Gov AbdulRazaq mourns, recalls years under Coach Adenuja

Gov AbdulRazaq mourns, recalls years under Coach Adenuja

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has commiserated with the family, protégés and contemporaries of Coach Usman Adenuja, the head coach of the defunct Kwara Academicals and the Northern Lions, who died on Wednesday, October 29.

AbdulRazaq said in a condolence statement personally signed by him that he was once a player of the Kwara State Football team which Adenuja coached.

“Coach Adenuja was the football coach when I represented Kwara State at the National Sports Festival in Lagos in 1973. He was a great coach and a leader of men. He was great at what he did! I pray to the Almighty God to repose his soul and comfort the family he has left behind,” the Governor said.

“I also commiserate with the entire sports family in Kwara and Kogi States, especially the football family, which benefited immensely from the ingenuity, patriotism and commitment of Coach Adenuja while he held sway.”

The Governor recalled visiting Adenuja in his Okene country home a few years ago while he also spoke with his son, Abubakar, a week ago to inquire about the health of the coach.

Adenuja, a former head of coaching at the Kwara State Sports Council and Ag. Director of Sports at the Council, was from the old Kwara State before the creation of Kogi in 1991. He was also a very skilful footballer.

Top players like Moses Otolorin and Toyin Ayinla, among others, were nurtured by Coach Adenuja.

Prominent coaches who grew up under Adenuja’s tutelage included Busari Isola and Albert Adetoye.

 

Rafiu Ajakaye
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor
2 November, 2019

KWHA confirms AbdulRazaq’s cabinet nominees

KWHA confirms AbdulRazaq’s cabinet nominees

Kwara State Assembly on Thursday confirmed all the 16 commissioner nominees forwarded to it by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.

That came three days after the lawmakers commenced the screening of the cabinet picks in what has been described as about the most thorough yet friendly confirmatory sessions in the state.

Speaker Salihu Yakubu Danladi said the nominees were confirmed following a three-day screening that saw the House asking them questions related to their backgrounds, expertise and track records as Kwarans.

“The nominees are hereby confirmed as commissioners (for Kwara State). We so resolve. I now direct the Clerk of the House to communicate this decision to the Governor,” Danladi said at the plenary after the House had earlier dissolved into a Committee of Whole.

The Thursday confirmation was preceded by screening of four nominees who were the last batch of the 16 appointees.

The nominees were Oyedun Julianna Funke (Isin); Agbaje Wahab Femi (Offa); Joanna Nnazua Kolo (Edu); and Arinola Fatimah Lawal (Ilorin East).

A seasoned educationist and women-rights advocate, Funke said the best strategy for Kwara to keep teachers in the hinterlands would be to pay rural teachers’ allowance to personnel who agree to serve in the villages.

She also called for free accommodation for such teachers and concerted efforts by the host communities to accommodate them in manners that make them comfortable to work and live there.

“If I find myself in the education ministry, I will ensure that we liaise with the communities to embrace the teachers and offer them the necessary support. We will also reintroduce or strengthen School Based Management Committees (SBMCs) to help in this regard,” she added.

“The idea of political officials influencing transfer of teachers should stop. Our children are the ones suffering. Once we give them these incentives and take away undue political influence, the teachers will stay.”

Femi, an administrator and grassroots politician, said Nigeria must never prioritise stomach infrastructure at the expense of physical infrastructural development.

“I believe there are other ways of compensating those who have done one thing or the other. But we definitely can’t play with physical infrastructure. Several Countries have left us behind because of our attitude to governance. Our problem is the lack of honest and altruistic leadership, or people who place public interest above personal interest,” he said.

He was later asked to bow and go following massive endorsements of his nomination by the lawmakers who recalled his contributions to the victory of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

26-year-old Kolo told the lawmakers that her nomination was a challenge for her to contribute to the development of the state, calling it a “a rare privilege to serve.”

