Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on Wednesday laid the 2023 budget estimates before the state parliament, restating the administration’s commitment to inclusive growth.

The size of the 2023 budget is N189,436,248,054.00, with a recurrent expenditure of 49.1% and capital component of 50.9%, he said.

“This is a budget of economic expansion and sustainable development,” the Governor said, adding that the fiscal document focuses on strengthening the current gains and is built around the Kwara State Sustainable Development Plan 2021-2030, Medium Term Sector Strategy 2021-2023 and citizens’ need Assessments.

“Today, I stand before this Honourable House to present the 2023 Appropriation Bill. This fiscal document is as significant in its provisions as it is in expanding the gains of the past three years for maximum socioeconomic benefits of the state,” according to the Governor.

“With the support of this House and the good people of Kwara State, our government has delivered on key campaign promises in education, healthcare delivery, provision of potable water, agriculture, poverty reduction, gender mainstreaming, youth and women empowerment, financial inclusion, workers’ welfare, infrastructure, and rural urban development.

“Under us, Kwara has shed horrible indices and broken new positive grounds across development sectors. This is all due to our commitments to inclusive growth.

“Of particular interest are the recent positive data on healthcare delivery, poverty rate, unemployment rate, and fiscal management of the state. All of these show that Kwara is a lot better today than we met it.

“I’m glad to report that our investment in the premier hospital has earned the state university an accreditation to begin Medicine and Surgery for the first time.

“In the outgoing fiscal year, we expanded economic opportunities for the people and executed many impactful projects and programmes across sectors, while many are near completion.

“The commencement of the KwaraLEARN initiative has raised school attendance by 43% in four pilot local government areas of Baruten, Ilorin East, Ilorin West, and Offa. We have delivered a new waterworks at Dumagi, new and well-equipped Dental, Eye, Renal, ICU facilities, and an expansive new ward.

“The Garment Factory, Visual Arts Centre, Innovation Hub, General Tunde Idiagbon Bridge, Osi-Obbo Aiyegunle Road, Adeta-Yebumot-AlHikmah University Road, Ilesha Gwanara Road, Osi and Ilesha Baruba Campuses of KWASU, Oro General Hospital, Jebba Waterworks, among others, are all near completion.

“For the first time, we are 90% set to deliver a game-changing Electronic Management System (EMS) for our hospitals in Ilorin, Kaiama, and Offa. We have also completed the first radio station in Kwara North and 39 Digital Literacy Centres across the state.”

The Governor said the new budget places more emphases on continuous infrastructural development, completion of ongoing road projects, agribusinesses, irrigation and mechanisation, workers’ welfare, rural electrification, and improved water reticulation, among others. In the new year, the RAAMP road projects will begin full steam.

“So is the special agroprocessing zone that is supported by development agencies. In the new year, we will also implement the National Programme on Food Security (NPFS) and Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment, among others,” he added

“Its key assumptions are oil price of 70 US Dollars per barrel; daily oil production estimate of 1.69m barrel per day; exchange rate of N435 to one United States Dollar; GDP growth of 3.75%; and inflation rate of 17.16%.

“Funding windows include the federal allocations, internally generated revenue (IGR), grants, and other capital receipts.”

Chaired by Rt. Hon. Speaker Yakubu Salihu Danladi, the budget presentation session was attended by Deputy Governor Kayode Alabi; representative of the Chief Judge Justice Olalekan Adegbite; Acting Grand Kadi Justice Abdullateef Kamaldeen; House members; cabinet members led by Secretary to the State Government Prof. Mamman Sabah Jibril; first class and other senior monarchs; top government officials and senior senior civil servants; and All Progressives Congress chieftains led by Chairman Prince Sunday Fagbemi; among others.

The Speaker commended the Governor for his efforts to steadily bridge the huge infrastructural gap in the state and for his focus on workers’ welfare, provision of basic amenities, and prudent management of public resources.

He assured AbdulRazaq of the readiness of the House to ensure timely passage of the budget after careful scrutiny as constitutionally required for the benefit of the people of Kwara State.

