Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, was on Monday sworn-in for a second term in office on the platform

of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Speaking at the 45-minutes ceremony administered by the state Chief Judge, Justice Abiodun Adebara, at the Government House, Ilorin, the Governor vowed to remain responsible and responsive to the citizens within available resources.

Governor Abdulrazaq who is the current Chairman, Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF, was sworn in alongside his Deputy, Mr Kayode Alabi.

He pledged that his second tenure would build on the gains of the last four years of his first tenure which he credited to the support of the people of the state.

Unfolding his priorities, Governor 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 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.

“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,” he added.

Governor Abdulrazaq further disclosed that, “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.”

“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.”

He said the government would also deepen relationships with the organised private sector to strengthen the business climate and create jobs for the youths.

“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 farmlands. It will also boost economic activities in its tributary states like Kwara.”

“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 thanked the Kwara electorate, opinion moulders, traditional and religious institutions, party leaders, and supporters for all the efforts and the goodwill that made the day a reality.

Deputy Governor Kayode Alabi, who thanked the attendees, urged the people of the state to continue to support the administration.

The HOS 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 Governor AbdulRazaq practically resuscitated the dignity of the state Civil Service by providing a good working environment for workers, including easy movement of staff.

Present at the ceremony were wives of the governor, his deputy, Emir of Ilorin, Dr Ibrahim Sulu Gambari, who led other first class traditional rulers, the Mutawalin Ilorin, Dr Alimi Abdulrazaq, Speaker Kwara House of Assembly, Engr Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, security commanders and top government functionaries among others.