Date: 2022-01-31

The Kwara State Commissioner of Communications, Hon. Olabode George Towoju, has described Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as the "Messiah of Kwara State," following the recent approval of the issuance of pending promotion letters to deserving teaching and non-teaching staff of the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).

Towoju, who made this declaration in an interview with press men in his office, applauded Governor AbdulRazaq for his unprecedented achievements and interest in all sectors of the State, particularly the education sector, which is made even more evident in his successful payment of the counterpart funds, a feat which has successfully made Kwara State to once again, continue enjoying the benefits inherent in the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Funds.

The Commissioner praised the governor for signing into law the consequential adjustments of the new minimum wage for levels 7-17 civil servants in the state and said it would serve as a form of motivation for the workers.

He said that civil servants in the state have started receiving their salary alerts and they are happy with their salary increase.

"Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has once again, shown that he is a lover of the Kwara child, parents and Kwarans at large and this can be seen in the way he is handling the education sector in the State. "

Talking about the counterpart fund that the administration of Governor AbdulRazaq paid off, Towoju asserted that "the past administration failed to pay the funds since 2013 and this led to UBEC sidelining Kwara State, thereby depriving our dear State of benefitting from numerous school projects from the UBEC fund.

"Fortunately for us, Governor AbdulRazaq deemed it fit to pay the fund and create an enabling atmosphere for Kwara to start benefiting from UBEC and I can categorically state that Kwara State is not where it used to be when we are talking of the education sector.

"They really did not care much about the education of our children because they enrolled their children in schools abroad and left our schools to perish.

"Even those whose kids were still in the country, enrolled them at top-notch private schools and so, the education of ordinary citizens like you and I did not matter much to them.

"Governor AbdulRazaq has done what the past administration found difficult to do. Teachers labour over their students and with the development of the issuance of promotion letters to teachers who will also benefit from the new minimum wage, the governor is showing us, once more, that the reward of teachers is not only in heaven but on earth.

"Just last year, he employed 4701 qualified and competent teachers, injecting First class degree holders into our public schools to teach our students, after a fair application and onboarding process, unlike previous administrations where they were just distributing slots, without knowing the competence of the teachers being given offer letters."

While reiterating the significance of the development against the backdrop of what was in play before, the Commissioner added that Governor AbdulRazaq came into power with the decision to "set his people free from slavery and family business that has bedevilled Kwara for 16 years."

He noted that the golden hands of the governor is set to touch every sector and improve the standard of living of all Kwarans.

"Kwara that used to be on the black list is now on the golden list. Finally, we are getting it right. We are now building a Garment factory that will employ as many youths as possible, a plan which will make the civil service not to be over-crowded. The Innovation Hub is also nearing its completion.

"They crippled our industries and turned Kwara to a "Civil Servant State". Where is MatchCo? What happened to Kwara Textiles? What even happened to Kwara Furnitures which used to be our pride? Should we talk about Jebba Paper Mill?" The Commissioner added.

Towoju encouraged the Kwara State civil servants to reciprocate the confidence posed in them by the Governor and be dedicated to their duties, while shunning sidetalks and hearsay. He further urged them to desist from acts of indiscipline like late coming, absenteeism and misuse of public funds, adding that"...to whom much is given, much is expected."