Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq

I am glad to announce that the @officialEFCC have so far recovered the below from the last administration: N4.8billion (tax refund) N111million N50million 10 properties and cash worth over N3.6billion. Investigations are also on to recover part of the N4bn stolen from KW-IRS

Today, I join the rest of the world to celebrate the dignity of labour as we mark the International Workers' Day 2026. I appreciate the incredible contributions of our workers across all sectors in Kwara State. Our administration values the critical roles workers play in the socioeconomic development of our state. This is reflected in our timely payment of salaries, provision of conducive working environment, and swift implementation of any welfare-oriented national policy for the workforce. We have approved the 30% peculiar allowance for core civil servants in our state. In the spirit of fairness, our administration also approved upward review of Teacher’s Specific Allowance (TSA) for teachers, and different allowances for other professionals. In the last six years, we have cleared backlogs of salaries, allowances, pensions, while steadily clearing huge gratuities that we inherited along with the ones under us. We will continue to constructively engage labour leaders on areas of improvement. I specially commend our gallant and courageous personnel who work round the clock to protect our people and keep our state safe and peaceful. I reaffirm our administration’s commitment to building a Kwara where workers thrive, where decent jobs are created, where careers are continually nurtured, and where every sector is empowered to contribute meaningfully to state’s prosperity. Happy Workers' Day.

I join sons and daughters of Ilorin Emirate and the whole of Kwara State to congratulate His Royal Highness, the Emir of Ilorin, Dr. Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari (CFR), on his 86th birthday anniversary today. We thank the Almighty Allaah for His enduring mercies and grace on His Royal Highness. The Emir of Ilorin is a great leader who deeply loves his subjects and works for peace. We appreciate Mai Martaba for his remarkable commitment to the progress of the state and his continued support for the development agenda of our administration. I ask Allaah to continue to uphold His Royal Highness upon goodness and grant him many more years of happiness, grace, and good health.

At about 3 a.m. today, our gallant soldiers couragously beat back a terrorists' attack on their position in Kemanji, Kaiama. Many of the terrorists were neutralised by the gallant troops. Our brave men not only repelled the terrorists and prevented them from accessing the community, but they also ensured that no one was kidnapped as the terrorists had intended. In the course of repelling the attacks, we lost three courageous men. My sincere condolences are with the families and loved ones of these great men who have paid the supreme price in the service of our fatherland. We will never forget them and others like them in various theatres across the country. We will also continue to support their families and loved ones, while no resource will be spared to protect lives and property of the people.

Today, I paid a visit to soldiers who were recently injured in a bandits' ambush during their counter-banditry operation in our state. I was received at the facility by the Commander of the 22 Armoured Brigade, Nigerian Army, Sobi, Brigadier General Nicholas Nemetne Rume, and the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the Hospital, Prof Abdullah Dasilva Yussuf. Unfortunately, we lost three of the soldiers, and we have three of them receiving treatment in the hospital. I expressed my deepest sympathies to the families of the soldiers killed in the ambush. I announced a donation of N20m each to them and N5m each to the three soldiers who were injured. This is just a stopgap support. The Ministry of Defence will take care of them appropriately as they normally do. Our administration appreciates the selfless service of the military and other security agencies to the state, the federation, and to the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I urge citizens to avoid giving out information on troops' movement. Such practices are a sabotage to our security operatives who are doing so much to keep the country safe. All hands should be on the deck in this battle against banditry and terrorism. Together, we will defeat these criminal elements.

I felicitate the Christian community in Kwara State and across Nigeria on the Easter celebrations. This season calls for deeper reflection on the virtues of sacrifice, resilience, unity, and love, which the Easter symbolises. I urge the community to draw stronger belief in the triumph of Jesus Christ over adversity that we can overcome the challenges we face today in our personal and national life. On behalf of myself and my family, I wish Christians a blessed Easter, and pray that the celebrations will herald joy and happiness to every home.

I join the rest of our country to celebrate His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, on his 74th birthday anniversary. H.E. President Tinubu has led our country with uncommon courage, wisdom and tact these past years. We acknowledge the gains from his bold economic reforms, especially the appreciable rise in revenue, which has contributed to infrastructural growth across subnationals. On behalf of myself and my colleagues at the Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF), I wish Mr. President good health, more grace, and longer life as he continues to work hard to deliver on the Renewed Hope Agenda.

I join family, friends, and well-wishers to felicitate the co-founder of Andela, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, OON, on his 35th birthday anniversary today. I celebrate Iyinoluwa for his many impressive achievements in enterprise and the innovation ecosystem at a young age. He is a great ambassador of our state and a shining role model to the younger ones. Our administration owes Iyinoluwa a debt of gratitude for his keen commitment to educational advancement in our state. As a board member of the Kwara State Education Trust Fund, Iyin's efforts at mobilising funds and support for the programmes of the organisation, especially the Adopt-a-Child Initiative, do not go unnoticed and are well-appreciated. I wish the Founder of Future Africa and former managing director of Flutterwave good health and more fulfilling years in career and leadership.

