By Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin

Kwara state government has disclosed that it chose to complete the Osi and Ilesha Baruba campuses of the Kwara State University, saying their completion would cause rapid socioeconomic development in the two Senatorial Districts of Kwara South and Kwara North where they are located.

Speaking on Thursday in Ilorin, the state capital, on “Unleashing Kwara Economic Potential: AbdulRazaq’s Magic Wand for the Next Four Years”, at the 37th Media Parliament of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kwara State Council, Chief Press Secretary to Kwara state Governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, disclosed that from less than 35 percent in 2019, the Phase 1 of Osi campus is now more than 80 percent completed, adding that: “When these schools welcome students and lecturers, it will be one of the best strategies to drive economic and physical developments to the two axes.

“Jobs will be created, and properties will become more viable. Wherever a school exists, a whole gamut of ancillary economic activities also spring up. Private individuals will build hostels, people will sell things for the well-being of the new population, and a lot of service providers will migrate to the area. In all of these, the people benefit.”

According to Ajakaye, the reality people have to embrace is that the government has never been designed to provide jobs for everyone, reason why many young people are now looking beyond the traditional white collar jobs, except as a last resort and for want of better opportunities.

He said: “Many now dream to be their own bosses or to find their feet in the private sector. While many want to invest in their own businesses, a horde of them are leaning towards the opportunities offered by new technology, arts and entertainment. Actually, this is the future, and government has a role to play by creating the environment and regulatory framework that support the dream of this critical segment of our society and others.

“For these reasons, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq is building a new economy around his understanding of the geography and demography of Kwara State, especially how to properly engage young people, put money in things that interest them and could help their talents, and refocus the economy to suit the situation of the state.

“The Governor has prioritised spendings on infrastructural renewal and expansion within the metropolis and other areas, support for small and medium scale enterprises, creative industries, entertainment, tourism and conferencing, arts and culture, innovation and technology, trade, agroprocessing, and human capital development. This will create direct and jobs, reduce poverty, and lessen crime rates.”

This realisation, the Chief Press Secretary said, prompted Governor AbdulRazaq’s administration to embark on massive road reconstruction and establishment of some capital intensive economic projects with a view to transforming the state socially and economically, while also providing employment opportunities for the teeming youths across the state, including the Garment Factory that is billed to provide over 2,000 jobs, the Ilorin Industrial Hub Centre, and the Visual Arts Centre.

The investments in road infrastructure, Ajakaye added, are to lessen travel time, ease movement of goods, people, and services, improve productivity, and boost quality of life.

He said: “However, investments in road and other social infrastructures and services may not be measured by what economists call return on investments, which are quantifiable in naira and kobo. They are to be measured by the consequences of not having them on businesses and human existence, and the benefits of having them, such as opening up of the economic space for investments, which in turn creates job and improves life outcomes for the people.

“For instance, only residents and travellers along Osi-Obbo Aiyegunle, Ilesha Baruba to Gwanara, Yebumot-Adeta, and Adeta Roundabout to Pakata Roundabout, to mention a few, can tell the life-changing impacts of these projects on businesses, transporters and the people of the area. There are more than three dozens of such major roads either completed or ongoing in different parts of the state.”

In his speech, the Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Kwara Council, Ahmed AbdulLateef, noted that the people of Kwara State invested a huge hope in the administration of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq in the last four years, saying it didn’t come as a surprise that his mandate was renewed with overwhelming votes of the Kwaran voting populace.

He said: “In the face of the current economic reality, expectations of the citizens are overwhelmingly high to see government tapping into window of opportunities to develop the state economy, thus making it less dependent on federal allocation. This is to be done without shifting needless burden on the citizens.

“This is the more reason the thematic preoccupation of this edition of Media Parliament “Unleashing Kwara Economic Potentials: AbdulRazaq’s Magic Wand for the next Four Years”, was chosen to know how government is trying to explore untapped economic potentials to stimulate the state economy and in turn make it self-sufficient.

“It is in the light of the foregoing that we call on the state government to work assiduously for Kwara to be listed among the fastest economically growing States in the federation.”

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