Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara on Friday announced a N25 million donation for the construction of an Information and Communication Technology Centre and Skills Acquisition hub in Ilorin.
AbdulRazaq made the donation at the 55th Annual Conference of the Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU) and N2 billion fundraising for the construction of the IEDPU ICT/Skill Acquisition Hub as well as the launching of 2021 Almanac.
The governor also announced another N25m on behalf of his friends from the business community, Alhaji Aliko Dangote of the Aliko Dangote Group and Abdulsamad Rabiu of the BUA Group, among others, in support of the ICT project.
In his address, AbdulRazaq asserted that development was always tied to the ability of a community to come together for a common agenda.
He called for unity and harmony among the people of Ilorin community and the state as a whole.
“As the Guest Speaker has said, the people of Ilorin need to come together under the leadership of the Emir of Ilorin to make Ilorin the envy of all.
“Let all of us bury our hatchet and come together to make Ilorin a better place for all of us. Let’s work together for peace and progress of Ilorin and our state,” he said.
The governor, who commended the Emir for his fatherly support to every Ilorin son and daughter, also applauded the IEDPU for the proposed ICT hub.
According to him, it aligns with the ongoing innovation hub project of the present administration to give new skills to young people in the state.
In his remark, the Emir of Ilorin, Dr Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, sued for peace, unity and understanding among sons and daughters of Ilorin to ensure the development and progress of the emirate.
He commended the strides of the governor whom he described as humble, pro-development and disciplined, including his signature timely arrival at public events.
The Chairman of the occasion and the Zanna of Ilorin, Alhaji Lanre Sagaya, called on indigenes of Ilorin to unite, help one another and invest at home.
Sagaya was represented by his Personal Assistant, Alhaji Ibrahim Salman.
“As for the union’s leadership, the challenge is to continuously appeal and always prevail on the government to create enabling environment to attract investors to the Emirate.
“We also encourage indigenes of the Emirate to invest at home,” Sagaya said.
In his sermon, the Guest Speaker at the event, Ahmad AbdulRahman called for restoration of sound moral and religious values for which Ilorin was known.
Abdulrahman, who is the National Missioner of the Ansarudeen Society of Nigeria, said that the violence and looting that followed the recent #EndSARS protest, the rising menace of drug abuse and glaring lack of respect for legal authorities signalled a breakdown of such values.
Earlier in his address, Othman Ottan, National President, Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressives Union, rallied the people of the emirate around the agenda of peace, harmony, and development.
He specifically commended the governor for the impact his administration was having on the poor and the vulnerable.
Othman Ottan, however, called for more developmental projects in the Ilorin Emirate and a deeper government-IEDPU relationship.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the annual conference was attended by crème de la crème of the Ilorin emirate from all walks of life. (NAN)