“Your Excellency deserves commendation for sustaining the zeal to fulfilling the obligations to the state by paying counterpart funds in all sectors. The result of this is visible to all as the state has since gone back to light and the people of the state are now better for it,” he said.

“It is a thing of joy to note that the efforts of this present government at ensuring transparency, accountability and fiscal discipline in government business are enjoying applause from within and outside the state.”

Rafiu Ajakaye
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor
November 30, 2022

Kwara State Government has said that the N3,529,734,298.96 SURE-P (ECA) Refund it received on behalf of the 16 local government areas will go into paying parts of the arrears of unpaid salaries to SUBEB teachers, local government workers, and other categories of workers and officials.

“In line with the administration’s commitment to use any extra funds to steadily offset the arrears owed to the SUBEB and local government workers and other categories of persons owed by the past administration, a decision has been taken to use the N3.5bn SURE-P Refund to pay the workers. This is a show of good faith and a reassurance that every kobo owed to the workers by the former administration will be paid at every opportunity because it is their legitimate right,” according to a statement by the Kwara State Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Community Development.

The statement listed the part-payment to be made to include gratuities for retired local government workers, salary arrears for SUBEB and local government workers, traditional rulers, and promotion for SUBEB and local government workers.

“It is important to stress that these arrears totalled N11,112,233,818.20, so the ECA Refund will go into paying parts of it, just as the government has been using any extra funds or savings (after meeting their obligations) to steadily offset the huge arrears,” the statement added

The new media wing of All Progressives Congress Kwara State chapter has began an e- campaign for re-election bid for governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.

The e- campaign was designed as part of the strategy to promote the achievements of Mall AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s administration. The team will use the advantages of social media platforms to reach out to millions of Kwarans to convince eligible voters to cast their votes for continuity of this administration.

The government led by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has performed excellently in health, education, security, civil servants’welfare, infrastructure development and employment opportunities which are enough reasons to reelect the governor.

Recall that, the team recently interviewed the chief press secretary to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Mall Rafiu Ajakaye as part of it’s e-campaign activities.

The e-campaign would feature top government officials and politicians to reach out to Kwarans through social media.

Kwara APC New Media is a party professional body under the office of kwara APC publicity secretary, Alhaji Tajudeen Folaranmi Aro.

E-signed

Solihu O. Yusuf
Deputy Director-General
Kwara APC New Media

APC Women and Youths in the Central district of Kwara State came out in their large numbers on Friday to reiterate their support for the second term bid of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, asking Kwarans to reward the Governor’s achievements with another mandate.

The mega rally, which occupied some major streets of Ilorin the State Capital, was led by the Chairman of the State APC Campaign Council Ambassador Abdulfatai Yahya Seriki, with some of the participants holding brooms – APC’s Logo and their placards indicating their respective wards across Central district of the State.

This came 24 hours after the party formally received tens of thousands of decampees from the PDP, SDP and NNPP among other opposition parties in the State.

They kick-started the exercise at the Kwara State Stadium Ilorin in the morning and went round places like

Surulere, Baboko; Oja Oba Market; Gambari; Ipata; Market; Maraba; Post Office/Challenge down to the APC Party’s Secretariat at the Commissioners’ Lodge Way in GRA.

Speaking at the event, State APC Chairman, Prince Sunday Fgbemi said APC remains a party to beat, given the outstanding performance of the Governor in the last three and a half years in the office.

He described the defection of opposition parties to the ruling APC which took place yesterday as a manifestation of victory for the party.

“The development is going to make our victory easier than we expect. Our Governor has been breaking barriers and building the future. That is what people appreciate in his administration. The decampees came on their own volition from seven different parties, gubernatorial and senatorial candidates, house of assembly members, former commissioners, SAs and so on. They are people that can add value to what we do,” the Chairman said.

Fagbemi said that with the mass defection of members of other parties to APC in Kwara it was obvious that their chances of winning were higher, saying PDP and other political parties are only deploying propaganda to seek relevance.

The Chairman thanked the party members from Kwara Central for coming out en masse for the mega rally.

