Ibraheem Abdullateef
Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq is a man of many firsts. Before public office, he established First Fuels Limited and NOPA Oil Services, becoming the first indigenous company to import crude oil and petroleum products into Nigeria. That groundbreaking feat was achieved at a relatively younger age.
After making a success of the private sector, AbdulRazaq ran consistently and progressively for public office, with the story ending up in another first. He emerged the first gubernatorial candidate to defeat the then-reigning dynasty in 2019, ushering in a new era in Kwara State.
Since being at the helm of affairs, Governor AbdulRazaq has gone on to achieve many firsts on the governance front. He has created the enabling environment for glittering records to be broken by the state, repositioning Kwara as a shining model of a first-generation state.
The victory of Kwara United Football Club at the recently concluded 2025 Federation Cup is the latest addition to the long list of firsts recorded under Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq. The win has been widely celebrated by sons and daughters of the state because it is both historic and symbolic. Since the creation of Kwara State in 1967, no football club from the state has won the federation cup. The team officially will be representing Nigeria in the 2025/2026 CAF Confederation Cup.
As evident by his morale-boosting attendance in the stand yesterday, it is instructive to note that the recent win was not by happenstance, it is a reward for deliberate investments, intentional strategies, and quality attention paid to the sports sector by the sports-loving Governor AbdulRazaq. His attitude and approach to other sectors is similar, and there have also been fruitful results to show for it.
Just a day to the Kwara United historic win, Kwara students who represented the state at the 26th edition of the presidential debate (senior category) in Abeokuta, Ogun State, bested their peers nationwide to emerge winner of the coveted contest. Like the Federation Cup, that was also the first time Kwara students would be leading the senior category of the presidential debate. However, their juniors in the basic category have brought the trophy home three times in a row. They won the three in succession for the first time under Governor AbdulRazaq.
With his transformative policies and programmes in the education sector, especially the tech-based KwaraLEARN, Governor AbdulRazaq is actively supporting younger ones in Kwara State with facilities that give them a head start in school and life.
AbdulRazaq also cracked the glass ceiling. He appointed a 56.25% female majority cabinet, a first not only in Nigeria but also in West Africa. Under this category, he appointed the first female commissioner for finance in the history of the state. He also appointed the first female Chairman for the State Internal Revenue Service. And many others. Women now feel so empowered in the state, and are encouraged to aspire to anything they wish in life.
It is also on record that AbdulRazaq is the first Governor to implement the minimum wage twice in office. Before his coming, the implementation of minimum wage across cadres for civil servants is believed by many to be usually delayed and chaotic. In contrast, Kwara was one of the top 10 states to implement the last minimum wage in Nigeria.
AbdulRazaq is also the first Kwara Governor to construct two flyovers, the state-of-the-art infrastructure that have made bold additions to the artery and aesthetics of the state capital.
Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq also created KWASSIP, an innovative strategy to reduce poverty, empower the citizens financially, and promote social security. KWASSIP is Kwara’s first ever institutionalised social protection scheme—and it was equally dubbed the largest to be owned by a subnational government—with young, old, indigent, enterprising Kwarans benefitting hugely from it since establishment.
AbdulRazaq is the first governor to take budget preparation session outside of the traditional bureaucratic offices. In 2021, Kwara State Government began to host townhall meetings across the three senatorial districts with diverse stakeholders to gather imput and feedback from the citizens to make the budget process more inclusive and ensure it addresses the needs of the communities.
Access to information and awareness are key ingredients to fostering unity and strengthening democracy. The first radio, private or public, in Kwara North was also created by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq. This helps to bridge the information gap between the government and the people in the hinterlands.
According to the Global Startup Ecosystem Index Report 2025 by @StartupBlink, Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State, debuted in the world’s most comprehensive start-up ecosystem map for the first time ever this year. Right under AbdulRazaq, Kwara waltzed into 6th in Nigeria, and featured 885th in the global top 1000 ranking. Some development observers and temperate analysts have likened the transformation to one of the wonders of democracy for a state widely renowned as a conservative, traditional civil servant economy barely six years ago.
The haul of laurels for Kwara under Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq can only swell as he goes on to complete his term. But six years in, he is being the leader of many firsts in building sustainable growth and development.
•Abdullateef is the Senior Special Assistant on Communication to Kwara Governor