“I thank God for this rare privilege to serve. It is not by my power or any personal effort. I also want to appreciate the Governor for the golden opportunity given to me to be here today,” Kolo said, her speech repeatedly interrupted by wild applause from the gallery.

She commended her party and community leaders “for their mentorship and support”.

Speaker Yakubu he was impressed by Kolo’s opening remarks which were rendered in flawless British English, urging her to represent “our (youth) constituency well”.

“You’ve got a lot of work to do. You can’t let us down as members of your Constituency,” Yakubu added, asking her to bow and go.

The final nominee was Arinola Lawal whose screening session was the most emotional as lawmakers took turns to praise the role of former Governor Mohammed Lawal — Arinola’s father — in the socioeconomic development and political struggle of Kwara.

She was ushered into the parliament amid loud praises of her father while the screening session was punctuated by shouts of ‘omo L’Aderin’ — one of the many cognomens of Arinola’s father whose tenure as Kwara Governor was the most memorable since 1999 when Nigeria returned to civilian rule.

Arinola, whose managerial experience spans tourism and hospitality sector, was later asked to bow and go as the session became emotional. She was the only nominee who did not say a word throughout the screening.

The Governor had sent a total of 16 nominees for confirmation as commissioners.

Rafiu Ajakaye
Chief Press Secretary
31 October, 2019.

Women Affairs Minister hails AbdulRazaq over women commissioner-nominees

Women Affairs Minister hails AbdulRazaq over women commissioner-nominees

The Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs. Pauline Tallen, has appealed to governors, especially the new governors, to encourage more women in governance by allocating more political positions to them at the state level.

Speaking Saturday at the 2019 Edition of the Arise Women’s Conference in Lagos, Tallen, who commended Kwara State governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and his Lagos counterpart, Babajide Sanwo-Olu for giving more political positions to women in the State Executive Council, said other governors should emulate them by promoting women representation in governance at the state level.

The 2019 Arise Women’s Conference, which was the 11th edition of the annual programme to celebrate women in Nigeria, was put together by Dr. (Mrs) Siju Iluyomade, Convener and Founder of Arise Women Initiative, a faith-based Non-Governmental Organisation.

 

Tallen, who was a former Plateau State deputy governor, also assured the women that as Minister for Women Affairs, she would continue to push for women interests across the country

In his address, the First Lady, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, who was represented by Dr. Mero Al-Makura, commended the Siju Iluyomade-led Arise Women Initiative for empowering women, which according to her is in line with her Future Assured Programme, to reach out to people at the grassroots level.

Also speaking at the event wives of Lagos, Ogun and Ekiti states; Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, Mrs. Bamidele Abiodun and Erelu Bisi Fayemi, commended the Arise Women Initiative for supporting and empowering women through different philanthropic gestures.

In her address, Dr. Iluyomade called on all women to come together to improve villages across Nigeria. She said her organisation has done this by having as its model Dafara Adopt a village programme by building a hospital and provide qualitative health care delivery.

Gov. AbdulRazaq joins APC gov campaign flag off in Kogi

Gov. AbdulRazaq joins APC gov campaign flag off in Kogi

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq will today join his brother-Governors and elders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the official flag off of the Governorship Campaign in neighbouring Kogi State.

Recently rated as the most performing Governor in the country’s North Central Region, AbdulRazaq was recently nominated among the APC Governors to lead the re-election campaign of his counterpart in Kogi, Governor Yahya Bello.

The party had recently inaugurated a 56-member National Campaign Council to prosecute the Kogi election.

That comes amid rising national commendations that have greeted AbdulRazaq’s progressive policies in Kwara State, including the nomination of nine women, or 56.25% of total cabinet pick, as commissioner-designates.

The More Women Group, an amalgam of at least 169 women bodies across Nigeria, on Friday issued a statement praising AbdulRazaq for breaking the yoke of poor representation of women and youths in governance in Nigeria.

A statement signed by Dr Abiola Akiyode Afolabi and Ms Felicia Onibon on behalf of the group said “this gesture will be recorded in history as the first of its kind in Nigeria….The appointment demonstrates his support for women voices and serves as a recognition of their relevance in the society.”