Director General Kwara APC Campaign Council, Alhaji Yahya Seriki, said the APC supporters came together to demonstrate their acceptance of his choice to lead the Campaign Council, promising to do his best to deliver the State for all APC candidates at the polls.

“To God be the glory. Our people, especially the younger generation, are so excited that His Excellency Governor AbdulRazaq appointed me as the Director General of the State APC Campaign Council. What you are seeing is their way of showing appreciation to the Governor, and to let him know that they are 100 percent behind his re-election bid. By the special grace of God, we will deliver our candidates come 2023 elections,” he said.

Seriki noted that the good work of the APC led government in Kwara has continued to undermine the opposition parties to the extent of losing their heavyweights to the ruling party.

“We have no other party in Kwara. Those parties you are seeing are only ranting or making noise but everyone can see the reality themselves. Look at what His Excellency has been doing. There is no local government in the State that is not benefitting the government’s presence. Whether in terms of infrastructure or human capital development, ” he added.

“APC is waxing stronger daily. Just yesterday, our party received 6,800 decampees from PDP, SDP, YPP and NNPP among other opposition parties. The youths, in particular, have seen the difference and decided to take things into their hands. They are saying there is no governor in the history of the State that deemed it fit to empower the younger ones like this Governor did. He is a man that believes in the future of our younger ones. If you ask me, I would say the elections in Kwara are a walkover for APC. ”

State Commissioner for Finance and Spokesperson for the Council, Mrs. Florence Olasumbo Oyeyemi, in her remarks, said the State is leading other states in the area of economic empowerment, attributing this to AbdulRazaq’s unique approach to governance.

“The economic empowerment in Kwara State is one that has never been seen before. We are leading the game among other States excluding the FCT, and I can say that Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has brought a new dimension to the game. He is not only empowering our women he has actually placed us in an economic position,” she said.

“You will see Mallam AbdulRazaq’s footprint in every sector within the State, and we are taking it higher in 2023.”

Also speaking, Chairman of Kwara APC in Lagos, Pastor Awire Sunday, said the group decided to join the solidarity rally due to the excellent performance of his administration.

He particularly appreciated the Administration’s strides in many key sectors to include Road, Health; Education; Social safety programme, and Agriculture among others.

“We are here from Lagos purposely to support the second term bid of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq because of his performance.

“We come home to vote here in Kwara every time because we have our PVCs here. From Lagos we have over 4000 coming to vote in Kwara and we also control our people who are based in Kwara. Anywhere we tell them to vote, that is where they will vote,” Pastor Sunday declared.

Ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on Thursday harvested tens of thousands of defectors from opposition political parties in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, in what observers say further underlines the popularity of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and his government.

The defectors were led by dozens of erstwhile generals in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Social Democratic Party, NNPP, African Democratic Congress, among others — all attesting to the impressive performance of the administration in education, healthcare, workers’ welfare, rural-urban infrastructural development, women and youth empowerment, and safety nets for the poor and the vulnerable.

The Banquet Hall Ilorin — venue of the event — and its expansive precincts were filled to the brim as the defectors drawn from north, south and central districts of Kwara filed to the hall in a carnivalesque atmosphere.

They were received by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq alongside several top government officials and party chieftains such as Kwara APC chairman Sunday Fagbemi; and Director General of the APC Campaign Alhaji Yahaya Seriki; among others.

The big fishes among the defectors included former Deputy Speaker Kwara State House of Assembly under PDP Hon. Mathew Okedare; former Commissioner for Tertiary Education under PDP Barrister Abdullahi Alikinla; former Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology Engr Musa Yeketi; Personal Assistant to the former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed on Political (PAPOL) Alhaji Hassan Gegele; PDP Women Leader in Ifelodun LG Adenike Ayilara; former Special Assistant to Senator Bukola Saraki on Domestic Hon. Bolakale Ajanaku; Otunba Olabode Oyedepo popularly called Bode Deway; SDP House of Assembly aspirant from Offa Mr. Ahmed Akorede; Hon. Dolapo Hamza; Hon. Ahmad Solagberu; PDP House of Rep aspirant for Asa/Ilorin West Hon. Ahmed Bayero; YPP Vice Chairman in Asa Hamzat Dolapo; Abu Jimoh Plumber; Bola Afolayan from Ekiti LG; and Alhaji Abdullahi Sarumi, among others.

