The title Sardauna carries a very deep significance in Northern Nigeria. One of the most influential political leaders of the region and, indeed, its first and only Premier, Sir Ahmadu Bello, was popularly known for this venerable title. Those who witnessed the reign of Sir Ahmadu Bello or have read about his life and times would agree with me that he was not a mid man. He was a transformative leader who invested heavily in the development and progress of the North. For this, he commanded tremendous respect and got his name etched in the hearts of ordinary people many years after he left. He was Sardauna of Sokoto.

Ever since then, the title Sardauna assumed greater reverence, and whoever must be named as such across the Emirates in the North must be worthy in weight and character.

It was, therefore, a fitting tribute when His Royal Highness, the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji (Dr.) Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, CFR, named Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq the Sardaunan Ilorin - becoming the second personality to hold the title in the southernmost Emirate after multibillionaire businessman Alhaji Umar Saro. The title is a reward for AbdulRazaq's hard work, passion for development, investments in our people and communities both in Ilorin Emirate and across the state.

With facts and figures, no Governor in Kwara State since the beginning of Fourth Republic in 1999 has committed great investments in the state like Governor AbdulRazaq. He has bested his predecessors in terms of achievements and strides. What is even remarkable is the humility and simplicity with which he carries himself in the service of his people.

Just like the late Sir Ahmadu Bello, Governor AbdulRazaq places a premium on the greater good and gives less attention to tokenism or unsustainable handouts. It explains why he has committed enormous resources to basic education in the state. With his consistent payment of the UBEC counterpart fund after Kwara was blacklisted for a notorious diversion that happened before his administration, a large number of our basic school structures have received considerable attention for renovation, rehabilitation, and even construction of new blocks of classrooms and WASH facilities. The Governor complemented this with the introduction of KwaraLEARN, an initiative that promotes the use of digital and modern tools for teaching and learning in our basic schools. With real-time monitoring of teachers' attendance and quality of delivery, KwaraLEARN has improved learning experience and outcomes in our schools amid a concomitant effect on public school enrolment.

Still on education, official records show no Governor since 1999 has recruited the number of teachers hired by the AbdulRazaq-led administration in Kwara State. The recruitment processes, which have always been transparent, merit-based and thorough, paved the way for some of our finest and brightest minds to teach our younger ones in the schools. Another initiative introduced by Governor AbdulRazaq to support the education of young people in the state is the Kwara Education Trust Fund.

This initiative identifies bright, indigent children for support and scholarship, while also serving as a platform for coordinated education support from private individuals and corporate organisations. The initiative is an assurance for our younger ones that their backgrounds would not be a limitation for them to attain success and excellence.

Governor AbdulRazaq has also done a lot in urban renewal of Ilorin, the state capital. He has put in place and is still putting in place new structures that not only change the face of the city but are also projected to build and promote a service economy around the state. With his leadership, Kwara now has the Innovation Hub, Garment Factory, Sugar Film Factory, Visual Arts Centre, under-construction International Conference Centre, Oluremi Tinubu Multi-Storey Hospital, Justice Saidu Kawu Multi-Storey Court House, among others.

In road, the AbdulRazaq-led administration has executed projects that surpass those of his three predecessors combined. According to official records, the administration has completed 302.4 km of roads since 2019, while 275.25 km are ongoing, including the 207.9km under RAAMP and the ones facilitated through the FG tax credit scheme. The tally comes to 871.65 km taken together. This figure is more than the 651.2 km of roads that official records said the three previous administrations executed, which included the 120km FG-funded Chikanda Road in one of the administrations. The majority of the roads under AbdulRazaq are economic roads that connect communities together and ease the transportation of agricultural produce across the state. In Kwara South, for example, we have the Ajase-Okeya road, Ijara-Isin-Sabaja-Owa Onire road, Agbamu-Ila Orangun road, Osi-Obbo Aiyegunle road, Arandun road, and many more. In Kwara North, the long-abandoned Ilesha Baruba-Gwanara road has been completed, while the 130km Bode Saadu-Kaiama-Kosubosu road, 83km Lafiagi-Shonga-Bacita road, and 37km Okuta-Gwanara-Bukuro road under the tax credit scheme are milestone projects that will better connect various communities of the northern district and reduce travel time.

Governor AbdulRazaq also delivered two flyovers for the state, a feat not achieved by any of his predecessors. The Governor has no place for vendetta over development. He has completed projects abandoned by his predecessors. He completed the new Civil Service Secretariat in Ilorin, the KWASU satellite campuses in Osi and Ilesha-Baruba, the Auditorium in Kwara State Polytechnic started by the administration of Governor Muhammad Alabi Lawal but neglected over time by his successors, and many more.

He elevated women and youth and championed a new layer of inclusion, bridging the gap in inequality in the state. The PLWDs have a new sense of inclusion in his government. Apart from appointing a Special Assistant from among them, one of the state's permanent secretaries is also from this important demography.

With the creation of KWASSIP, AbdulRazaq erected a structure for decent and sustainable empowerment of the weak and less privileged. Via several programmes, the elderly people get grants, while traders and youths receive unconditional financial support to start or strengthen existing businesses.

The Governor is also delivering the Smart City project, just like he has given the state a University of Education. The sanity and order he has restored to notable rowdy spots in Ilorin have been commended by both the elites and masses who struggle to navigate these hitherto rowdy spots and even faced abuse in the process. He remodelled the Flower Garden in Ilorin. From a criminals' hideout, he repurposed it into a lush, green recreation centre that now attracts scores of fun seekers. AbdulRazaq deserves to be called the architect of Modern Kwara, just like Sardauna Ahmadu Bello was the architect of Northern Nigeria.

His investments in water and healthcare are also legendary. Apart from rehabilitating existing waterworks across the state, the Governor has delivered new ones, including, recently, the Jebba Waterworks, which ended years of the community's thirst for clean, safe and potable water. Several basic healthcare facilities in the state have received considerable investments from their state of near-collapse. This has earned the state the Primary Healthcare Leadership award in the whole of North Central - for three consecutive times. The Kwara State University Teaching Hospital (KWASUTH) now boasts new structures including the ICU, Dental Clinic, and Eye Clinic equipped with state-of-the-art machines.

Since his assumption of office, the Governor has not owed civil servants salaries. He is up-to-date on pension payments. More strikingly, he has defrayed a huge chunk of the liabilities he inherited for salaries, pension, gratuities and even allowances. It speaks to his prioritisation of the people and his prudent management of resources to serve collective interests. Indeed, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq is the Sardauna of our time. He has exemplified the traits of the famous Sardaunan Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello, especially his thirst for development, growth, and greater good. All hail the Sardauna of Ilorin as we eagerly and keenly anticipate his formal turbaning ceremony on Wednesday, 16th of September, 2026, under the leadership of His Royal Highness, the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji (Dr.) Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, CFR.

Abdullateef is Senior Special Assistant on Communications to the Kwara State Governor