Kwara State in North-central Nigeria was in its heydays regarded as industrialised given the high concentration of factories in the state. Many of the factories in the state then employed thousands of workers at their peak. But today, majority of those companies, owned by the state, federal governments and even private individuals, have crashed like packs of cards because of unfavourable government policies.

Now literarily a civil service state, Kwara is a direct opposite of what it used to be in the 70s. However, those good old times are being restored in the ‘State of Harmony’ as a result of the vision of the incumbent Governor Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq.

It was gathered that through the governor’s determined efforts, the Visual Arts Centre, Garment factory, Innovation Hub, Shea Butter Processing factory, Sugar Film factory, Gbugbu International market, among others, would be operating at maximum capacity by 2027 when the governor would end his second term in office.

Other key projects embarked upon by the administration include the revamped Flower Garden Recreation centre at GRA, Ilorin; Table Tennis Arena, Industrial Park (Phase one), the Intensive Care Unit, the Eye Care Unit, the Dental Clinic, construction of new Wards, all at General Hospital, Ilorin and Gbugbu International market (Phase 1).

Others include the New Jebba Waterworks, Notia FM 88.9 (first Radio Station in Kwara North) and the New Kakakin FM on 91.7.

Speaking during an interview with journalists recently, the governor’s Special Adviser on Media, Alhaji Bashir Adigun, said “some of these projects are tactically meant to resuscitate the dead infrastructures we have in the state. It’s a deliberate attempt to revamp them.”

Adigun added: “Kwara is known as a civil service state; all you have here are people working in government ministries. If you are not doing that maybe you are into trading.

“That’s what we have. Most of the factories in Kwara State in the 1960s and 1970s are all gone – either sold or comatose. But when this governor came he saw that this is not how to govern a state. He considered bequeathing legacies to the people instead of encouraging the urban-rural or total migration to neighbouring better-fixed states like Lagos and Abuja to seek jobs.

“Governor Abdulrazaq believes such people can stay back with their families and live happily in Kwara. That was why he decided to establish some of these factories.”

He confirmed that most of the projects mentioned have either been completed or reached appreciable stages of completion, saying: “Some of these projects are at various stages of completion while most have been completed. The ones that are not completed are nearing completion; the contractors are just putting finishing touches.

“The governor is not given to showing off. We believe that commissioning the projects would be a distraction though I’m not saying that the governor would not commission them.

“All the governor is interested in is to put these projects in place for this generation and the generations to come to benefit from. I can tell you for free that all these projects would fully come on stream before the end of this administration.”

Adigun noted that Kwara is open for business, saying the state has the best environment for businesses to thrive.

“So, they should all come and invest in Kwara. For Kwarans, they should believe in this administration. Our governor means well for the people. The governor is setting Kwara on a strong footing. He believes that Kwara can be more than what it is if given the right incentive to work and the right leadership too,” he added.

On the number of jobs likely to be created when the projects are inaugurated, he stated: “I won’t be able to tell you the specific figures in terms of employment these projects would generate but they would be in thousands. Don’t forget that these projects we are talking about are value chains.”

Dispelling fears regarding the sustainability of the projects, Adigun said the governor has put structures in place to ensure they don’t crash after he leaves office in 2027.

His words: “Let me tell you that the governor has set a pace by putting young people in leadership positions. I’m sure that young Kwarans, young Nigerians would not let things that are meant for their future to be destroyed by anybody. He has set up a strong structure and he’s going to hand it over to the next generation to hold; that much I can assure you.”

On her part, the Commissioner for Communications, Mrs. Bola Olukoju, emphasised that the governor is seeking to transform Kwara from a civil service state to an economic hub through the projects.

Olukoju, who explained the nature and capacity of some of the projects, said: “The Kwara Garment factory is the biggest garment factory in West Africa and it’s part of the initiative of the governor to drive the social economy in the state. It will start operations in the first quarter of the year. It has about 470 sewing machines and is expected to create 2,000 direct jobs.

“On the Shea Butter processing plant in Kiama local government; we all know that Kiama has the best Shea butter in Kwara and we are trying to make the processing of international standard by improving its hygiene and also creating a chain around Kwara North.”

