I had an important engagement with House of Assembly aspirants of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), at the secretariat in Ilorin, yesterday. I congratulated all the aspirants, many of them young people, for showing interest under the platform of the party. We are very proud of them for their readiness to contribute to the development of the state.
The unprecedented number of people wanting to contest elections under the APC shows that the party is vibrant, democratic, and loved. The All Progressives Congress is the vehicle to come on board with. We have strong leadership at the national level. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, is transforming our economy. That is why we have developments in our state.
I urged the aspirants to continue to support the party whether they get the ticket or not. There are very limited elective positions. Whatever the outcome of the process is, all our aspirants are winners. Their efforts are well noted and will be rewarded accordingly by the party structure.
We will hold further engagements with our aspirants to build better understanding and unity of purpose as we move closer to the election year. I thank Mr. President for his transformative leadership that has made the All Progressives Congress the credible platform to win elections in Nigeria. Let us continue to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's efforts to take this country to greater heights.
Yesterday, I was honoured to unveil the Katsina State Smart Secondary School, Radda, a project that captures His Excellency Governor Umar Dikko Radda's vision of where he wants Katsina to be in the next years and the urgency of getting there through functional education.
I congratulate Governor Radda and his team on the milestone. As mentioned in my remarks at the commissioning ceremony, the smart school project is a laudable investment in the future of the Katsina child who must compete in the same global village with children who are able to design and assemble sophisticated gadgets right before Basic 6.
The project not only ensures that every child of school age is in the classroom, but also offers them the type of education that gives them a fair chance in the 21st century.
I celebrate H.E Radda's achievements and his bold vision for the Katsina children who are the beneficiaries of this project.
With similar projects in Kwara State under our watch, I am confident that initiatives like this will truly reposition our states and Nigeria as a whole for sustainable development through education that meets the realities of our time.
I heartily congratulate two Kwara pupils -- Yusuf Abdurrahman Oreoluwa and Yusuf Maryam of Ar-Raheem International College, Ilorin, -- on their excellent performance at a Spelling Bee Competition in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Along with Adeolu Oluwadamilola Oreofe, an indigene of Ekiti State, the Kwara duo represented Nigeria at the competition where our country won the silver medal.
The Harare feat has now qualified these wonderful children to represent our country on the global stage in China in the coming months. This is clearly something to celebrate, and I convey our congratulations to Oreoluwa and Maryam. I thank them for being good ambassadors of our state -- joining the esteemed league of Kwara school children who have had the world under their feet at various national and international competitions.
I also congratulate their parents and the Ar-Raheem College for this milestone in the lives of these children. They should keep it up.
These feats align with our unrelenting investments in qualitative and accessible education, which is the foundation for any enduring civilisation. It is also a sweet fruit of the strategic partnership between government and different stakeholders.
Congratulations!
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.
I felicitate trade union leader Alhaji Najeem Usman Yasin on the honour newly bestowed on him as the Bashorun of Offa Kingdom. I also congratulate him on his birth anniversary today.
The title is a well-deserved one for Alhaji Yasin who has paid his dues as a statesman and a philanthropist with great investments in community development.
I thank His Royal Majesty, the Olofa of Offa, Oba Mufutau Gbadamosi Esuwoye II, for the honour done to Alhaji Yasin and his family. I wish the Bashorun of Offa many more years of beneficial service to God and humanity.
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 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.
