Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has been named the "Integrity Governor of the Year" by the Nigerian Association of Christian Journalists (NACJ). The award recognizes what the group described as his inclusive governance style, infrastructural development, and transparency in leadership.

While presenting the award on Tuesday in Ilorin, the President of NACJ, Dr. Charles Okhai, said the governor emerged top among five nominees after a rigorous assessment of his administration's performance across key sectors, including education, road infrastructure, healthcare, youth empowerment, and transparency.

Dr. Okhai disclosed that the association was particularly impressed by the governor's "commitment to workers' welfare and transparent governance." He cited the regular promotion and prompt payment of civil servants' salaries, as well as the recruitment of over 8,600 qualified teachers to address manpower gaps in public schools.

"When we nominated you, we didn't look at you from a religious perspective but based on your sterling performance and contributions to good governance," Okhai stressed, while describing NACJ as a body of Christian media professionals focused on promoting national development.

The NACJ president, who was accompanied by Mr. Nasir Lawal further commended AbdulRazaq for "his exemplary leadership" and noted that his administration's efforts have placed Kwara on the path of sustainable growth.

In his response, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq thanked the association for the recognition, which he dedicated to the people of Kwara State for their continued support and trust in his administration.

"We take this award as an acknowledgement of our modest efforts to improve the living conditions of our people and deliver good governance to the largest majority," the governor said.

AbdulRazaq highlighted his administration's strides in transparency, infrastructural renewal, and human capital development, saying the state had consistently ranked high in peer-review indices for accountability and governance, including assessments conducted by the World Bank and other global organisations.

"We have made significant progress in every sector. No government since 1999 has delivered as many projects in road connectivity, education, health, sports, or tech infrastructure as we have done in the last six years," he maintained.

The governor also expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for his support to Kwara State and reaffirmed his administration's resolve to sustain inclusive development across all sectors.

"We are leaving Kwara better connected, more inclusive, and stronger in socio-economic growth and we are not resting," AbdulRazaq added.