs.
Questions N460m Karu Allocation
The former chairman also questioned the implementation of projects under the Karu Local Government administration.
He claimed that N460 million was released as a first tranche for projects in Karu LGA and asked how much of the amount was actually spent on projects in Panda.
“Is it N6 million out of N460 million?” he queried.
Kaura also raised questions about internally generated revenue, recalling his role as Advisory Committee Chairman to Abubakar Aliyu Madaki, when he said he presented a blueprint targeting N1.5 billion annual IGR.
He claimed the blueprint was implemented and verified, with nearly N1 billion generated during the period under review.
“Almost N1 billion was generated, how was it spent?” Kaura asked.
To illustrate his understanding of infrastructure development, Kaura listed projects he said his administration executed during his two-year tenure as Chairman of Karu LGA about 17 years ago.
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He listed the construction of the Karu Youth Centre, renovation and furnishing of the Karu Secretariat, procurement of transformers, construction and furnishing of a cottage hospital at Rugan Juli, classroom blocks, electrification projects, culverts and the establishment of Karu Police B Division.
Other projects he mentioned included the purchase of council vehicles and motorcycles, waste bins, sponsorship of religious pilgrims and distribution of 20,000 exercise books to primary school pupils across the local government.
Kaura further alleged that Karu remains one of Nasarawa State’s major revenue-generating local governments but has not received commensurate infrastructure development.
He subsequently called on residents to support Mohammed Abubakar Adamu, IGP (rtd.), the SDP governorship candidate, whom he said represents a platform for accountability, inclusiveness and peaceful coexistence.
Kaura concluded by insisting that political appointments should not be presented as substitutes for physical infrastructure.