Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has been applauded for his leadership style and achievements in the last six and a half years, which have been described as superlative and proof that the “Otooge” struggle has continued to yield a huge success.
According to a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Hon. Abdullateef Gidado Alakawa, who is the Chairman, Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority (LNRBDA), “Kwara APC became a formidable and sought-after party to everyone following the Governor’s records of performance”.
He spoke in Ilorin, the state capital, at the end-of-the-year meeting/launch with critical stakeholders, including nine National Assembly members (both serving and former), top officials of government, captains of industry, and party leaders.
Governor AbdulRazaq was in attendance. Also present were the Deputy Governor, Kayode Alabi; Senator Salihu Mustapha (Kwara Central); Speaker, Kwara State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Yakubu Salihu Danladi, DG NOA, Alhaji Issa Lanre Onilu, among others.
“This is a gathering of eminent kwarans from all walks of life. At the instance of His Excellency, we are all here gathered at the Kwara State banquet hall to celebrate unity, achievements, the fruits of Otooge struggle, and the success that has come from the collective sons of Kwara, who, in different ways, have contributed to the throne of the new system and modern Kwara, ” he said.
“Your Excellency, we thank you for putting this occasion together. And to every attendee this afternoon, it is our struggle, our contributions, our understanding, and the sacrifices that have given us the Kwara that we are all proud to say is our state, today.
“During that struggle, nobody gave us a chance, nobody believed us. But we thank God for the driver that was divinely given to us from the top through the Almighty Allah.”
The party chieftain said Kwara APC remains a party to beat under the watch of Governor AbdulRazaq, where many people, he noted, prefer to pursue their political aspirations.
He said, while some people doubted the capacity of this administration to perform big and deliver on its campaign promises, Governor AbdulRazaq has proved the doubting Thomas wrong.
While pointing out the strides of the administration in many sectors, such as education, road, agriculture, health, and social investment, Alakawa said all this serves as a major shift from what Kwara used to be.
Hon. Alakawa equally commended the Governor’s approach to addressing the security challenge and promoting religious harmony, saying no amount of blackmail by the opposition party can deny the administration its deserved credit.
“For those who thought that the Otooge struggle in 2019 was a mistake, they have got it wrong. Some said it was a calculated mistake or an accident,” he said.
“Whereas in 2023, under the full leadership of our Governor, Kwarans repeated that (electoral success). This has shown that the Otooge struggle in 2019 was not a mistake.”
Cabinet members took turns to showcase the achievements of the administration in their respective offices.
Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Dr Segun Ogunsola, spoke on the Urban Renewal project across the state and the Kwara Smart City at Alalubosa, saying about 40km of the land has been cleared to house the state university of education.
Commissioner for Health, Dr Amina Ahmed El-Imaam, said Governor AbdulRazaq has achieved greatly and changed the narratives in the health sector, citing the increasing number of healthcare facilities and improved access to good medical treatments.
She also mentioned the 83 newly upgraded Primary Health Care Centres across the state, which the government just inaugurated to meet the health needs of citizens.
