Kwara State Government on Thursday handed to a contractor the site for the construction of a multistorey Senate building for the State University of Education, a major step in the Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s smart city project.
Along with other top public and private sector infrastructure, the university’s permanent site is designed to be in the First District of the Kwara Smart City at the Alalubosa suburb of Ilorin East Local Government Area.
Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Dr. Segun Ogunsola, said Kwara Smart City will have 20 districts, the first of which comprises the University and a few other iconic infrastructures.
Thirty of the 120 kilometers of roads within the First, Second, and Third Districts have so far been cleared for the smooth take-off of the smart city project, according to the commissioner.
“What we are doing today is to officially hand over the site of the University of Education to the contractor. We expect a quality job that will provide a standard campus for the people of Kwara State,” the Commissioner said as he handed over the site to the contractor, MC&T Nig Ltd.
“We are making history because we have a visionary leader, who believes that to develop any state, or any nation, you must invest in education and other supporting infrastructure.
“This is mostly a virgin land and, in a couple of months, we are going to see the development that will happen here, from education to the health sector, housing units and others.
“Everywhere will be planned, from residential to commercial, education zone, enterprise zone, recreational, among others, all within 20 districts connected by sustainable transportation. This is worthy of commendation and emulation.”
He commended AbdulRazaq’s vision of bringing Kwara to “the world of what a formal urban development should look like”.
Dr Ogunsola said the Governor has also facilitated 250 housing units from the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and another 100 units under the Renewed Hope Housing Estate.
Dignitaries at the event included the Commissioner for Tertiary Education Hajia Sa’adatu Modibbo Kawu; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Housing, Alhaja Risikat AbdulAzeez; Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Rafiu Ajakaye; Vice Chancellor of KWASUED, Prof. Medinat Salman; and Baale Alalubosa, Alhaji Sakariyau Sonibare.
Modibbo and Ajakaye took turns to acknowledge the leadership qualities of Governor AbdulRazaq for conceiving the project, noting this demonstrates the importance the Governor attaches to education and physical development.
Modibbo applauded AbdulRazaq for prioritising education in the state.
“We have a visionary leader who believes that to develop any state, to develop any country, for nation building, you must invest in the education sector. Education is the most important empowerment as far as we are alive that you can give because it gives a level playing ground to all children,” she said.
Ajakaye lauded the Governor for his commitment to seeing through such an iconic project, saying that the concept is about sustainable living and development.
“This is about visionary leadership. I am using this opportunity to call on everybody to come on board. This is a project for the future. Beyond the university, it is about how we are going to live sustainably over the next few decades,” he said.
Baale Alalubosa, Alhaji Sonibare, thanked the Governor for citing the University’s main campus in the community, expressing hope that the initiative will stimulate rapid growth and development of the area.