The 27.5 per cent allowance applies to TRCN-certificated teachers across Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) and State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), under CONKWESS I, while 21 per cent applies to those without TRCN.
The governor acknowledged the indispensable role and commitment of teachers to the education sector, praising them for their efforts in nation building.
Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq at the weekend urged members and elders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State, to embrace unity, mutual understanding, and peace.
The governor hinted that unity and peace are the ingredients APC needs to keep its winning streak in the state and the country as a whole.
The governor spoke in Ilorin, the state capital when he received members of the Ifelodun APC Elders’ Council led by Senator Makanjuola Ajadi.
The governor acknowledged the support of the Elders’ Council and other party platforms and stakeholders in the local government and across the state.
He pledged to continue to attend to their demands, particularly in the area of road construction, social amenities, and political appointments.
“I want us to strengthen and deepen the spirit of working together. A divided house will lead us nowhere.
“Unity is always essential. If we are divided, people will take advantage of us. So, there is a need for unity, including in Ifelodun.
“Let us work together and look forward to a good year, a year of more prosperity, a year of stability, and a year of proper engagement among ourselves.”
He expressed displeasure at the conduct of the contractors handling some of the road projects in the region, including Ora township road, saying steps are being taken to boldly address the issue.
The governor said some of the projects in the area have been completed, including the new Orisa bridge that connects Irepodun to Ifelodun local government.
Senator Ajadi, for his part, said they are strongly committed to the cause of the party, with the elders council membership cutting across the 18 political wards of the local government.
Ajadi praised the governor for his excellent performance, saying his achievements are visible in all the nooks and crannies of the state.
APC Chairman in Ifelodun Arch. Lukman Abubakar commended the administration’s interventions on the Ajase-Ipo/Igbaja road, and requested the Governor to also consider the Igbaja-Oke-Ode/ Sagbe road; Panada-Agbayangi-Yaru road; and Marafa/Oke-Ode road.
Kwara Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq laid the 2025 appropriation bill before the parliament Friday, substantially focusing on completing ongoing projects, starting new ones, and doubling down on social protection for the people of the state.
Valued at N540, 368, 119, 765.00, capital expenditure guzzles 62.1% of the fiscal plan while recurrent gets 37.9%.
The Governor said the budget will complete the major infrastructural projects across the state, and fund new ones such as 250 units of mass housing and inner roads in the smart city — another big feather to his cap.
The stadia in Offa and Lafiagi are also prioritised in the budget, while new roads are to be constructed in Kwara South, North, and Central to further ease the movement of goods and services within the state, according to the Governor.
He said construction work will begin on a multi-story CourtHouse, the best of its kind in the northern region, while the Metropolitan Square will be upgraded and completed.
Pointing at massive youth and women empowerment and anti-poverty initiatives, the social sector gets 32.50% of the plan, while education and health are allotted 16.2% and 10.56% apiece, with a focus on getting the new university of education off the ground and strengthening existing institutions across the state.
Ministry of Works and Transport gets 17.51% to carry on its massive road construction and maintenance mandate.
The Governor said the budget is not just a ritual as it “reflects our commitment to delivering on promises as resources permit”, recalling how the 2024 budget brought significant benefits to various sectors, including infrastructure, healthcare, education, and social protection.
“In 2024, we supported 171,649 farmers, invested in irrigation systems, and provided N2.2bn worth of farm inputs,” he said.
“We also funded education for 66,000 entrance exam candidates, 58,420 BECE candidates, 28,500 WAEC candidates, and 27,000 NECO candidates. Over 70,000 vulnerable people received social protection, including those impacted by the urban renewal programme.
“Additionally, 15,000 indigent Kwarans benefited from free medical interventions.
“The urban renewal programme has transformed the capital city, improving its infrastructure significantly, restoring law and order, and projecting Ilorin as a modern city.”
The Governor celebrated the prudence of his administration, saying “while the year recorded unprecedented investment in physical infrastructure and social welfare, we similarly reduced the debt burden of the state to N58.87b in the third quarter, down from N109.16bn in December 2023”.
“I thank the Honourable House, party leaders, and all our partners for their support,” he said.
Accompanied by top government officials led by Chief of Staff Prince Abdulkadir Mahe, Justice Oluwayemisi Ajayi, Justice Ahmad Sayi, first class traditional rulers led by the Olupo of Ajase-Ipo Oba Ismail Yahya Alebiosu, who stood in for the Emir of Ilorin, clergymen, and security commanders, the Governor commended all the stakeholders in the state who continue to support his administration.