The More Women Group has long established itself as the voice of women, including female professionals and experts representing different regions, ethnicities, economic, social and political allegiances as well as organisations for youths and persons with disabilities.

The group said “modelling a best practice of this nature is important for the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). We therefore applaud the first SHERO Governor for breaking the cycle of women’s exclusion in Nigeria. We applaud the All Progressives Congress (APC) for supporting this development in the state and call on all other state Governors to imbibe the culture of equitable representation for better and prosperous governance.”

Kwara Gov makes history with commissioner-nominees’ list

Kwara Gov makes history with commissioner-nominees’ list

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on Tuesday released an additional six-person commissioner-nominees’ list, with five more women added to what has now gone down in history as Nigeria’s most gender-friendly government cabinet.

The latest list, which again reflects the state’s demography, means that Kwara now has nine women (56.25%) and seven men (43.75%) commissioner-nominees who included top bureaucrats, enterpreneurs, educators, professionals and grassroots politicians.

Kwara has 16 local government areas.

The latest nominees are Afolabi-Oshatimehin Adenike Harriet (Ifelodun); Ahmad Fatima Bisola (Ilorin West); Aremu Bose Deborah (Irepodun); Oyedun Juliana Funke (Isin); Oyeyemi Olasumbo Florence (Oke Ero); and Suleiman Rotimi Iliasu (Moro).

The full list came five months after the governor apologised to and pledged to compensate for women’s loss at the general election in which 100% of the elective positions went to men, according to a statement by Rafiu Ajakaye, the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary.

The list was unveiled on Tuesday at the Kwara State House of Assembly where Speaker Yakubu Danladi said the screening of the nominees would begin next Tuesday, October 29.

AbdulRazaq had initially released a four-woman list which was followed a few weeks ago by another list of six men.

The latest nominees are Afolabi-Oshatimehin Adenike Harriet (Ifelodun); Ahmad Fatima Bisola (Ilorin West); Aremu Bose Deborah (Irepodun); Oyedun Juliana Funke (Isin); Oyeyemi Olasumbo Florence (Oke Ero); and Suleiman Rotimi Iliasu (Moro).

An entrepreneur and renowned community development advocate, 38-year-old Harriet hailed from Okeayo/Ora community in Ifelodun local government area of the state.

She was an officer at Surveillance Department of the National Pension Commission (PENCOM) Abuja between 2007 and 2011 and was until the appointment the Chief Operating Officer of M&P Micro Credit Scheme. Harriet, a top chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has contributed immensely to her community’s development, including the ongoing relocation of Ora Community Grammar School, construction of the AWUA bridge that connects her local government to Isin local government.

Harriet is an alumnus of the University of Ilorin, Kwara State Polytechnic and Abadina College of the University of Ibadan.

Fatima Bisola, who holds a postgraduate Diploma in Education from Usman Dan Fodiyo University, graduated from the Department of English of the University of Ilorin in 2011 . She attended Federal Government Girl’s College Omu Aran.

The 30-year-old nominee is currently an employee of the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), attached to the Sheikh AbdulSalam Junior Secondary School, Ilorin.

The nominee is an author of two publications: Aesthetics of Africanism in Camara Laye’s African Child and Radiance of the King and Effect of Mother Tongue Interference in Spoken English.

Deborah, who holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from University of Ado-Ekiti, currently teaches at the ECWA Secondary School Omu Aran.

The 45-year-old nominee has taught for over 10 years. She is a leader of the Irewolu Cooperative Society which facilitates women’s access to small loans and credit as part of the community’s efforts to empower women in small scale businesses.

Funke, 57, holds a Bachelor of Education (Guidance and Counselling) from University of Ado-Ekiti and Nigeria Certificate of Education from Kwara State College of Education Ilorin (Integrated Science).

She worked at the Kwara SUBEB as School Support Officer (SSO) between 1980 and 2015 where she retired as a Deputy Director.

