The area of power is one in which Dr. Bukola Saraki has scored unrivalled success in his period in office. Most remarkable has been the completion and commissioning of the Ganmo Power Substation. This was initially a National Independent Power Project of the Federal Government. However, it was abandoned due to a shortfall of funds. The project was adopted by the Kwara State Government under Dr. Bukola Saraki despite the huge cost involved and the limited financial resources of the state. The power substation was commissioned on July 27, 2009 by late President Umaru Musa Yaradua. With the completion of the power substation, Kwara is now one of the few states with 330KVA lines, meaning that the state gets its electricity directly from the generation centre rather than the secondary distribution centre.

The decision to adopt the power project was not a difficult one for the administration of Dr. Bukola Saraki to make, since from the onset he had made the provision of physical infrastructure necessary to promote private investment a priority. The commencement of operation of the power substation has greatly improved electricity supply to residential and industrial locations within the state. With the completion of the power substation, attention has now turned to distribution and transmission. 6 additional injection substations have now been built or are being built to improve the distribution of electricity. The state has also invested heavily in the installation of transformers statewide. There is a very strong rural electrification program in Kwara State, and recently the state has begun looking into possible use of mobile power plants.

Power House Energy Africa has begun talks with the Kwara State Government on the possible use of power generated from industrial and household waste. The company was recently in Kwara State to demonstrate its technology, which is environment friendly. The technology uses a promex ultra-high gassification process. The process does not involve burning, and uses an induction system similar to microwave technology. This is taking place less than one year after the activation of the Ganmo Power Station. The nation and other states definitely have a lot to learn from the administration of Dr. Bukola Saraki on in the area of power, agriculture, education, health, and civil service reforms. Without doubt, he is one of the most successful governors in the area of power within the country.

By Chiawo Nwankwo, Abuja  
Tuesday, 8 Jun 2010
Co-chair of the Melinda and Bill Gates Foundation, Mr. Bill Gates, declared on Monday that he had spent about $750m on polio eradication in Nigeria. He also explained that the global coverage of the campaign had cost him $8bn, adding that an additional $2.6bn would be spent on completely eradicating the disease.


Gates, who said these in Abuja during a media briefing to mark the end of his second visit to Nigeria, applauded the country’s efforts at eradicating the scourge. This has led to a 99 per cent drop this year, as only three cases have been reported. He, however, enjoined all stakeholders in the campaign to ensure that the gains were not reversed. Consequently, Gates held a meeting with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and business community leaders.

The co-founder of Microsoft also said that his foundation would commit enormous resources to ongoing research on a malaria vaccine, especially because malaria is a major killer. Gates, who first visited Nigeria in February 2009, said, “In my whole life and beyond, the focus will be global health.”

While in Abuja, Gates also met with President Goodluck Jonathan; governors and the Minister of Health, Prof. Christian Chukwu. Speaking on the meeting between the governors and Gates, Kwara State GOVERNOR BUKOLA SARAKI told newsmen in Abuja on Monday that they were happy at the success recorded in the eradication campaign.

SARAKI, who is also the chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, told journalists after a meeting of the governors, that, “On the issue of polio eradication, the Forum noted the tremendous achievement recorded by many states in the country. It, however, reiterated the need for the states to empower the grass roots, specifically the local government chairmen.”
He said the governors were particularly happy that the reported cases of polio in the country had dropped from 250 to three in the last one year. This, he said, also gladdened the heart of visiting Co-Chair of the Melinda and Bill Gates Foundation, Mr. Bill Gates, whom he quoted as saying that the achievement was “unprecedented.”

In Kano, on Sunday, Gates had accompanied health officials on a visit to some wards to observe the drive against the virus with the immunisation of children.

The Kwara State chapter of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has commended Dr. Bukola Saraki, the Executive Governor of Kwara State, for fulfilling the 21 demands of labor in the state, which were completely ignored by previous administrations.

This commendation was given by the chairman of the Kwara State chapter of the NLC, Comrade Emmanuel Aiyeoribe, during a thank-you visit paid to Dr. Bukola Saraki by executive members of the congress. In his address, he thanked Dr. Bukola Saraki for honoring all his campaign promises to workers in the state. He also thanked Dr. Bukola Saraki for the20% salary increase, which he recently approved for workers in Kwara State.
Comrade Emmanuel Aiyeoribe observed that under the administration of Dr. Bukola Saraki, the civil service in Kwara State has been rejuvenated through a host of positive measures, such as promotion exercises, prompt payment of salaries and pension arrears, salary increments, training of workers, and renovation of offices.

In his response, Dr. Bukola Saraki commended the hierarchy of the labor force for embracing dialogue in the pursuit of their demands. He disclosed that about 2000 workers were being currently recruited into the civil service by his administration in an effort to rejuvenate the civil service, and he called on workers in the state to reciprocate the efforts of the government by discharging their duties with renewed zeal and commitment.