Yesterday, I joined His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, party leaders and stalwarts for the 4th Elective National Convention of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), at the Eagles Square in Abuja. We reflected on our journey so far and recommitted to the ideals and principles of our party. With the inclusive and thoughtful leadership of H.E. President Tinubu, APC remains the party to beat in Nigeria. I congratulate our National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, and all other members of the National Working Committee (NWC) on their emergence. I urge them to justify the confidence reposed in them by the party structure. I specially thank our delegates, party stakeholders, and leaders from Kwara State for their great representation of the state and for their peaceful conduct. I wish everyone a safe journey back home.

Today, we took another bold step to empower small business clusters across Kwara communities and scale up sustainable development as I flagged off the distribution of a total sum of $250,000 (N350m) interest free loans to Kwarans in clusters of small businesses. The initiative, tagged Community Revolving Fund (CRF), is one of the many fruits of our healthy partnership with the World Bank under the Kwara Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (Kwara ACReSAL). This World Bank-supported initiative has been designed to provide our women, youth, farmers, and cooperatives with access to resources that will enable them to create wealth, generate employment, and uplift households. It is, indeed, a practical step towards reducing poverty as a key focus of our administration. Beneficiaries were drawn from across community interest groups, each of which has received a sum of $25,000. I congratulated all the pioneer beneficiary groups. I mentioned to them that they are leading the way with these dedicated funds which they are required to refund to enable it reach more lives. The pioneer beneficiaries who have scales through screenings should therefore use the funds judiciously to achieve its objectives, and repay it promptly so that other persons can benefit. I thanked the World Bank and the ACReSAL project for this great initiative that will positively touch lives and improve our local economy.

My family and I wish the people of Kwara State, especially the Muslim community, a blessed Eid-el-fitri, which marks the end of Ramadan fast. I pray to Allaah to accept our worship and our supplication whilst the month lasted, and to give us the grace to remain faithful and submissive to Him, adherent to the best of manners that the month taught, and observant of His commandments at all times. Eid Mubaarak!

Last night, I received the newest Federal Ministry of Health's survey which shows Kwara under our watch as the best state in which a child can be born and raised (NDHS, 2024). At 14/1000, the report shows that our state has the lowest under-5 mortality rate in Nigeria. While this report tells us that our investment in primary health care is a step in the right direction, I assure the people of our state that we will not become complacent. We will do more to make things a lot better. We are indeed proud of the current standing of Kwara State under our watch.

Yesterday, I received the new Inspector General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, on a working visit to Kwara State. We exchanged useful views on how to strengthen public safety in our state and across the country. Before his appointment, the new IGP had led a Police component of the Clearance Operation that took place in Kwara. He is very much aware of the challenges in the state. It was reassuring that he acknowledged this and committed to doing more to prevent the breakdown of law and order in Kwara and all over the country. Our administration will continue to collaborate with the Police and other security agencies to prevent crimes and ensure improved security in the state. Once again, I congratulate IGP Disu on his appointment. His work is cut out for him. He is a man of immense capacity and goodwill. I wish him the very best.

Today in Ilorin, I hosted our schoolchildren who recently won the International Junior Secondary School Debate Championship in Malaysia. Shortly after the Malaysia's feat, they also participated in the Nigerian Presidential School Debate in Lagos, where they again emerged champion. The Kwara debaters are Lawal Maryam Kikeloma, Jatto Rahmatallah Onize, Paul Unity, Fatimah AbdulRahman Thaini, and Priscilla Aremu Temilayo. As is my tradition to encourage excellence and scholarship, I awarded them N2m each and another N500,000 each for their tutors. They are worthy ambassadors of Nigeria and Kwara State. We are truly proud of their achievements. We will continue to invest heavily in the education sector, such as in the school infrastructure, curricula, and support for the civil servants who are behind the turnaround of our education in the state. We are glad to be here now; we couldn't have dreamt of this seven years ago when salaries were not even being paid. A lot of work still needs to be done. We will continue to do what we need to do to make sure that the standards get better year in, year out. I say congratulations to the parents and teachers of these champions for their hard work and for giving the children the right values that prepared them for the feats.

I extend my warmest greetings to women on this International Women's Day 2026. Today, we honour their impactful contributions to Kwara State, Nigeria, and the world. When women thrive, societies progress. I therefore align myself with the theme of this year's celebration, Give to Gain. As always, I remain fully committed to giving women a fair shot to serve, lead and thrive in Kwara. I encourage everyone to also look out for women in their respective corners. Our society gets better that way. Happy International Women's Day.