Officially welcoming the defectors, AbdulRazaq congratulated the new members of APC for their decision and assured the decampees of fairness and equal treatment.

“We welcome all the decampees and appreciate you for your conviction and your trust in our party. We are going to work together to achieve success. We will treat you all fairly as members of our party. As you can see, PDP is now empty. They only deploy social media to feign popularity,” he said.

“They came up with a slogan – ‘O Suwa’ (We are fed up). They are truly shameless for comparing their 16 years to our three and a half years in office. They boast of constructing a fly over bridge at the post office. They are liars. They never told Kwarans that the Federal government funded the project. The same thing applies to Ilesha Baruba – Chikanda road construction and the Airport. We are building huge projects with our own money as an administration while delivering basic amenities to our people, including workers’ welfare. We cannot entrust the future of our state to those who once ruined a bank. They will destroy our state, if we make that mistake. Let them know that you’re not tired of good government and steady spread of infrastructure across the state,” the Governor told the mammoth crowd.

AbdulRazaq mentioned some of his administration’s scorecards across sectors and enjoined the participants to remain resolute to deliver the State for APC at the polls.

Fagbemi, for his part, said Kwarans have all seen the huge gap between the past and present administrations in terms of inclusive growth and good governance, and have vowed never to allow the State to go backward.

He said the comeback bid of PDP was evil and targeted at denying the citizens what they are already enjoying under AbdulRazaq, restating the government’s scorecards across sectors.

Director General of Kwara APC Campaign Council Alhaji Yahaya Seriki urged members of the party to remain determined to work for the success of the party.

“This is a party for everyone. We all own Kwara together and we must reward Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for his hard work, dedication and exemplary leadership. Kwarans are not tired of measurable progress and development they see under this government. We will all come out en masse to campaign for the victory of APC,” he said.

Decampees took turns to explain why they left their parties to embrace APC, calling Governor AbdulRazaq an architect of a new Kwara.

Former Deputy Speaker House of Assembly Hon. Mathew Okedare, who also decamped, said they never knew that they were in darkness under the PDP-led administration until recently, attesting that Governor AbdulRazaq has demonstrated the capacity to lead.

Engr. Yeketi said what the present administration has achieved within three and a half years are enough to prove that AbdulRazaq means well for the State.

Rafiu Ajakaye
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor
November 24, 2022

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State has suffered yet another devastating blow and huge setback as a former aspirant for Ilorin West/Asa Federal House of Representatives Constituency, Hon. Ahmed Bayero, dumped the party and defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Bayero who is from Baboko Ward in Ilorin West Local Government Area left the PDP with thousands of his followers who will now work for the re-election of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and other APC candidates.

This development is coming days after a prominent former gubernatorial aspirant under PDP, Barr. Saadudeen Abdullahi Alikinla, also dumped the PDP for APC, moving with scores of his supporters across the 16 local government areas of the state.

Earlier, several stakeholders of the PDP have abandoned the party in Kwara State. All these happenings have thrown the party into confusion.

Bayero was Chairman Strategy and Research/Planning of the PDP Campaign Council for Ilorin West/Asa Federal Constituency.

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has held a virtual town hall meeting with Igbomina think tank to lay bare his administration’s proposals for an industrial hub located on the Amoyo-Jimba Oja-Idofian corridor, master plan, and sustainable action on the IV-TEC.

The talk was preceded by a verifiable catalogue of the administration’s multi-sectorial achievements in the region and across the state, including road projects, bridges and culverts, water, education, health facilities, social investment, workers’ welfare, and appointments into key positions in government.

In an interaction that lasted about four hours on Wednesday night, the Governor sought their buy-ins for an industrial hub to be sited at Amoyo-Idofian axis because of its proximity to electricity source from Osogbo.

He said the hub — comprising agroprocessing and service centres — would be included in the 2023 budget but will take a few years to be completed because of its large scope.

