By Saheed Abdullahi
After the inauguration of new government led Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq on May 29, 2019, Kwara populace were eager to ascertain who would constitute the appointees of the new Chief Executive of the state. The airspace of the political appointments was cloudy as nobody knew who would get what. There was like a month silence from Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq before he could rolled out his first shot of three political appointments in June 2019
The appointments included Chief of Staff to the Governor, Late Aminu Adisa Logun (of blessed memory), Secretary to the State Government, Professor Mamman Saba Jibril and Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the Governor, Rafiu Ajakaye. Among the three appointments, a youthful CPS was considered. In September 2019, the governor surprised kwarans when he forwarded lists of Commissioner Nominees in batches to Kwara State House of Assembly for screening and confirmation.
This time around, the lists of the Commissioner Nominees favoured both youth and female gender. The youngest among them was a 26 year-old Corps Member, alumnus of the Department Library and Information Science, Kwara State University, Malete, Joana Inazua Kolo. AA, as Governor Abdulrazaq is fondly called, stood out in 2019 with a unique record as the first governor in Nigeria to appoint a Youth Corps Member as Commissioner.
In the serial lists of the Commissioner Nominees, males got 7 while female secured 9 out of a total of 16 representing 56.25 percent in favour of female folk. The outstanding gender friendly record unveiled the governor to the outside world, which made him clinched the “He-for-She” Award, which was presented to him in Abuja, superintended over by a United Nations’ body.
It is no more news that no Governor in Nigeria has surpassed AA in respect of providing platform for women to prove their mettle as home managers that can manage the state effectively. Governor Abdulrazaq is not one of those Chief Executives of States with the notion that women Career ends in the kitchen.
The assemblage of resourceful women in the state cabinet is a pointer to the fact that Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq is not gender bias. Among the resourceful women as cabinet members and Heads of key Ministries and Parastatals are young, versatile Commissioner for Finance, Florence Olasunbo Oyeyemi, Adenike Afolabi-Oshatimehin, Remilekun Banigbe and Abosede Buraimah, among others. Their male youth counterparts are Architect Aliyu Muhammad Saifuddeen, Ibrahim Akaje, George Olabode Towoju, Afees Abolore Alabi, Abdul-lateef Alakawa and Senior Ibrahim Sulaiman, to mention but a few.
As Heads of Government parastatals and Agencies, women and youth also feature prominently. Among them are the Group Managing Director, Harmony Holdings Limited, Abdulmajeed Abdullahi; Executive Chairman, Kwara State Geographic Information Service, Abdulmuttalib Shittu and General Manager Kwara State Social Investment Programme, Abdulqawiyu Olododo, Formerly Technical Adviser the Governor on Agriculture. They are sound, brilliant and qualified professionals.
Other are Senior Special Assistant to Governor on Youth Engagement, Kaosara Adeyi and Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Rural Mobilization, Musbaudeen Esinrogunjo; Executive Secretary, Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Nusirat Elelu, Executive Chairman, Kwara State Internal Revenue Agency, Mrs Folashade Omoniyi. With these, the governor has demonstrated he is indeed youth and gender friendly
Recently, Kwara State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ bestowed prestigious Award of Most Gender Friendly in Nigeria on Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq at the grand finale of its Press Week’s Dinner and Award Night, held at Banquet Hall, Ilorin for his commitment towards youths and women engagement and empowerment.
Speaking at the journalists’ gala night, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq renewed his administration’s readiness of mainstreaming women in governance in the state. He said, the enactment of Kwara State Political Offices Gender Composition Act was to provide a legal framework for women to be engaged in decision making process in the state.
He therefore challenged women folks to always exhibit their potentials and managerial traits to expunged them from the disadvantaged segment of the society. Others recognized alongside Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq were, Speaker, Kwara State House of Assembly, Engineer Yakubu Danlad-Salihu, Senator representing Kwara North, Senator Umar Sadiq, APC Senatorial Candidate representing Kwara Central, Salihu Mustapha and APC Candidate representing Ilorin West/Asa Federal Constituency, Muktar Tolani-Sagaya; PDP Candidate representing Ilorin West/ Asa Federal Constituency, Ibrahim Muhammad Ajia; Engineer Bolakale Kawu, Etsu Pategi, Alhaji Ibrahim Umar-Bologi, CEO KAM Holding, Dr Kamaru Ibitoye Yusuf, OON; Former Commissioner for Health in Kwara State, Hajia Asiyah Ayinke Saka, an erudite artist, Queen Adeola Olanipekun, veteran journalist, Fatai Adeniyi Dankazeem, Vice Chancellor, Kwara State University, Malete and General Managers of Media organizations in Kwara State.