Olukoju explained that the Innovation Hub is telecommunications-inclined project, which the state is executing in partnership a renowned telecommunication giant, HIS.

“We are also talking about the Innovation Hub; we also know that Kwara has entered into a partnership with HIS to perfect the innovation hub. What we want to do now is to foster local talents and global value creation. We all know HIS is a strong telecommunications infrastructure provider across Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.

“So, with HIS, there is going to be a lot of start-ups, accelerator hubs that will improve the state’s tech ecosystem and secure jobs for young people,” she said.

The governor’s aide said the Flower Garden would be commissioned in the first quarter of 2024, adding that “the purpose of this is to create an artificial park that would help the eco-tourism in Kwara to help the people have a good work life balance, that is, a prime recreational destination.”

She added: “Also the Table Tennis Arena is built in the Kwara State Stadium complex, Ilorin, to international standard. We have many Kwarans skilled in sports and we are looking forward to see them featuring in the international competitions.”

She further explained: “The Industrial Park is an ongoing massive structure at Eiyenkorin in Asa local government. The Phase 1 occupies 196 hectares of land. It’s going to have residential, commercial and industrial sessions.

“The funding is going to be from bonding, which the state government just accessed. We signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Nexen Bank while Agro Processing Zones is helping us with funding and facilities.”

Olukoju described the state’s Dental and Eye clinics in the General Hospitals as second only to the Eye Centre in Kaduna in the entire Northern region, noting that the centre is equipped with state-of-the art equipment.

“You don’t have to travel to get your eyes treated; it can be done here in Kwara. We are trying to be sure that people have access to healthcare across the state irrespective of the local government. That’s why we want to fix roads leading to the hospitals as well. There is an improved infrastructure across the state,” she maintained.

Olukoju said the construction of the Gbugbu International Market, which was commissioned on February 15, this year, was targeted at giving the people of the area a better trading platform.

“We are trying to improve commerce in the state through the market.
“On the Jebba Water Works in Moro local government, the project has been completed. What we want to do is to fix the water issues around these communities, which is the long term aspiration of the governor.”

She also spoke about the two newly established Radio Stations, Kaakaki FM 91.7 and Notia FM, 90.7, saying: “These are the first ever Radio stations in Kwara North and the coverage is good. It also extends to the border towns of Benin Republic. Kaaaki FM is for the youth who have entrepreneurial skills, creating contents for the radio stations.

“The government is interested in moving Kwara from a civil service state to an economic hub and we are also going to be doing a lot of international tourism. We are building the International Conference Centre, which is going to be ready very soon. We have the Visual Arts Centre, which is already completed and will be commissioned in the first quarter of 2024.

“We also have the Tanke Bridge and the ongoing flyover in Unity. The government is ready to improve the life of Kwarans.
“We have the Sugar Film factory, which is the first of its kind in the northern part of Nigeria. We are pushing Kwara to the international stage in all aspects,” she said.

Commenting on the projects, former President of the National Council of Women Society (NCWS) in the state, Alhaja Barakat Atunse, commended the government for giving women and youths due attention, describing it as unprecedented in the history of the state.

She also said the projects, when fully operational, would solve problems of idleness in the state, particularly among the youths and by implication reduce criminalities.

“I have no doubt in my mind that history would be kind to Governor AbdulRazaq and it would be a lesson for others to learn from,” she said.

Also, the Vice President of the Federation of Informal Workers of Nigeria in Kwara, Dada Kolawole, who also commended the governor for the projects, observed that fashion designers were being more favoured by the government.

Kolawole, who said that his members have benefitted from the IVTEC owned by the government through the sponsorship of their wards, added that they have also enjoyed the monthly payment of N10,000 for the aged from the current administration.

He urged the government to establish an Electronics Village in Ilorin where all radio engineers would ply their trades, stressing that it would boost the economy of the state when done.

“We sold the proposal to last administrations but they jettisoned it. There must be a place where all radionic engineers would be in one place as it’s happening in Lagos. It would boost the economy of the state in terms of tax and other revenue collections. It would also stimulate the economy of Kwara State,” he said.