APC chairman Prince Sunday Fagbemi captained the party hierarchy to the session, which was occasionally punctuated by partisan singsong and lyrics.
Governor Abdulrazaq said the budget stands on projected oil prices of $75 per barrel, daily oil production of 2.06 million barrels, and 6.4% GDP growth.
The funding windows are FAAC receipts, which constitute 48.1%; and opening balance (N62bn), IGR, and other capital receipts that form the balance of 51.9%.
“The budget of economic stability and sustained prosperity funds the completion of ongoing projects like the international conference centre, innovation hub, Patigi Motel, Kwara Hotel, and several roads across the state. Construction will begin on the multi-story CourtHouse and access roads for Smart City project, alongside the development of 250 mass housing units. Statewide road construction and the reconstruction of Lafiagi and Offa Stadia are also prioritised.
“Further, we are committed to workers’ welfare, social protection for the poor, and strengthening mechanised agriculture with the procurement of modern equipment.”
Speaker Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, who commended the strides of the Governor across the state, assured him of speedy yet thorough consideration of the fiscal proposal.
“Your administration is known for transparency, accountability, and fiscal discipline,” he said.
“It is also observed with satisfaction the level of your commitment to the completion of all the legacy projects of the administration, and we are confident that they will be completed and put to use in no time.
“I must also mention that it is gratifying to note that aside from adequate funding of these legacy projects, your administration remains focused in providing the dividends of democracy to different parts of the state in all sectors.”
The Speaker said the state’s investment in the payment of counterpart funds to development partners has bolstered its standing in education, health, and agricultural sectors.
“On our part as legislators, we will immediately swing into action by looking at the document, and interact with heads of ministries, departments, and agencies at the defence sessions that will be underway shortly.”
Kwara Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq has approved a financial bonus that is equivalent to the monthly PAYE obligation for every civil servant in the state, including local government workers.
The emergency support measure will last for at least three months, according to a statement by the Commissioner for Finance Dr. Hauwa Nuru.
“This bonus has been approved as a buffer to bridge the gap that the correct PAYE deduction may have wrought on the newly implemented minimum wage. It is meant to serve as a soothing balm as workers adjust to the PAYE that was just correctly implemented in line with the Personal Income Tax Act,” she said.
“The payment of the bonus is effective from October and will run till December 2024. This is a significant step by His Excellency to support workers.”
The statement added that workers who have not registered with the Kwara State Residents’ Registration Agency (KWSRRA) should do so immediately because anyone without it will not get the bonus for November and December.
The statement said labour unions have also agreed to a refund of the special levy deducted from workers’ salary and suspension of deductions of same until further notice.
“Governor AbdulRazaq’s directive to deliver this relief speaks volumes about his humanity and his commitment to the welfare of Kwara workforce,” Dr. Nuru stated.
Kwara Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and Minister of Information, Idris Mohammed, have praised PRNigeria for its noteworthy initiatives aimed at mentoring and equipping the next generation of communicators.
The commendations were given during the unveiling of the new PRNigeria Centre in Ilorin, capital of Kwara, and the inauguration of the second batch of the Young Communication Fellowship Programme.
AbdulRazaq and Malagi recognised the efforts of Image Merchant Promotion Ltd (IMPR), PRNigeria and Economic Confidential publishers, for its dedication to providing young Nigerians with essential modern communication skills.
Represented by Bolanle Olukoju, Commissioner for Communications, the governor stressed the importance of empowering young minds in the communications sector, highlighting the changing landscape of digital media and public relations.
Urging the fellowship participants to display creativity and integrity, AbdulRazaq stated, “It fills me with pride to see so many bright and passionate young individuals gathered here, ready to become the future storytellers and media strategists who will shape the narrative of their communities.”
Represented by Jibrin Ndace, Director General, Voice of Nigeria (VON), Malagi said the PRNigeria Young Communication Fellowship would hugely contribute to the country’s development goals. He charged young professionals to embrace technological innovation and become credible sources of information.
“This Centre is a beacon of hope for the younger generation. It provides them with the knowledge, skills and tools that will enable growth and success in a rapidly evolving communication landscape,” Malagi added.
In keynote address, Mr. Kashifu Inuwa, Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), highlighted the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in strategic communication.
Represented by Dr. Falilat Olaitan Jimoh, Head of Innovation & Digital Inclusion, NITDA South-West, Mr. Kashifu Inuwa acknowledged AI’s revolutionizing effect on how information is communicated and consumed. “AI is reshaping industries, especially in communication,” he stated.