In his remark, Chairman, Kwara State Council of NUJ, Comrade Abdul-lateef Ahmed described NUJ award for Governor Abdulrazaq as the most gender and youth friendly as well deserved. He said, he had proved it in all ramifications since the inception of his administration.
Comrade Ahmed therefore appealed to the governor to amend the Civil Service Laws to enable workers in the state parastatals reach the pinnacle of their careers of becoming Permanent Secretary as obtained by their colleagues in the state ministries. Also Speaking, Chairman Planning Committee, Kwara State Council NUJ 2022 Press Week, Alhaji Abdul-Azeez Arowona maintained that the award recipients were carefully selected for their immeasurable impacts on the society. Alhaji Arowona, who is the spokesperson of Emir of Ilorin, explained that the recipients were recognized to spur them to continue their immeasurable contributions the human race.
Governor Abdulrazaq is now best described as a game changer in providing opportunities for women and youths to prove their mettle in leadership and governance. The outcry for the agitation of youths and women not being carry along in governance does not arise in Kwara State anymore because AA has directly handed over governance to youth and women that constitute the larger voting population in the Country. It worthy of note that Governor Abdulrazaq is strictly law-abiding by implementing the “Not Too Young To Run” Act through his consideration for youth, for both elective and appointive positions.
It is okay to describe the governor as a practical youth leadership tutor as he flexibily provides a lead way for youth and women to showcase their God-given talent and brilliance to join him to re-write the history of the state. AA is not like other governors who pay lip service to the plights of youths and women.
He has raised the hope of women in the state, having forwarded an Executive Bill titled “Political Offices Gender Composition Bill 2021” to the State House of Assembly for consideration and passage. The bill was accorded accelerated passage by the state legislature. He wasted no time in assenting the Bill, mandating the state to have at least 35 per cent of women appointees in the State Executive Council and Other Classes of Political Appointments at a Conference with the theme: “Cracking the Glass Ceiling: The Story of Kwara Women,” at the Kwara State Stadium Complex, Ilorin.
It is also worthy of mentioning that no state governor in Nigeria enacted such a law except before him, and up till today. The law is the first legislation in the annals of the country’s political development .It is only fair that women be given a fair space in the decision-making process whose outcomes have far-reaching consequences for them and their families.
In the yesteryears, youth and women suffer neglect, as they were used and dumped; but in Kwara State, the narratives are now changing. Few days ago, the governor empowered no fewer 100 youth entrepreneurs with 1 million naira each under his Kwarapreneur Initiative. In addition, there is ongoing Social Investment Programme code-named “Owo Isowo”. The impact is huge and unprecedented in the state. With this huge youth empowerment, Governor Abdulrazaq is now unearthed to the entire world for his doggedness to take unemployed youths off the guadriangle of crimes and other social vices.
It trite and equally permissible to say, without an iota of doubt, that no Kwarans envisaged the governor would engage youths and women as critical decision-makers in the state. Many do not imagine that youth and women would be where they are today sitting at the helms of affairs in Ministries Departments and Agencies in Kwara State.
It therefore behoves of the youths and women not to disappoint the governor and entire people of Kwara State by investing their youthful energy, brilliant talents and young blood to better the state particularly at this auspicious time the state is witnessing total overhauling to improve the welfare of the citizenry.
It is however crucial for the entire youth and women in Kwara State to knock in for their future and rally round Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq to continue his good works beyond 2023. As a mind reader, one can conveniently prophesy that AA is desirous to putting women and youths first in his administration upon reelection. No room for doubters on this postulation.
Saheed Abdullahi is of Radio Kwara, Ilorin
