Ile Arugbo: Group backs Gov. Abdulrazaq over revocation

A group, Kwara Elders of Thought, has expressed support for Gov. Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq, for approving the revocation of a piece of land which had hosted the controversial ‘Ile Arugbo’ (Old people’s home) owned by the late Dr Olusola Saraki.

The group, in a statement on Tuesday in Ilorin by Zakary Abdulkareem and Alhaji Baba Olosasa, Secretary and Chairman respectively, commended the governor for the action.

“We enjoin His Excellency to be rest assured that the progressive-minded Kwarans who championed the ‘O to gee’ campaign in 2018-2019 are solidly behind him in his effort to move Kwara State and Kwarans out of bondage and slavery.

“We also urge the governor to take urgent steps to recover about 90 other properties so far identified to have been dubiously acquired by officials of the immediate past government.

“We have followed the arguments of the parties concerned, and have gathered adequate information on the Ile Arugbo recovery process.

“We also investigated the parties’ claims and counter-claims, and are convinced beyond any reasonable doubt that the Kwara State Government, under the leadership of Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq had taken the right decision by recovering the property that rightly belongs to the government and people of Kwara State,” it said.

The group said that the reaction by the Saraki family and their sympathisers was normal and expected.

“The protests witnessed before, during and after the recovery of the landed property are typical acts of resistance to change and fear of uncertainty.

“It is our belief that the old women (Arugbos) displaced from Ile Arugbo would be accommodated in the comprehensive Social Intervention Programme of Gov. Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq as enunciated in his year 2020 budget proposal.

“If, however, Saraki family is interested in sustaining their own Ile Arugbo concept, we advise them to adopt President Buhari’s intervention through which the Federal Government pays old people (Arugbos) the sum of N5, 000 without having direct personal contact with any of them,” it added.