The DG elaborated AI’s benefits for PR professionals, noting that tools predict trends, understand audience sentiment, and enhance message-tailoring through technologies like Natural Language Processing (NLP). “AI equips communicators to navigate today’s complex media environment,” he noted.
In his address, the IMPR Chief Executive Officer, Yushau Shuaib, thanked those who supported the project as he underlined PRNigeria Centre’s commitment to youth development through training in journalism, public relations, fact-checking, and publishing.
“We appreciate the assistance of the state government, the Ilorin Emirate, and Alhaji Kale Kawu Agaka (Daniyan Ilorin). In three years, the organisation has equipped more than 280 journalists/writers to navigate the digital journalism landscape and empowered about 1,400 young Nigerians with vital skills.
“Our collaborations with esteemed organizations like NITDA, the Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), and the Network of Advocates for Digital Reporting (NADIR) have been instrumental in enhancing our capacity for innovation and diversification.
“Our trainees are making strides in various fields, showcasing the profound impact our programs have on their careers. There is a need for continued investment in youth development within the communications industry. We remain dedicated to nurturing talents,” Shuaib added.
Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on Saturday said that his administration will expend a sum of N11.2 billion in revamping the infrastructure in the state’s schools.
The governor added that the aim is to save the deteriorating conditions of schools in the state.
AbdulRazaq said this during the launch of a new ultra modern library complex in Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, Moro local government area of the state.
The library complex was funded by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TEDFUND).
He added that “apart from that, this would lead to facelift of those schools and create a conducive environment for learning, contracts to be awarded will also inject some money into the local economy with multiple effects on the public.”
Represented by his deputy, Kayode Alabi, the governor decried the decay in the infrastructural facilities in the state before his assumption of office.
Said he: “Everything is messed up in Kwara State, the decay will take years to fix but we are convinced that we will succeed if everybody supports us. We are starting on ground zero. We are faced with criminal breakdown of basic infrastructure across every sector in the state, especially in the education and health sectors.
“Just last week, we had to pay N250 million to offset two months’ salaries the state government owed workers across the state colleges of education. We also paid an additional N50 million to secure re-accreditation for two of the colleges.
“We still have a backlog of arrears to pay these teachers. We have promised to steadily offset these backlogs with an appeal to the workers to return to work after many months of industrial action to protest the neglect of the schools by people elected to serve the public. The decay in the infrastructure across our primary and secondary schools is better imagined. The more any patriot sees such a thing the sadder he becomes because it points at a bleak future unless something urgent is done.
“It was so bad that funds meant for upgrades of facilities at the primary schools were diverted with serious consequences for the state.
“Our government is determined to raise a generation of children who are able to cope with the education needs of the 21st century.”
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Professor Suleiman Bogoro, described the library as the best in the country, pledging that the fund would always support laudable projects.
In his message, the project consultant, Architect Mahamud Faworaja, said the library is a complete research centre and runs twenty-four hour service.
Earlier, the vice chancellor of KWASU, Professor AbdulRasheed Na’Allah, who reeled out his achievements, commended TETFUND for its support which he explained would boost learning and research work.
The management of Kwara State’s assets is shrouded in controversy and needs to be reviewed for posterity, a 21-man committee Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq set up to probe the state of public assets said on Tuesday evening.
Chairman of the committee Senator Suleiman Ajadi said at the presentation of its interim report on Tuesday evening that the panel made far-reaching recommendations upon which the governor would need to take urgent decisions.
The presentation was attended by AbdulRazaq, House of Assembly Speaker Yakubu Danladi and the 20 other members of the Assets Recovery Committee.
Ajadi said: “There are so many thorny issues surrounding the control and management of some assets like the Kwara Hotel, the International Aviation College, the amorphous case of the Shonga Farms and the entire Harmony Holdings structure.
“We are also looking into the issue of the amusement park, which was sold in very unclear circumstances for a princely sum of N100 million in 2010, but which, perhaps fortuitously, has been bogged down since because of litigation.”
The committee chairman urged the governor to look critically at the issues and make pronouncements in the immediate future even before the panel makes available its final report.
“This is because quite a few of the issues highlighted are going concerns, which will require prompt government attention and action,” Ajadi said.
AbdulRazaq thanked the committee for the good job, adding: “You can count on us to face up to the challenges and make sure that justice is done to the issues raised.”
The committee, however, has said government has not authorized the sale of any of its properties within or outside of the state.
In a statement on Tuesday, the committee cautioned “the public against buying or sale of government properties in which government has interest now/before ranging from government quarters, chalets, farmlands, vehicles and equipment etc.”
The committee said anyone, who buys such properties does so at their own risk.
Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has reinstated the payment of salary to workers employed in the twilight of the last administration.
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, in a statement on wednesday, said: “The governor has directed that the workers be paid their May and June salary. As a statesman and father to all, His Excellency believes the government should not punish these workers for decisions they didn’t take.”
The workers are popularly known as ‘sunset workers’, with most governors often disengaging them for fear that they had been engaged to wrong foot the new administration.
Former Governor Bukola Saraki sacked the workers his predecessors had engaged in 2003.
“This governor dares to be different. He has shown goodwill and magnanimity to all. It is expected that the affected workers will do their part by serving the state diligently,” according to the statement.
AbdulRazaq has also approved N100 million gratuity to demonstrate his commitment to the welfare of retirees, the statement added.
The last administration had in the twilight of its reign recruited hundreds of workers into the civil service, including teachers and ministry workers.
The recruitment triggered allegations that the beneficiaries were mainly members of the People’s Democratic Party and that the due process was not followed in engaging them.
AbdulRazaq, meanwhile, continued his tour of government facilities in the state yesterday, with visits to some markets in the Ilorin metropolis, where he pledged to give them basic amenities like water, access roads and solar-powered electricity.
Kwara State Government has announced the receipt of the sum of N4,202,659,072.11 (four billion, two hundred and two million, six hundred and fifty nine thousand, seven two naira and eleven Kobo) for the month of June, 2019.
The announcement was contained in a statement on Friday by Mr Benjamin Fatigun, the Permanent Secretary of the state Ministry of Finance who represented Kwara at the FAAC meeting of June 27 in Kano.
The breakdown of the money for the state includes statutory revenue allocation (SRA) of N3,193,761,125:58; Value Added Tax of N1,002,461,709.09; and exchange rate gain of N6,436,237:44, according to the statement.
The statement said the entire 16 local government areas also received the total sum of two billion, six hundred and seventy five million, three hundred and seventy seven naira, thirty one Kobo (2,679,675,377.31).
The breakdown for the LGAs is 2,106,501,950.22 (SRA); 568,928,292.22 (VAT); and 4,245,134.87 (Exchange Gains), it added.
Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, meanwhile, has directed the immediate payment of June salary to the state’s workers.
Catholic Diocese of Ilorin, Kwara State has urged Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to fulfill his promises to the people.
The church also urged the new administration to translate its Otoge (enough is enough) mantra to reality in the lives of Kwarans.
The Co-adjutor of the Ilorin Catholic Diocese, Most Rev. Paul Olawoore spoke in Ilorin, the state capital, at the World Communication Day.
The clergyman said: “The new administration should address frontally all those things Kwarans are lacking which they had promised to provide. They should be true to their electoral promises. Thank God we have a means of comparison now, those who were there before what people expected to do and they did not do led to the slogan of Otoge (enough is enough). Now that a new government has come in we want to see the difference not just hear it, because if they say that there is no good road for people to pass we want to see that good road during their own tenure.
“We don’t want excuses. They should not head blames on the former government for none performance. We want them in action providing those things that people are complaining of. And that even starts from the security of life. People are being killed on daily basis.
“The governor being the chief security officer of the state should map out strategies of how he will secure his people. Even if the Federal Government fails to act, he should ensure security of lives and property in the state. He should make Kwara state no go area for kidnapping, herdsmen/farmers clashes and other violent attacks. It is then we will know that indeed, it is Otoge.”
Also, group known as ‘The Original Women’ also stressed the need for the new administration to empower women economically.
The Convener of the group and an entrepreneur Hajia Aisha Ahman-Pategi, called for capacity building for women in the state.
This, according to her would enable the women tackle multifaceted challenges facing them and reduce poverty in the society.
Ahman-Pategi, who is also an All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart, urged AbdulRazaq to give more women appointment to engage them effectively in policy making.
She spoke with reporters in Ilorin on the challenges before the administration.
She advocated appointment of more women into political positions to enable them contribute their quota to the growth and development of the society.
Ahman-Pategi said women are marginalised, adding that the society will be better, if they are properly engaged.
She said: “Kwara women are suffering, women are bedrock of the society, if they get it right, society will get it right because they are the one that raise the future leaders. I am not against women being in position of power, a woman can aspire to be governor or president but they must accept their roles by nature by standing by men, it shouldn’t be about struggling with men”.
Hajia Ahman-Pategi stressed the need to have a paradigm shift in the state by changing women’s perspective, ensuring accurate thinking and information for women for them to look into the same direction of changing the society for better and raising the future leaders of the country in the best way.
