Vice President Kashim Shettima has inaugurated the Kwara State Garment Factory, a signature project of the administration of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq designed to employ at least 4,000 people.
He also inaugurated the 11-storey Kwara Revenue Service (KWRS) House.
Both legacy projects are located in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.
This was part of the Vice President’s official visit to the State on Wednesday.
Wednesday’s commissioning of projects preceded the turbaning of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as the Sardauna of Ilorin (Defence Minister of the Ilorin Emirate) by the Emir of Ilorin, Dr Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, making the Governor the second person to hold the title.
Speaking during the ceremony at the Emir’s Palace in Ilorin, VP Shettima applauded the legacy of continuity sustained by Governor Abdulrazaq, leading to his turbaning as the Sardauna of Ilorin Emirate.
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He recalled that the Governor’s late father, Alhaji Abdulganiyu AbdulRazaq carried an Ilorin name into history as the first lawyer of Northern Nigeria and the first Mutawalle of Ilorin—a title he said remains in the family in celebration of their bond with the emirate.
The Vice President said that “a deserving service honoured is a declaration about the conduct the people wish their children to inherit,” noting that the man at the centre of the turbaning ceremony is no stranger to the Ilorin Emirate.
“His father, Alhaji AbdulGaniyu Folorunsho AbdulRazaq, SAN, carried an Ilorin name into history as Northern Nigeria’s first lawyer. Every path begins with someone willing to walk without familiar footprints. Through law and diplomacy, his story became part of Nigeria’s own.
“The branch may reach towards another horizon, yet it carries within itself the memory of the root. His father was the first Mutawalle of Ilorin, a title that remains in the family in celebration of their bond with the Emirate. Today, another chapter enters the family’s relationship with this palace,” he said.
Noting that the continuity of a legacy such as the one made by Governor Abdulrazaq, summons reflection on what a name can carry across generations, the Vice President said “although a surname may be received by a child at birth, the responsibilities attached to that surname must be undertaken afresh.”
“As Governor Abdulrazaq receives his turban, we remember those who preceded him, and we offer prayers for the generations who will encounter this occasion through the stories their elders preserve,” he maintained.
Bond
VP Shettima explained the strong bond of friendship he shares with the Governor, noting that they consistently discuss matters and share responsibilities beyond ceremonial occasions.
He also highlighted what the Governor has done at the national level.
“At the National Economic Council, our responsibilities meet in discussions concerning the federation and its states. We consider how economic proposals connect with implementation, financing and the circumstances of communities. That work requires listening across different experiences and respecting the obligations each government carries.
“A federation is sustained through the patient conversation between those who share responsibility for its people. No boundary on an administrative map can divide the dignity Nigerians are entitled to expect,” he stated.
VP Shettima lauded the Governor’s governance record in Kwara, pointing out that it extends from renewed classrooms to medical coverage and roads connecting communities.
“These are chapters in the story of a state as its people encounter it: the lesson a child can attend, the treatment a household can seek, and the market a farmer can reach. Such investments must be sustained so that those who inherit them can build upon them. A legacy takes its fullest measure in the generations it continues to serve,” he added.
Dignitaries who graced the occasion include the Governors of Imo, Kebbi, Plateau, Ekiti, Ogun, Niger, Bayelsa, and Kaduna.
Others were First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, represented by wife of the Vice President, Hajiya Nana Shettima; Minister of Trade, Industry and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole; Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, the Emir of Zazzau, Nuhu Bamali, the Seun of Ogbomosho, Oba Ghandi Orumogege III, among others.
