Kwara group calls for innovation in governance

A pro-democracy group in Kwara state, “Kwara Must Change”, has proposed the creation of a Department of Government Efficiency to inject innovation and urgency into governance in the state.

Speaking at a political summit organized to reignite statewide political discourse on the legacy of the 2019 Otoge revolution in Ilorin, convener of Kwara Must Change, Abdulrazaq Hamzat, said that Otoge movement had achieved significant progress, adding that the revolution’s future depends on reforming the state’s civil service.

The summit, which brought together different political groups, political figures, former cabinet members, civil society actors, academics, and energized youths, called for youth and women inclusion in governance, and the future of power rotation ahead of the 2027 elections.

“There’s nothing that worked in the past that Otoge destroyed. But there are many things that didn’t work before and have now been fixed”, Hamzat said, adding that political entitlement remains a major threat to sustained progress.

Also speaking, Special Adviser to the Kwara state governor on Media and Public Relations, Comrade Jerry Kolo, said that thinking is essential for continued transformation, adding that, “The future belongs to those who can imagine it differently”.

Former Minister of Youth and Social Development, Dr. Jamila Bio Ibrahim, described Kwara’s model as a national precedent but called for data-driven accountability to ensure the gains are not lost to symbolism.

She also credited Kwara Must Change for playing a pivotal role in her political journey, saying that, “My political story is incomplete without Kwara Must Change”.

Former Women Affairs Commissioner, Dr. Mopelola Abdulmalik Bashir, said that appointments must be backed by mentorship and leadership development.

As chair of the organizing committee, she clarified that Kwara Must Change is not advocating for power rotation in 2027, but rather for open and inclusive civic dialogue.

“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”, she said.

One of the summit’s most memorable moments came from a 300-level University of Ilorin student, Rofiat Abdulsalam, whose moving speech on family values and youth leadership earned a standing ovation. “Social media may influence us, but our first teachers are our parents”, she said.

The final session turned to the contentious issue of the 2027 power shift. Public intellectual and Islamic scholar, Professor Abubakar Aliagan, called for a constitutional amendment mandating power rotation, citing past electoral outcomes that, according to him, ignored equity and fairness.

“Without a constitutional safeguard, power rotation is a mirage, because the game is never played based on justice and fairness” he said, citing examples such as Awolowo’s Christian Christian and South South ticket, MKO Abiola’s Muslim Muslim ticket, Yahaya Bello’s controversial succession in Kogi State which produced his family members successor, and President Tinubu’s Muslim-Muslim ticket.

“Politics is about numbers and strategy, without which, sentiment fails,” he said.