Kwara State governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has inaugurated a committee on the establishment of the proposed Kwara State University of Education.
The committee is chaired by a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof. Shuaib AbdulRaheem.
Other members of the committee include Pastor Afolayan Babatunde (Secretary), Prof. Medinat Salman, Prof. Sidikat Adeyemi, Prof. Umar Gunu, Engr Sa’ad Belgore, Mrs Risikat Lawal, Femi Aina, Alh Abdul-Razaq Jiddah, and a representative each of the Ministries of Housing and Urban Development and Justice.
At the event, Governor AbdulRazaq said: “I am proud to inaugurate this afternoon the committee of top educationists, bureaucrats, and patriots who have been selected to midwife the establishment of the proposed Kwara State University of Education. This is a historic duty.
“I trust the committee to do a great job that would become a shining legacy for all of us.”
He congratulated the appointees, and thanked them for agreeing to serve the state, pledging to give them the support needed to succeed in their assignment.
Responding, the chairman of the committee, Prof. Shuaib AbdulRaheem, commended the governor’s foresight and commitment to advancing the state’s education system, calling it the right step in the right direction.
“I must begin by appreciating the foresight and commitment of Your Excellency in always thinking about the advancement of education in Kwara State, especially your decision to establish a University of Education. It is the right step in the right direction. That again confirms the leadership of Kwara in the whole of North Central and in Nigeria in innovation in education,” he said.
AbdulRaheem said universities of education were the next thing that the system requires to nurture a knowledge-based economy, noting that the credit goes to AbdulRazaq if Kwara is at the forefront of establishing that in the region.
He assured that the committee will work hard towards the realisation of the objectives.
“When you first discussed this idea with me, I almost thought it was one of those political things, but knowing you and having worked with you on this project thus far, I know you have the commitment to the people of Kwara State to deliver to them education worthy of our status,” he added.
Meanwhile, the governor has also swore in his new Special Adviser on Education, Dr Ariyike Salau.
He said Salau’s appointment was to strengthen the policy direction in the education sector of the state.
AbdulRazaq said his administration was taking all necessary steps to bequeath an education system that gives every Kwara child a fair shot in the race of life.
The brief ceremony was attended by the chief of staff to the governor, Prince Mahe AbdulKadir, Senior Special Adviser Counselor, Alh Saadu Salahu, Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Hajia Sa’adatu Modibbo-Kawu, and Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Dr Mary Arinde.
