Kwara State Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed has upgraded infrastructure across the state as his administration clocks one year. Roads are expanded and pot holes filled even as new ones are built.

Ministries and parastatals have taken stock of their achievements in the last one year.

The Commissioner for Works and Transport, Dr. Abubakar Kannike, said the administration has built over 600 kilometres of 　roads and spent over N200 million on expanding the Sango- Kwara State Polytechnic Road.

The road expansion enhances access to tertiary health care at the teaching hospital, Ilorin, he said.

Kannike also said the administration is committed to filling up pot holes in the state, adding that the government will continue to rehabilitate and maintain roads in the state.

The Commissioner, who also stood in for his counterpart in the energy ministry, expressed concern that the power project at Ganmo that was meant to enhance the supply of electricity to the state had not been as effective as envisaged because of the national problem of power generation but promised that the state government would not relent in its efforts towards ensuring a solution is found to the challenge.

The Special Adviser to the governor, Alhaji Abdulraheem Adedoyin said the state government continuity slogan has given unique opportunities to move the state forward.

Adedoyin said it makes more sense in ensuring people benefit from programmes and policies by completing them.

The event was to showcase activities of four ministries in the state in the last one year.

He said: "When this government chose the concept of continuity, many people thought it meant recycling personnel that served under the last administration but that was not the case."

　Adedoyin added: "We decided on continuity because it enables us to complete the quality works on the ground for which resources had been allocated and which were designed to have direct impact on the lives of the people.

"You can see the wisdom in our decision. At the inception of this administration, there was a retreat that produced the policy thrust for governance; that policy thrust produced the budget and the budget produced specific activities with distinct time frames and resource allocation with targets and that is why we can say we have accomplished much in one year."

Taking his turn, Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Alhaji Raji Atolagbe said the state has spent N16.5 million on　 exchange students in the last one year, spent over N131 million on bursary on students from the state in tertiary institutions and over N23 million on NECO fees for qualified candidates.

He added that the government was also enforcing information technology compliance among students in its tertiary institutions not withstanding the course of study while the ministry had also undertaken survey of tradesmen across the state with a view to establishing standardised training manual for them in order to enhance their effectiveness.

On his part, Commerce and Cooperatives, Alhaji Saka Onimago said his ministry is tinkering with the idea of accessing N750 million loan facility from the Bank of Industry (BoI) to finance small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) in the state.

He said the state Governor, Alhaji AbdulFatah Ahmed has given his ministry the approval to obtain the loan.　

Onimago further disclosed that the governor has released N250 million for disbursement to co-operative societies in the state as revolving loans.　

He said that 147 co-operative societies have so far benefited from the loan scheme while 10 micro-finance banks were accredited for the loan disbursement to ensure probity and transparency.

"Currently, the state government is in the process of establishing a free trade zone for clusters of agro-allied enterprises and manufacturers which when completed would provide jobs for about 22,000 Kwarans," he added.

He said that his ministry had "facilitated the building of standard and well-organised ultra-modern markets for the people of the state."

Special Assistant on Youths Empowerment, Alhaji Saka Babatunde, said the government has employed 2, 000 youths under its bridge empowerment scheme (KWABES).　

He said 1, 000 of the youths would be given full employment in 10 days time.　

Babatunde noted that the fact that over 42, 000 youths have registered with KWABES underscored the relevance of the scheme.　

The Commissioner for Agriculture, Alhaji Mohammed Baba Kpan, said the government had entered into partnership with some foreign expatriates to further boost commercial agriculture and provide job opportunities for the people of the state.

　He announced plans by the government to develop six grazing reserves in all the three senatorial zones of the state to minimise the incessant clashes between Fulani herdsmen and farmers in the state.