AbdulRazaq Family, Associates Thank Emir Over Sardauna Title

The family, friends and associates of the Kwara State governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, on Tuesday paid a thank-you visit to the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, over the conferment of the Sardauna of Ilorin title on the governor.

The Emir had on September 17, 2026, turbaned Governor AbdulRazaq as the Sardauna of Ilorin at a ceremony attended by Vice President Kashim Shettima, governors, ministers, industrialists and traditional rulers from across the country.

The delegation, led by the Mutawali of Ilorin, Dr Alimi AbdulRazaq, included the governor’s elder sister, Senator Khairat Gwadabe, and other members of the family.

The delegation departed the AbdulRazaq family residence in Surulere, Ilorin, in traditional attire before proceeding to the palace, where they were received by the Emir.

Among those who joined the delegation were Magaji Yerimisa of the AbdulRazaq family in Idi-Igba, Imam Idi-Oke, Prof AbdulGaniyu Tijani, members of the Kwara State Executive Council, members of the State House of Assembly led by the House Leader, Barrister Oba Abdulkadir Magaji, and the Alangua Adewole.

Others included the Senior Special Adviser and Counsellor to the governor, Alhaji Saadu Salahu; Special Adviser on Special Duties, Alhaji AbdulRazaq Jiddah; Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Dr Lawal Olorungbebe; Commissioner for Health, Dr Amina El-Imam; Alhaji Bashir Adigun and Alhaji Ibrahim.

Also present were the Chairman of the Alliance for Sustainable Kwara, Alhaji Razaq Lawal; its secretary, Alhaji Abdullahi Olesin; Chairman of Gamji Members Association, Alhaji Tunde Akanbi; the governor’s Political Adviser, Alhaji Mashood Alakawa; and Acting General Manager of KWASSIP, Dr AbdulWasiu Tejidini.

APC stalwarts, including Alhaji Bibire Ajape, Hon AbdulWahab Issa, Alhaji Hassan Gegele and Dr Afeez Abolore; Chairman of the Civil Service Commission, Alhaja Habeebat Yusuf; Kwara State Focal Person for NSIP, Dr Rabiat Alabere; and Chairman of Kwara Community Policing Initiative, Alhaji Abdullahi Yusuf, were also part of the delegation.

The delegation expressed appreciation on behalf of the AbdulRazaq family and the people of Adewole Ward in Ilorin West Local Government Area, where the governor hails from, for the honour bestowed on him by the Emir.

Responding, the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, prayed for long life, guidance and direction for Governor AbdulRazaq, Dr Alimi AbdulRazaq and the people of the Ilorin Emirate.

Sulu-Gambari said Governor AbdulRazaq’s tenure had brought progress and development to Ilorin Emirate and Kwara State.

The Emir, who acknowledged the governor’s role as Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, also said the AbdulRazaq family had built and sustained a strong relationship with the Ilorin Palace.

Speaking with journalists after the visit, the Mutawali of Ilorin, Dr Alimi AbdulRazaq, thanked the Emir for honouring the governor with the Sardauna title.

He said the conferment of the title was both an honour and a responsibility for the governor and the entire family.

“Alhamdulillahi, we thank God, the Almighty. The essence of this visit today is to thank His Royal Highness, Dr Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, for the honour bestowed upon His Excellency, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, the Governor of Kwara State, by turbaning him with the title of Sardauna of Ilorin.

“We, the entire family, along with the entire Ilorin community, have come here to pay our respect and express our gratitude to our highly revered royal father, Dr Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari.

“In other words, we are overwhelmed and grateful. It is a great honour and responsibility which has been bestowed on him and the entire family, and we will all share in the responsibility to deliver the expectations of the title of the Sardauna,” he said.

Also speaking, Senator Khairat Gwadabe expressed appreciation for the Emir’s recognition of Governor AbdulRazaq’s performance in Kwara State and as Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum.

She said the Emir had acknowledged the governor’s contributions to Ilorin, Kwara State and the wider country.

For his part, the Senior Adviser and Counsellor to the governor, Alhaji Saadu Salahu, recalled the contributions of the late Mutawali of Ilorin and the governor’s father, Alhaji AGF AbdulRazaq, SAN, to the people of Ilorin.

Salahu described the late AbdulRazaq as the first lawyer in Northern Nigeria and said he played a significant role in the lives of the people of Ilorin.