The town hall meeting was attended by senior citizens and elite of Igbomina extraction at home and in the diaspora, including the Olupo of Ajase-Ipo Oba Ismail Yahaya Alebiosu; President of Omo Ibile Igbomina Elder G Y Jimoh; Vice President Chief Sunday Ibitoye; Alhaji Raheem Adedoyin; Alhaji Sikiru Aliu; Alhaji Kayode Olaoye; Dr. Sunday Popoola; Elder Lateef Amolegbe; Dr. Lateef Olaniyan; Engr. Ibrahim Aroworowon; among others.

AbdulRazaq said the proposal to site an industrial park in Jimba Oja axis was mainly an economic decision to make sure those companies that are located there would have access to energy directly from the national grid — a position many participants agreed with.

He said the park offers investment opportunities for the people of the state, especially Igbomina people, adding that such facilities will hasten development in the axis.

He attributed the collapse of many industries in the state to high cost of or the lack of sustainable energy sources.

“If you look at the industries in Offa, the Okin biscuit, the Erinle paper converter, they have all collapsed and it is majorly because of the cost of energy or the lack of it. It is a major reason they all went down, basically because of the cost of diesel. Diesel, today, is over N800 per litre — industries can’t sustain this. Essentially, the most important source of energy with the 33KV passing through Ganmo going to Jebba and Kanji, going down to Osogbo, that is the best location, so it is not a political decision to locate it there, it is mainly an economic decision to make sure those companies that are located there have access to energy directly from the national grid,” AbdulRazaq explained.

“Without shaving your head behind your back, one needs to engage and see what superior arguments are out there in terms of location. What are the issues that affect the sensibilities of the communities there? So, that is why I said this is what we want to do, but if there are better ideas let’s discuss because it is something we want to put in the 2023 budget, so that we can start the processes. These industrial parks cost a lot of money.”

He said the park will be a state-led initiative to drive growth, adding: “Already, there is an agroprocessing zone being funded through the African Development Bank. It is one of the six nationwide, and Kwara has got one to be situated in Kwara North. This is being located in Kwara North mainly because of its comparative advantage.”

Asserting that the state can no longer afford unplanned growth that had led to flooding and poor access to basic amenities, the Governor also explained that the Ilorin Master Plan, the first phase of a comprehensive Kwara Master Plan, will be followed by other master plans for the other parts of the state.

He said Amoyo was removed from the Ilorin Master Plan following his consultations with the Igbomina leaders, adding however that the original inclusion of Amoyo within the 25 kilometres radius of Ilorin City was to maximise public resources, and not on account of any political motives.

He said the first and the last master plan for Ilorin capital city expired over two decades ago, leading to unplanned growth and its consequences on sustainable human living and infrastructural development.

The government is similarly concerned about the sustainability of the International Vocational Technical and Entrepreneurship College (IVTEC) Ajase-Ipo and it may require some upgrades to issue diplomas or degrees for wider acceptance, the Governor told the think tank, adding that such upgrades will not necessarily affect its primary focus on vocational trainings.

“We acknowledge the concerns on IVTEC. At the same time, we need to think about sustainability. Is it sustainable as it is? When we came on board, it was practically down. No one was enrolling there because they complained that the certificate is not widely recognised. We reduced the tuition to make it affordable while bearing the other costs but the situation remains the same. As I speak to you, only students that are 100% funded by the government are enrolled at the school. This is not sustainable, hence the plan to probably make it a campus of KWASU, while its vocational and other technical training programmes are still being offered but with more acceptable certificates,” he said.

The Olupo of Ajase-Ipo Oba Ismail Alebiosu, who confirmed the development as narrated by the Governor with firsthand information within his domain, said the government and the people will be better served if the IVTEC issues a more acceptable certificate, even if it retains technical training. He said the current trend in the school is not sustainable.

President of Omo Ibile Igbomina Elder Jimoh, for his part, commended AbdulRazaq for his plans to open up Kwara South for economic activities and development.

“On behalf of the Igbomina people both at home and abroad, I want to thank His Excellency for all that you have listed. Most especially, I am thanking him for granting our request for the exclusion of Igbomina land from the 25 kilometres radius new Ilorin City plan. We are very grateful for the prompt response to our request,” Elder Jimoh said.