Today, I inspected the ongoing International Conference Center (IICC) in Ilorin. The IICC is one of the several projects of our administration to refocus the local service economy along technology, innovation, conferencing and hospitality, tourism, creativity, and agribusiness. I was conducted round the facility by the Construction Manager, Engr. Kola Olowookere. The pace of work and execution standards are truly impressive. I am optimistic that the project will be delivered on schedule. Our administration has made greater investments in the state's infrastructure over the past six years. The IICC is a pointer to this, and it reflects the kind of legacy we are building for Kwara.

Earlier today, I joined a large crowd of party chieftains and supporters at the state congress of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ilorin. In what was a peaceful and friendly atmosphere, our party returned Prince Sunday Fagbemi as Chairman. Other members of the state executive committee were also returned to their various positions. The decision was a vote of confidence in their stewardship. I therefore charged them to work harder and remain committed to the ideals of our party. APC, under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, is a party for all. We continue to see governors and structures from other parties collapsing into APC because they believe it is the future. I commended Mr. President for achieving greatly across many sectors. He implementing a vision for a better Nigeria. Inflation has dropped, exchange rate is stabilising, GDP is improving, growth is improving. The President is doing well. For us in Kwara State, we have done exceedingly well. The past six years of our tenure have seen greater investments in infrastructure across very important sectors than what we met. Opposition has collapsed nationally and especially in Kwara State. However, we will not be complacent. We are now in the era of politics. The party primaries will soon begin. I, therefore, appealed to all our aspirants to be calm and peaceful. I called for a healthy competition amongst the contenders. We should work with those who succeed in picking the party tickets and wish them good luck. Those who succeed should also carry everyone along. It should be one family. Like I've always said, I am not interested in building a dynasty. I am here to build a legacy. And I pray for the person who succeeds me to do better than I have done for the good of our people. I have raised the bar; as a team we have raised the bar. Our successors will raise it further each year and learn. I thanked our party's team from Abuja, who have come to coordinate this occasion. I also thank the observers from INEC.

Together with the Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Olatubosun Oluyede, and the Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, I flagged off Operation Savannah Shield, a combined effort of the government and security forces to rout all enemies of state in Kwara and neighbouring states, today at Sobi Barracks Ilorin. His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, had approved the multiagency operations for Kwara in the wake of the deadly terrorist attack in Kaiama and parts of Niger State a few weeks ago. I commended Mr. President for the swift response to our distress call on the activities of terror groups and other criminal networks. We have seen the escalation of bandit activities especially in Kwara North, South and parts of Niger State over the past one year. But we have also seen that the security agencies have stepped in and the situation in Kwara South has vastly improved. Kwara North remains a greater challenge, and that is why we have Operation Savannah Shield being inaugurated today. The take off is a big relief for our people. I am really impressed at the short time this deployment has taken place. I thank the Chief of Defence Staff for making this happen very quickly. We are truly relieved and our people will sleep better now. Our government will support the troops of Operation Savannah Shield under Major General Y. Yahaya in their task to deal decisively with the criminal networks that have been terrorising our people.

I extend special greetings to the Muslim and Christian communities on the dawn of Ramadan and Lent fasting seasons. The two fasting seasons beginning on the same day again signals a need for all of mankind across creeds to work for harmony, peace, and unity, while acting as a united force against all forms of evil and things that could slow down the pace of development in Kwara State and Nigeria. Fasting opens a unique window for man to get closer to the Creator through abstention from sins, intentional giving of alms, and all forms of good deeds. It helps man to redefine his essence before the Creator. I pray to God to accept the devotion of the faithful in these holy months. I also urge the two faith communities to pray and work with the government to improve the wellbeing of the people.

Today, on behalf of the Nigeria Governor's Forum (NGF), I paid a condolence visit to Niger State Governor, His Excellency Mohammed Umar Bago, over last night's terror attack across three communities of Tunga-Makeri, Konkoso and Pissa. Our hearts go out to all the families who lost dear ones in the unfortunate terrorist attack. I identified with the trauma and pains of the survivors, and prayed for the safe returns of those who are still missing. During the visit, Farmer-Governor Bago and I explored new areas of collaboration to strengthen security and public safety in our two states linked by a border. I also urged our security forces to bring the heaviest weight of state power against the terrorists and their collaborators. We salute their gallantry and believe strongly in their capacity to win this war against terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping.

I am saddened by the death of a gallant forest guard, Mr. Omotosho Olawuyi Samuel, who fell during a courageous encounter with some kidnappers in Koro community of Ekiti Local Government Area. I commend the bravery and patriotism of the forest guards and local vigilantes who launched an assault on the fleeing kidnappers. I send heartfelt commiserations to the family of Mr. Samuel and his comrades who bravely fought along with him. We ask God to give succour to them. As a token of our government's gratitude for his sacrifice as a hero of the people’s collective war against banditry, I hereby announce a N10m support for the family of the slain operative.