Funke, a chieftain of the ruling APC, was Organising Secretary of APC Women Elders’ Forum and Secretary of the Kwara State chapter of the Women Teachers Association of Nigeria.

Florence, 31, holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Education and Master of Science in Industrial Chemistry. She is an alumnus of the University of Ilorin and National Teachers’ Institute Kaduna.

She was until her appointment the Administrative Manager and Public Relations Officer at Roemichs International School Ilorin. She also worked at Dabco Nigeria Limited Ilorin.

Florence is a member of the ruling APC who participated in the party’s electoral campaigns. She has always been a political activist in her locality where she has acted as female youths leader and canvasser.

Rotimi, a 38-year-old political and community development campaigner, was until his appointment the Energy Development Coordinator for the BUA International Limited where he was Projects Coordinator at the conglomerate’s multimillion dollars Lafiagi Sugar Company.

He was between 2013 and 2015 the Manager, Gas and Power Package at Bua Edo Cement, a subsidiary of the Bua Group in Edo State. He was also Energy Development Coordinator of Epe Power Generation Limited, another subsidiary of the BUA Group.

Rotimi is an alumnus of the Newcastle University, United Kingdom, where he bagged a Post Graduate Diploma in Pipeline Engineering in 2009. He read Mechanical Engineering at the University of Ilorin where he graduated in 2006. He is a member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE).

A scion of an influential political family from Moro local government, he has expertise and interests in Agriculture, Plant Mechanics, People Development, Supply Chain Management, and Workshop Efficiency, among others.

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

We’ll build a viable, prosperous state through SMEs: Kwara Gov

We’ll build a viable, prosperous state through SMEs: Kwara Gov

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq at the weekend said his administration’s upcoming social investment programme has been designed to fund small businesses, artisans, and lift many people out of the poverty bracket.

“This journey has begun with the passage of the Kwara State Social Investment Programme Bill by the State Assembly. We will make sure to redistribute wealth to our people, lift many people out of the poverty line, and support small and medium scale businesses to grow,” the governor said at the Omu Aran Day celebration on Saturday.

“Kwara South, like the northern senatorial district, has huge potentials in tourism and agriculture, especially agroprocessing. The great traditional displays here today attest to this. We are seeking partnerships to attract investments to these sectors. On our part, we are going to commit a lot of money into opening up our state with rural roads and basic amenities like decent schools, sanitation facilities, and functional primary healthcare system. We have recently paid RAAMP counterpart funding.”

AbdulRazaq also said efforts are ongoing to strengthen security across the state and put in place modest infrastructure to facilitate development in the hinterlands, adding that the best strategy to build a viable state was to help small businesses to grow through funding and infrastructure.

“Our administration is also working on putting in place the necessary security architecture to protect lives and properties. We are seriously working to ensure that normal banking operations resume in our major towns like Offa, Omu Aran, Patigi and so on. The current situation where full time banking operations are restricted to the state capital is not acceptable,” he added.

AbdulRazaq also promised to look into the requests of Omu Aran community in the area of infrastructure and water.

ODA President Bisi Adeyemi, for his part, called on the state government to look into the infrastructure deficit in the town, including the lack of any public tertiary institution there and the abandonment of the Omu Aran township road by the last administration.

“We are hopeful that the present government of the people in Kwara, led by our indefatigable Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, will not hesitate to carry Omu Aran along in its water revolution in Kwara State,” Adeyemi said.

The event, which included the launching of a N500m development fund for the town, was attended by many dignitaries from within and outside the state, including Kwara State Deputy Governor Kayode Alabi; Senator Sulaiman Ajadi; House of Representatives member Raheem Tunji Ajuloopin; founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide Dr David Oyedepo; Olupo of Ajasse Ipo Oba Sikiru Woleola II; Elese of Igbaja Oba Ahmed Babalola Awuni Arepo III; and Olomu of Omu Aran Oba AbdulRaheem Oladele Adeoti (Olomu Efon II).

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