About five years in the saddle, most of the projects started by the administration of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq are yet to be commissioned. Some of these development projects located in different parts of the three senatorial districts of the state are at different stages of completion.
According to the governor, the idea to establish the projects is to encourage industrial revolution as well as revamp some industries in the state that had already gone into extinction, no thanks to the harsh economic situation.
Kwara State, located in the North-Central Nigeria, was known as one of the most industrialised states in Nigeria, with a high concentration of many factories there. Many of them, in their days, boasted of thousands of workers in their employment.
Kwara State as of today is practically a civil service state, a direct opposite of what it was in the 70s.
However, Governor AbdulRazaq has a dream. He hopes to bring back industries to the state with such development projects he embarked upon when he assumed office in 2019.
Some aides of the governor, who spoke with Nigerian Tribune named such development projects as Visual Arts Centre, Garment Factory, Innovation Hub, Sheabutter Processing Factory, Sugar Film Factory, Gbugbu International market among others as game changers.
According to the governor’s Special Adviser on Media, Alhaji Bashir Adigun, operation will commence at maximum capacity by 2027 when the governor would have ended his second term.
“Other key projects along this divide, aside the ongoing massive infrastructure development in the state include the revamped Flower Garden Recreation Centre at GRA Ilorin, Table Tennis Arena, Industrial Park (Phase 1), The Intensive Care Unit, Eye Care Unit at General Hospital Ilorin, and new Wards at the General Hospital in Ilorin.
Also included are: Dental Clinic at General Hospital, Ilorin, New Jebba Waterworks, Notia FM 88.9 (first radio station in Kwara North) and the New Kakakin FM on 91.7 frequency.
“Some of these projects are tactically to resuscitate the dead infrastructure we have in the state. It’s a deliberate attempt to revamp them,” he said.
Speaking on the essence of the projects Adigun also said: “Kwara is known as a civil service state. All you have here are people working in government ministries. If you’re not doing that maybe you’re into private business of buying and selling or trading.
“But when this governor came, he saw that this is not how to govern a state. You should leave something for your people instead of this rural migration when people leave Kwara and go to Lagos and Abuja to look for jobs. He believes that such people can stay back with their families and live happily in Kwara. That was why he decided to establish some of these factories.”
Adigun said that most of the projects are completed, adding that the ones that are not completed are nearing completion. “He has done it for the people and the people are giving testimonies. We know the kind of funds that goes out into commissioning of projects alone. And he’s not interested in that.
“I can tell you for free that all these projects would fully come on stream before the end of this administration,” he said.
The governor’s aide called on prospective investors to come to Kwara State, saying that, “Kwara is open for business. We have the best environment for business. So, they should all come and invest in Kwara. And for the people of Kwara, they should believe in this administration, especially our governor who means well for the people.”
Speaking on the volume of jobs to be created, he said that they would be in thousands because the projects are value chains.
Adigun said that the state government has put in place structures to ensure sustainability of the projects.
“Let me tell you that the governor has set a pace by putting the young people in front in places of leadership and I’m sure that young Kwarans, young Nigerians would not let things that are meant for their future to be destroyed by anybody. He has set up a strong structure and he’s going to hand it over to the next generation to hold.”
Also speaking, the state Commissioner for Communications, Mrs Bola Olukoju, said that the reason behind the industrialisation move by the state government is to move the state from civil service to an economic hub.
Olukoju explained that the Kwara Garment Factory is the biggest garment factory in West Africa, adding that it is part of the initiative by the governor to drive the social economy in the state. It will start its operations in the first quarter of this year.
“It has about 470 sewing machines and cuts about 10,000 Polo shirts in an eight-hour shift. It has undergone inauguration to make sure all machines are working. It is also expected to create 2,000 direct jobs,” she said.
She said that the Sheabutter Processing Plant was established in the Kwara North because of the abundance of the raw materials in that location.
“The Shea Butter Processing Plant, is in Kaiama Local Government Area. We all know Kaiama has the best shea butter in Kwara State and we are trying to make it of international standard in terms of processing, improving hygiene and also creating a value chain around Kwara North,” she said.
The commissioner said that the industrial park is an ongoing structure at Eiyenkorin in the Asa Local Government Area, adding that Phase 1 occupies 196 hectares of land.
“It is going to have residential, commercial and industrial sessions.
“The funding is going to be from bond which the state government just accessed. We signed an MOU with Nexen Bank and Agro Processing Zones to help us with funding and facilities.
“We also have the Tanke bridge and the upcoming flyover in Unity area of the Ilorin metropolis. The government is ready to improve the life of Kwarans. We have the sugar film factory which is the first of its kind in the northern part of Nigeria. We are pushing Kwara to the international stage in all aspects,” she said.
Former President of National Council of Women Society (NCWS) in the state, Alhaja Barakat Atunse, commended the state governor for giving women and youths due attention in his administration.
She also believed that the projects, when fully operational, will solve problems of idleness in the state particularly among the youths and by implication reduce criminalities.
“I have no doubt in my mind that history would be kind to Governor Abdulrazaq and it would be a lesson for others to learn from,” she said.
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