More controversy trailed rescent National Awards by federal government after Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), House of Representatives candidate for Asa/Ilorin West Federal Constituency, Alhaji Mohammed Ajia Ibrahim, spotted what he believes as big omission in the list of awardees especially from Kwara.
According to him, if anybody in Kwara is deserving of a national honour in Kwara ahead of anybody, it should be Sen Abubakar Bukola Saraki, former Senate president, two time governor of the state.
He however congratulated the 11 indigenes of Kwara State who made the list of Presidential award among the 447 people that received different national awards in Abuja, saying that they well deserve the honour.
Ajia, in a statement signed and released to journalists in Ilorin by his Media Team, felicitates with the honourees for being good ambassadors of the state.
The honourees include; former President of the Nigeria Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami, CFR; Chief Judge of Kwara State Justice Sulyman Durosinlohun Kawu, OFR; retired Grand Kadi of Shariah Court, Justice Idris Abdullahi Haroon, OFR; and the immediate past Corps Marshal of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, OFR.
Others are; Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed, CON; Prof Wale Suleiman, CON; Grand Mufti of Ilorin Sheikh Suleiman Faruq Onikijipa, OON; Sheikh Muhammed Tajudeen Adigun, OON; Alh. Kamoru Ibitoye Yusuf, MON, while late Rashidi Yekeen and Benedict Okoh Ajide were also be conferred posthumously as MON.
However, the PDP candidate described the omission of the former Senate President of the Eight Senate, a two-term Governor of Kwara State and Former Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum, His Excellency, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki as politics taken too far, considering his contribution and commitment to the growth and developments of the country while he held sway as the head of the legislative arm of Government.
He further described the action as reckless and setting of bad precedence which is not good for the country, calling on well-meaning Nigerians to criticize the action in totality, the sentiments in the selection process.