Otoge Revolution Transformed Kwara Politically – Panelists

The Otoge revolution that brought the incumbent governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq into office in 2019 has lived up to its billing.

This is the consensus of panelists at a summit organised by a leading pro-democracy group, Kwara Must Change, in Ilorin, Kwara State.

The panelists held that the Otoge mantra has successfully dismantled entrenched political structures and rebuilt Kwara on the pillars of justice and efficiency.

In his remarks, the convener of Kwara Must Change, Abdulrazaq Hamzat said: “There is nothing working in the Kwara of the past that Otoge has destroyed, but there are unlimited things that weren’t working in the past which Otoge has now fixed.

Hamzat, however, warned that the revolution’s long term survival hangs on the overhaul of the civil service.

He proposed the establishment of a department of Government Efficiency, modelled after the US initiative, to inject urgency, innovation, and results-driven culture into the state bureaucracy.

A former minister of Youth and Social Development, Dr. Jamila Bio- Ibrahim said that the Otoge revolution has “set a precedent for national replication.”

She called for data-driven performance tracking to ensure the promise of inclusion doesn’t fade into tokenism.

Also, a former commissioner for Women Affairs in the state, Dr Mopelola AbdulMalik called for deeper investment in structured mentorship, adding that “appointments alone are not enough. We must prepare the next generation not just to occupy office, but to govern with competence.”

As the chairperson of the organising committee, AbdulMalik, clarified the group’s position on the power rotation debate, declaring that: “Kwara Must Change is not calling for power shift. Our duty is to open the civic space, not to dictate political outcomes. We are here to facilitate honest, inclusive dialogue on issues affecting us all.”

The founding chairman of the Coalition of APC Young Stakeholders (CKAYs), AbdulRasheed Salaudeen also corroborated the view of earlier speakers, but warned against the political entitlement syndrome.

The senior special assistant to Kwara State governor on Media and Public Relations, Jerry Kolo, emphasised the mindset challenge, urging a break from outdated ideologies toward embracing new possibilities.