Engr Nurudeen Adeyemi commended the AbdulRazaq’s administration for ensuring even development of the state and for prioritising people’s agenda.

“Thank you, Your Excellency, for always prioritising what we call the people’s agenda. At no time have we spoken to you about the concerns of our people that you have not risen to the occasion,” he said.

“Most importantly, you understand the imbalances that our people have felt in the past and I know that Your Excellency continuously and cautiously try to take a balance approach to make sure that development and all other intangibles, whether it is in hiring of teachers, is on level playing ground and equally balance across the three senatorial districts. That is leadership. Therefore, we are very fortunate to have you amongst us today here and most importantly to thank you for the excellent leadership you have provided our great state at this very difficult times.”

Mr. Raphael Olanrewaju, another member of the think tank, said eyewitness accounts of the government’s strides have been commendable, urging him to also help with the Arandun road in Irepodun local government.

Participants took turns to commend the Governor for his clear-headed ideas about socioeconomic development, his modest approach to public life, and for helping to drive a new political narrative that de-emphasises extreme conducts or political violence in the state.

Rafiu Ajakaye

Chief Press Secretary to the Governor

November 23, 2022

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on Tuesday acknowledged the important roles the Nigerian Police Force is playing to maintain law and order and guarantee safety in all parts of the country.

He said no investment will be too much to improve their working condition and welfare.

AbdulRazaq commended the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Usman Alkali Baba for uniquely seeking to promote the well-being of the police officers and equip them with necessary infrastructure to succeed.

The Governor spoke in Ilorin at the commissioning of a New Model Police Station along Madi Road in Ilorin West LG of Kwara State — an edifice built at the instance of the IGP.

“We are privileged to be one of the first states to benefit from this initiative. Needless to say that the Police Force has gone through several phases in its development. One of the phases was during Inspector General of Police Gambo Jimeta when the uniform was changed. And this is another landmark phase where the police infrastructure and welfare would be upgraded,” he said.

“If one is coming down the Madi road and asks for the direction of the Police station, the person would have passed here before realising it, because this is not an ordinary building. It does not look like our normal police stations.”

The Governor called on all public office holders to be innovative and always make impacts, saying the administration will continue to support the police and other security agencies.

“The emphasis should be placed on the need to improve and upgrade. When we are in a position we should leave it better than how we met it. That is what IG Alkali has done and continues to do by making sure that the facilities, infrastructure and welfare of the Police are his priority,” he added.

“I feel very proud that this type of facility is in Kwara State. I will raise it during our next Governors’ Forum meeting that whenever we want to assist the police in developing infrastructure, we should go with this model.

“And we in Kwara will also try and replicate this building in the years ahead. I visited some of the barracks and was not too happy with the way things are. We have done some things and we will do more. We know that the government is limited by the scarcity of resources, while also trying to allocate funds for all sectors of the economy.”

He appreciated the Police State Command and other security agencies for doing their best to keep Kwara among the safest states in the country.

The event was attended by the Inspector General of Police IGP Usman Alkali Baba; State Commissioner of Police Paul Odama; Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Security Aliyu Muyideen; representative of the Emir of Ilorin and Balogin Alanamu of Ilorin Dr. Abubakar Usman Jos; among other dignitaries and community representatives.

IGP Alkali, for his part, said he was in the State to commission the Police station, which he noted was built to add more value to policing standards in the state.

“Your Excellency, this is one of the projects with which we feel we can add value to our policing in this country. We pray we can have more of this in the State and the Country at large,” he said.

He thanked Governor AbdulRazaq for his government’s investment in the security sector, and asked the host community to maintain the project.

“I also want to appeal that this edifice belongs to members of the public, and not the police. You need to protect it under whatever situations. It is here to serve you and provide security,” according to the super cop.

State Commissioner of Police Paul Odama, in his address, said the State government under AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq is giving the command necessary support and empowerment to excel in their task to protect lives and properties of Kwarans.

“Kwara State is a state of harmony, as such the Command is doing everything possible to make the State permanently harmonious. This effort is made possible by the support given to the Command by the government of His Excellency, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.”

