by Taiwo Adeyemi
“Kwara State PDP Publicity Secretary’s wife has benefited from the scheme”– Acting KWASSIP GM,Tejidini
“Despite billions of naira injected to KWASSIP, poverty rate in Kwara State is 42.5%” – Kwara PDP Publicity Secretary, Adewara
Dr.Tejidini Olayinka, Acting General Manager, Kwara State Social Investment Programme (KWASSIP) has said only the Chief Press Secretary, CPS to Governor Abudulraman Abdulrasaq of Kwara State, Rafiu Ajakaye can give exact figure of fund allocations from the State government to the agency.
Tejidini made the remarks while featuring as a co-guest with Kwara State People Democratic Party, Publicity Secretary Olusegun Olusola Adewara “Sholyment” on Diamond FM, Ilorin, Kwara State Yoruba Language News and Current Affairs Programme “E ba wa da si” on Thursday, 24th October, 2024.
Recalled that the opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP in a statement issued by its Publicity Secretary Olusegun Olusola Adewara has called on the Economic Financial Crime Commission, EFCC and Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences, ICPC to investigate financial transactions of KWASSIP.
KWASSIP was founded by the administration of Governor Abudulraman Abdulrasaq in 2019 to provide succour to the vulnerable citizens in the State.
Tejidini maintained that the only person that can disclose the exact amount that the state government has injected to the agency is the Chief Press Secretary to the State Governor.
“KWASSIP operation is gazzate and the only person that can give official figure of fund that has been injected to the agency is the Governor’s Spokesperson”.
He emphasized that beneficiaries of the agency schemes are drawn from all facets of the society.
“We don’t give cash, we alliance with community based associations like the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Artisan groups and other community development groups to get data of vulnerable people in their communities”.
“Even the wife of PDP Publicity Secretary in Kwara State has benefited from our programme, you can ask him who is Ayanbode Adeola, Polaris Bank”.
Tejidini emphasized that online platform will be opened soon for another phase of no interest loan for entrepreneurs in Kwara State.
“We worked with technocrats, Bank of Industry, BOI, etc, we have selected people to pitch their business ideas and qualified people are selected”.
“A physically challenged person that applied for 800,000 naira loan was given 2 million naira by the Governor”.
The Kwara State PDP Publicity Secretary, Adewara in responding to the allegation of his wife benefitting from the KWASSIP scheme said his wife was given 10,000 naira only”.
“I wasn’t aware that my wife collected any money from KWASSIP but she has confirmed to me that she was given 10,000 naira”.
“I married from Ede, Osun State saying my wife came with my in-laws to get money from KWASSIP is not true, I don’t have any in-law in Kwara State”.
“We have video evidences of Dr. Tejidini sharing money to people in brown envelopes”.
He furthered that during the PDP’s administration in Kwara State, public funds wasn’t shared for aged people at Ile-Arugbo.
“All the funds that were given to people were from the Saraki’s family, and we are still doing it after leaving office”.
“Despite one billion naira that was pledged by the Governor for KWASSIP in 2019, according to the NBS poverty rate in Kwara State is now 42.5% from 11.7% in 2018”.