I’ll Build On Gains Of Last 4 Years, Gov AbdulRazaq Assures Kwarans

Kwara State governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, on Monday, said his second tenure of office would see him building on the gains of the last four years in office.

AbdulRazaq, who addressed the people of the state shortly after the oath of office was administered on him and his deputy, Mr Kayode Alabi, by the Chief Judge of the State, Justice Abiodun Adebara, however, credited his achievements during his first tenure to the support of the people of the state.

The oath of office was administered on the deputy governor at about 8.30am while that of the governor was thereafter done at 8.40am.

AbdulRazaq, who is also the chairman of the Nigeria’s Governors Forum (NGF) added: “The next four years will consolidate the gains of our first tenure and lay new foundations for sustained socioeconomic development and institutional growth. We are going to deepen the reforms and investments in the critical sectors like education, healthcare delivery, civil service welfare, social safety programmes, general infrastructural upgrade and renewals, focused expansion of our economic base, and promotion of a political culture that advances self-reliance and growth.

“Our spending priorities will be to complete all the ongoing infrastructural projects and iron out the business models to deliver maximum benefits to the people. Adequate attention will be focused on completing projects like the Ilorin International Conference Centre, the Revenue House, Innovation Hub, Visual Arts Centre, Sugar Film Factory, Osi and Ilesha Baruba campuses of the Kwara State University, industrial park, Shea Butter factory in Kaiama, among others. The General Tunde Idiagbon Flyover and the garment factory will be flagged off soon with huge economic benefits. The Ilorin Capital City Master Plan will be followed by a grander Kwara State Master Plan that will cover Kwara South and Kwara North for sustainable living.

“Affordable housing programme will be another priority of this dispensation. This will help civil servants and other citizens to own their own homes. It will also curb unplanned construction and support decent living conditions. In this wise, we will form partnerships with private and federal government agencies to develop new satellite towns already mapped out in the Ilorin City Master Plan as well as in GRA lands in parts of Kwara South and Kwara North.

“In addition to our Kwapreneur initiative that directly puts money in ideas mostly owned by young people, we will consider an annual multidisciplinary scholarship scheme that will be open to our best brains, especially at Postgraduate Level. Beneficiaries will emerge only through a very rigorous process that is transparent. I believe this will hasten the pace of human capital development in different fields.

“A major flaw in our developmental journey as a nation is a culture of government officials determining what projects are executed in a particular community. This has to be reversed, as we have tried to do in our first term, to allow for people-focused development. For this reason, we are setting up a bureau of integrated rural development to be domiciled in the Government House. It will liaise with communities to come up with their needs in order of priorities. This will allow the government to better deploy limited resources in a way that addresses popular needs. Our traditional institutions and community-based organisations will be major players in this regard.”

“We shall also deepen our relationships with the organised private sector to strengthen the business climate and create jobs for our youths. This is in realisation that government does not have the resources to do everything.”

The modest but colourful event which lasted for only 45 minutes was held at the Council Chamber inside the Government House, Ilorin.

Access to the event hall was restricted because of space constraints. Only few guests who had invitation cards were allowed into the council chamber.

There was water-tight security in and around the venue of the event and the Ahmadu Bello Way where the Government House is located.

Notwithstanding, politicans, especially women and well-wishers thronged the Government House arena to catch a glimpse of the event.