As we mark this year’s Democracy Day, a moment of national introspection and civic pride, we must do more than merely commemorate a calendar date—we must celebrate the tangible dividends of governance exemplified through visionary leadership.
In Kwara State, democracy is not an abstraction; it is a lived and verifiable experience, felt profoundly through the transformational strides of His Excellency, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (CON), a steward of inclusive progress and developmental equity.
Under the capacious and reformist governance of His Excellency, the foundational sector of basic education has metamorphosed into a model of resilience, innovation, and inclusivity.
Through the unrelenting administrative will of the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (KWSUBEB), under the chairmanship of Prof. Shehu Raheem Adaramaja, the aspirations of democratic dividends have been concretized into reality.The enumeration of achievements is not mere statistics—it is a testament to the Governor’s deliberate political will to elevate the socio-educational architecture of the state.
The construction of modern classrooms, the provision of VIP toilets, and the deployment of solar-motorized boreholes across the 16 Local Government Areas reflect not only infrastructural renewal but also a commitment to environmental dignity and community health.In a bold leap toward technological advancement, 38 digital literacy centres have been established across the three senatorial districts—an initiative that redefines access to digital equity and repositions Kwara’s children as future-ready global citizens. Within these hubs of innovation, students are no longer mere recipients of rote instruction but active participants in a 21st-century learning ecosystem.The massive distribution of instructional materials, ranging from core subject textbooks to science kits, further underscores the administration’s uncompromising fidelity to pedagogical quality.
When every learner has access to essential academic tools, equity in education is not just promised—it is practiced.Moreover, the Governor’s support for talent development is evident in the provision of sporting equipment and the orchestration of competitions that have unearthed budding champions among Kwara’s basic school learners.
This is democracy that educates the mind and invigorates the body.The accolades garnered by Kwara’s young intellectuals—including international appearances at the World School Debate Championship in Singapore and the triumph of the State’s contingent at the Presidential School Debate—are direct offshoots of the deliberate investments in learner capacity and soft skill enhancement.
These achievements speak volumes of an administration that does not merely plan but performs with precision.
The infrastructural grandeur of the Kwara Smart Model School, Adeta, Ilorin—replete with entrepreneurship facilities, robotics, and digital laboratories—marks the apex of future-forward educational thinking, aligning seamlessly with global trends and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
As we celebrate Nigeria’s journey towards democratic consolidation, let it be unequivocally stated that Kwara State, under the sterling leadership of Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has emerged as a quintessential beacon of progress.
Through an unwavering focus on education, inclusiveness, and youth empowerment, His Excellency has not only sustained the ethos of democracy but has transmuted them into legacies of enduring impact.May the spirit of democracy continue to illuminate Kwara’s path, guided by the luminous vision of its indefatigable leader.
Prof. Shehu Raheem Adaramaja
Chairman, Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (KWSUBEB) and Dean for SUBEB Chairmen’s Forum in Nigeria.
