Kwara gov lists priorities as Niger counterpart declares free basic education

Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, was inaugurated for a second term in office, yesterday, with a pledge to remain a responsible and responsive leader to people of the state.

Chief Judge of Kwara State Justice Abiodun Adebara administered the oath. The governor, who set out his spending priorities, said his second tenure would see him building on gains of the last four years, all of which he credited to the support of people of the state.

This came as the newly sworn in governor of Niger State, Umar Mohammed Bago, declared basic education free and compulsory across the state. Bago made the pronouncement shortly after he was administered the oath of office by the Chief Judge, Justice Halima Ibrahim Abdulmalik, at the Trade Fair Complex in Minna.

He disclosed that all residents of the state, irrespective of ethnicity or state of origin, would benefit from the free education policy, urging parents and guardians to key in.

Meanwhile, AbdulRazaq said: “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 reforms and investments in critical sectors, like education, healthcare delivery, civil service welfare and social safety programmes.

“Our spending priorities will be to complete all the ongoing infrastructural projects and iron out 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 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.”

He added: “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.”