BIOLA AZEEZ writes on the dramatic twist in tradition as Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq takes oath of office for second term in the executive council chamber of the Kwara Government House, Ilorin.
TheRE are quite a number of centres owned by the Kwara State government designed to hold public events of big magnitude and essence. Such places include the metropolitan square, the state stadium complex, banquet hall, as well as the open field of the government house, among other places in Ilorin, the state capital. However, due to simplicity, modesty and prudent nature of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, as usually amplified by his aides and supporters, he chose to hold inauguration as first term governor in 2019 inside the executive chamber of the Government House, Ilorin. He did same last Monday when he took the oath of office and allegiance inside the chamber.
During the brief and memorable ceremony, Governor Abdulrazaq, who is the new chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), promised to remain a responsible and responsive leader for the people of the state. The modest yet colourful inauguration lasted just 45 minutes, starting at exactly 8:10 a.m. following the arrival of the governor at 8a.m. Both the governor and his deputy, Kayode Alabi were accompanied by their spouses — First Lady Ambassador Mrs Olufolake AbdulRazaq and Mrs Abieyuwa Alabi — and by members of their families and friends. Chief Judge of Kwara State, Justice Abiodun Adebara administered the oath on the deputy governor and then the governor, drawing cheers from the audience in the council chamber filled with royalties, security commanders, top government officials, party leaders, diplomats, technocrats, labour leaders and representatives of the private sector.
The Emir of Ilorin and Chairman of the Kwara State Council of Chiefs Dr. Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari led all the first class monarchs in the state to the event. They were joined by the scion of the Abdulrazaqs and Mutawali of Ilorin, Dr Alimi Abdulrazaq, House of Assembly Speaker, Honourable Yakubu Danladi Salihu who led his colleagues to the event, all the senators and House of Representatives’ members-elect of the state. The Grand Kadi Justice Abdullateef Kamaldeen; Head of Service, Mrs Susan Modupe Oluwole; cabinet members led by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Professor. Mamman Saba Jubril, were also in attendance.
The governor began by listing what he described as his spending priorities, saying his second tenure, would see him building on the gains of the last four years. He stated: “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.”
Governor Abdulrasaq touched on other critical sectors that he would place premium on in his second term in office. According to him, “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.”
On youth empowerment and skill acquisition, the governor gave a hint on the direction of his administration , saying: “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.”
Conscious of the snag in adopting a top to bottom approach to governance that had characterized governance in the country, the governor said he was poised to sustain a paradigm shift in the policy towards achieving an enduring legacy. He said: “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. We shall also leverage our contacts and goodwill with the Federal Government to ensure timely completion of ongoing federal roads and adequate funding for new ones. We will intensify our lobby of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the dredging of the River Niger. This will save our people from the annual flooding that claims lives and ravage farmlands. It will also boost economic activities in its tributary states like Kwara.”
The governor also touched on his priority as regards the health sector in the next four years. He stated; “Distinguished Kwarans, we shall become more intentional in our efforts to improve healthy living through a cleaner environment. I seek your support and understanding as we take bolder policy decisions in this regard. Notwithstanding the existing gaps, our investments in basic primary education and healthcare delivery have been acknowledged nationwide. As we recently completed the UBEC Model School at Adeta, I am excited to announce that Kwara State has again been nominated for a bigger international project in basic education whose details will be released later. This is being funded by the Japan International Development Agency. Similarly, only Kwara SUBEB and the FCT have been chosen for international Mathematics training in Japan in July. This attests to the confidence now reposed in Kwara State locally and internationally. To strengthen our multifarious initiatives for a better future, I am hereby announcing optional six month maternal leave for female civil servants who wish to practice exclusive breastfeeding to boost life chances for our younger ones. This will also promote maternal health, among other benefits.
The governor, for the umpteenth time, was delighted and expressed profound gratitude to the people of the state for their unflinching support for his administration. “Once again, I thank the Kwara electorate, opinion moulders, traditional and religious institutions, party leaders, and supporters for all the efforts and the goodwill that made today a reality. We will keep our words to remain a responsible government that is responsive to the yearnings of the people within available resources.”
Deputy Governor, Alabi, urged the people of the state to continue to support the administration. He said the government will continue to prioritise the interest of the people over all other considerations. The Head of Service had earlier commended the Governor’s first term tenure, which she said was quite fruitful for the civil service and the entire state. She said that AbdulRazaq practically resuscitated the dignity of the state Civil Service by providing a good working environment for workers, including easy movement of staff. “Here we are today, we have God to glorify. God has been graceful. You fought gallantly. COVID 19 came, and you fought it like a wounded lion, and Kwara was declared as one of the best fighters. We want to acknowledge that you have been good to kwara, and we are proud of you. Speaking about my constituency, the civil service, I remember the first day after your swearing-in, you asked me about the state of affairs. I said the little that I could, and then you promised to do something, and today we have lived to see to the fulfillment of your promises. Today, I can look back and see thirty-seven vehicles in the same fleet that was empty. I stand boldly to declare that your tenure has been extremely peaceful for us in Kwara, and we urge you to continue along this path.”
Having secured another four years to serve the people, Governor Abdulrasaq has another four years to consolidate the gains of his first term, reinforce the confidence of the citizens and further raise the bar of good governance and leadership as the veritable legacy for posterity.
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