Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRahman on Wednesday sent to the House of Assembly a list of six additional commissioner-nominees, comprising top-notch professionals and administrators with rich political backgrounds.

This comes a few weeks after AbdulRazaq unveiled a list of four women commissioner-nominees, including the 26-year-old Joanna Kolo.

The new nominees are Barrister Salman Jawondo (Asa); Lafia Aliyu Kora Sabi (Baruten); Dr. Raji Razaq (Ekiti); Architect Aliyu Mohammed Saifudeen (Kaiama); Wahab Agbaje (Whyte, Offa); and Murtala Olarewaju (Oyun).

With 29 years of post-qualification experience as a lawyer, Jawondo is almost synonymous with the longstanding struggle to change the political status quo in Kwara with his numerous court cases and advocacy to challenge what he considered the anti-people decisions of the previous administrations.

Barrister Jawondo is an alumnus of the University of Lagos where he read Law between 1986 and 1989. He was at the Nigerian Law School between 1989 and 1990. A disciplinarian and no-nonsense lawyer, he is a member of the Legal Practitioners’ Disciplinary Committee in the North Central Zone and was Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ilorin Branch, between 2009 and 2011. He is the founder of the Jawondo &Co., Legal Practitioners. He is from Asa Local Government Area of Kwara State.

A former chairman of Baruten Local Government and a grassroots politician, Aliyu Kora Sabi has a Bachelor’s degree in Education (Guidance and Counselling), PostGraduate Diploma in Public Administration and Masters degree in Public Administration from Universities of Ado Ekiti and Ilorin, among others. He taught in various schools and served as a senior administrative officer in his Baruten local government for nearly two decades.

Sabi, who was born in 1970, is from Yashikira town of Baruten Local Government area of the state.

Born in 1979, Raji Razaq is the Medical Director of the Comprehensive Health Centre Agwara, Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State.

A polyglot, Dr Razaq attended the University of Ilorin for his Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery between 2000 and 2006; the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife, for his Master in Public Health between 2015 and 2017. He was the NYSC Chief Medical Director, Kebbi State Camp Clinic in 2007 and an aspirant for the House of Representatives in Ekiti/Oke Ero/Irepodun/and Isin Federal Constituency.

He hails from Osi in Ekiti Local Government area of the state.

Architect Saifudeen hails from Kaiama Local Government area of Kwara State. He holds a Bacherlor’s degree in Architecture and Master of Science in Architecture — both from the University of Jos between 1993 and 1999.

He is a member of the Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA) and Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON).

Saifudeen has worked with various local and multinational firms in his area of expertise, including French-owned Bouygues Nigeria Limited where he was Assistant Design Manager; Lebanese Sageto Limited where he was Project Coordinator; and Crushed Rock Industries Nigeria Limited owned by Germans.
He is the Managing Partner at Constyle Services Limited; Chairman of Fiasminat Limited; a partner at Kab Development Services. Saifudeen is an accredited resource person with the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and a member of the Education Sub-Committee of the Nigerian Institute of Architects.

Murtala Olarewaju is a grassroots politician, an administrator and a teacher. He attended Federal College ofEducation Kontangora for his National Certificate of Education; Kwara State Polytechnic for his Higher National Diploma; and Ladoke Akintola University for his Master in Public Administration. He also has Teacher Grade II Certificate from New Bussa Teachers College Niger State.

He taught at various schools between 1982 and 1998. He was an administrative officer with the Kwara State Local Government Service Commission between 1998 and 2017. He retired as Deputy Director of Administration in 2017. Olarewaju hails from Ijagbo town in Oyun Local Government Area of the state.

A successful businessman and administrator, Wahab Agbaje (Whyte) holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Ladoke Akintola University. He also bagged High National Diploma in Accounting from Kwara State Polytechnic and National Diploma in Accounting from Federal Polytechnic Nasawara.

Agbaje is the Managing Director of Whyte and Associates Nigeria Limited. He is the Community Representative of the Governing Council of Federal Polytechnic Offa. A senior member at the Institute of Diplomacy and Conflict Management, Agbaje has had at least 12 years experience in educational and business administration, conflict resolution, agriculture, revenue mobilisation, construction and contract negotiations.

Whyte, as he is fondly called, has been a grassroots politician since 1990. He was a member of the Contact and Mobilisation Committee for President Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organisation (2018) and Director of Contact and Mobilisation Committee of the AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq Campaign Organisation (2018). Agbaje was National Vice Chairman of the defunct All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP. He was elected state chairman of the party in 2006. He was also councillor-elect Shawo South West Ward, Offa Local Government in 1996.

