Date: 2021-05-17

In the last two years, the administration of Governor AbdulRahaman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State has spent close to N20 billion on payment of pensions and gratuities.

The governor's special adviser on strategy, Alhaji Sa'adu Salahu, stated this yesterday during an award programme organised by "Friends of AbdulRahaman AbdulRazaq" in Ilorin, the state capital.

Salahu said the state government had expended about N16 billion on pensions and close to N3 billion on gratuities to retirees at both the state and local government levels.

He said this is in addition to the regular payment of full salaries to all categories of workers in the state and local government areas; a marked departure from the past when workers received salaries in percentages.

Amid loud ovation of "Rahman for second term", Salahu said the payment of counterpart funds to the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) had earned the KwaraN14 billion to fix infrastructure at the basic education level across the state.

He said the state government had engaged more 4,701 teachers while fresh recruitment exercises were ongoing at the state's civil service and Kwara Internal Revenue Service (KWIRS).

Salahu said: "Twenty-one thousand traders have benefitted under the state government's social investment programme while N10billion has been raised to support farmers in the state including farm inputs.

Another 13,000 youths have also benefitted from information technology (IT) programme to make them self- reliant."

Earlier, the director-general of "Friends of AbdulRahaman AbdulRazaq" Kwara Central Senatorial District, Malam Taiwo AbdulMaliq, said the programme was organised to recognise those that were supporting the state government to achieve its goals.

Represented at the event by a university don, Dr Ghali Alaaya, Governor AbdulRazaq received an award alongside others.