Rafiu Ajakaye

Chief Press Secretary to Governor

November 22, 2022

The All Progressives Congress, Kwara State Chapter has released the names of three key leadership officers of the state Campaign council.

The names are:
1. DG Amb Yahya Seriki
2. Dep DG.Alh Abdullahi Samari and
3. Spokesperson Hon Florence Olasunbo Oyeyemi

The party chairman, Prince Sunday Fagbemi assured members of the party that the names of other members of the council will be announced in due course.

However, the trio are expected to meet with State Governor, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and the State party chairman, Prince Sunday Fagbemi soonest.

The statement assured party members and stakeholders that the names of other members will be announced later.

Alh Folaranmi Tajudeen Aro
All Progressives Congress
Kwara State

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq at the weekend said traditional rulers have been instrumental to the peace, growth and development in the state, adding that the administration holds them in high esteem for their strategic roles.

The Governor spoke in Ipee, Oyun Local Government Area, where he attended the 20th coronation and 60th birthday anniversaries of the Onipe Oba Muftau Adebayo Lawal Titiloye III.

AbdulRazaq commended the Onipe for keeping Ipee peaceful and progressive, and congratulated him on his successes on the throne.

“I therefore congratulate Your Royal Highness and wish you well on the throne,” he said.

“We are proud of you, especially the way you kept this kingdom together for the past twenty years. With your career, starting from the Kwara State Polytechnic, to Zamfara, back to your throne here, you have left a good record. The government is happy with you.”

In company of the Governor were Deputy Governor Kayode Alabi; cabinet members; the State APC Chairman Sunday Fagbemi; and Alhaji Abdulrazaq Jiddah.

The event was also attended by many traditional rulers from Kwara South and members of Onipe in Council including the Olofa of Offa Oba Mufutau Gbadamosi Esuwoye II; Olupo of Ajase-ipo Oba Ismaila Yahaya Alebiosu; Elese of Igbaja Oba (Dr.) Ahmed Awuni Babalola Arepo III; Olomu of Omu-aran Oba Abdulraheem Oladele Adeoti; Elerin of Erin-Ile Oba Abdulganiyu Ajibola Olusokun II; Olupako of Share Oba Haruna Olawale Suleiman; Director General Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies Comrade Issa Aremu; Chairman of the Occasion Barrister Abdulateef Fagbemi; National President Ipee Progressive Union (IPU) Engr Moshood Abiodun Anifowose; and Chairman Ipee Advisory Council Chief Olabode Afolayan; among other dignitaries and thousands of residents of Ipeeland.

Oba Lawal, for his part, said the present administration has made life memorable for the people of Ipee community with different laudable projects.

The monarch thanked the Governor for giving them a sense of belonging and impacting the lives of the masses.

The monarch specifically commended AbdulRazaq for the elevation of the stool of Onipe of Ipee and the comprehensive renovation of primary and secondary schools, among other projects.

“We cannot pray for and thank the government enough for making the lives of our children and indeed everybody comfortable, and for improving the lots of our community. I want all Ipee people, both at home and in the diaspora, to continue to thank the government for giving us a sense of belonging in the State,” he said.

“Twenty years of my reign have been remarkable. It has been a time of goodwill, close rapport, understanding and fulfillment. It is worthy of note that everybody has played their parts to keep Ipee moving. I thank God.”

National President Ipee Progressive Union (IPU), Engr Moshood Abiodun Anifowose, said Ipee has continued to witness peace and development under the monarch, praying God to strengthen him more and continue to accord his reign monumental achievements.

AbdulRazaq’s convoy, meanwhile, was hugely welcomed in Omupo by jubilant supporters of APC, led by their Chairman Alhaji Nasir Ibrahim, during their weekly ward meeting.

The Governor, who joined them at the ward meeting, mentioned some of his administration’s achievements and his efforts to transform the state — with locals nodding in agreement.

He encouraged them to continue to spread the news about the recorded feats of the administration ahead of the 2023 general election.

Rafiu Ajakaye

Chief Press Secretary to the Governor

November 20, 2022