Rafiu Ajakaye
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor
09 October, 2019

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on Wednesday called for urgent diversification of the Nigerian economy to lessen national reliance on crude oil, saying the country must invest in agriculture and small and medium scale enterprises.

“The theme of your study tour —Economic Diversification and National Development in Nigeria —is very apt. The time has come for us to diversify our economy and drive growth to cope with our surging population,” AbdulRazaq said in Ilorin during a meeting with the participants of Course 28 of the National Defence College who were on a study tour of Kwara State.

“Our security as a country is directly linked to our ability to engage our population in productive endeavour and guarantee food security.”

AbdulRazaq said his administration is prioritising small and medium scale businesses and agroprocessing.

He added: “Kwara State under us is engaging with various companies to grow small and medium scale businesses. We are also encouraging bigger corporations to deepen their investments here. Very soon, the Kwara State Social Investment Programme will come on stream, especially targeted at lifting the poorest out of poverty line, empowering the artisans and small business owners and teaching skills to thousands of others.

“We do not claim to know it all. Please feel free to offer us your own insights on how to achieve more in our journey to build a viable state.”

Speaking earlier at an event commemorating the World Food Day, AbdulRazaq said Kwara will partner with various stakeholders to ensure food security, especially sugar production which he identifies as major comparative advantage for the state.

“The way forward is agriculture and agroprocessing. That is our future. We are in central part of Nigeria and Kwara alone can feed the nation. This is particularly true in sugar production where we have the potentials to feed the whole country,” he said, citing the upcoming $350m sugar refinery by BUA Group, the coming on board of the Dangote Group and ongoing talks with AMCON to revive the Bacita Sugar Company in the state.

The Governor also restated his commitment to lift as many poorest of the poor as possible out of the poverty line through the Social Investment Programme that is currently with the State House of Assembly, hoping that investments in small enterprises would spread prosperity and comfortably bring more people into the tax net of the state.

Responding, Commodore Henry Hassan, leader of the Course 28, commended the Governor for his giant strides in helping the people, adding that his “unusual way of mobilising your men to go to the grassroots and see things for themselves” stands him out as a great leader.

Hassan said his team would share their research outcome with the administration as part of the overall national strategy to ensure food security and development.

Rafiu Ajakaye
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor
16 October, 2019.

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on Friday said the looted funds recently returned to the state would go into social investment programme to benefit the poor.

“By the grace of God, this money will go into social investment programme of the state. It is going into lifting thousands of people out of poverty. We are not going to award contracts with this money. It is going to help the poor people,” AbdulRazaq said at the official handing over N111,428, 891.00 looted funds to the government by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

AbdulRazaq commended the anti-graft body for their efforts and service to the country, assuring that the funds would only go into serving the downtrodden. He also called on Kwarans to continue to support the body.

“We thank the EFCC for what they are doing. We are happy that in our state you keep us on our toes. Unlike what many people may perceive, EFCC are partners in progress all over the federation. So we should join hands with them and assist them,” he said.

AbdulRazaq said Kwara under him is replicating many of the Federal Government’s programme to make life better for the people, adding that the state’s Social Investment Programme Bill is already with the State House of Assembly.

“We are replicating many of Federal Government programme in Kwara especially the social investment programme, which people know as Trader moni, market moni, N-power and school feeding programme. The Social Investment Programme Bill has already passed second reading and this money will go into the programme. We are not going to waste or mismanage it,” he added.

Speaking earlier at the handing over of the looted funds, the state zonal head of the EFCC, Isyaku Sharu, said the money had been recovered from “treasury looters” in Kwara and that the agency had so far recorded 29 convictions

“We have 29 convictions and over N500 million (five hundred million naira) recovery of both assets and cash; part of this recovery is the N111, 428, 891.00 cash recovery for the Kwara State government,” Sharu said.

“This recovery is from suspected Kwara state treasury looters. The suspects are alleged to have criminally misappropriated landed properties of Harmony holdings while other diverted funds meant for the micro, small and medium credit scheme. The suspects cut across political office holders, traditional rulers and top civil servants.

Sharu stated that he was mandated by the Chairman of the Commission, Ibrahim Magu, to present the recovered loot as part of their contribution in getting rid of economic and financial crime-related offences in the state.

Rafiu Ajakaye
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor
11 October, 2019.