By Olayinka Fafoluyi
During the 2024 Budget presentation to the Kwara State House of Assembly, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq CON announced the SmartCity project, an offshoot of the Ilorin City Master Plan modelled after Sustainable Development Goal 11, which aims to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.
Building such cities requires foresight and long-term planning. Developing a master plan is crucial to sustainable development as it dictates the pattern of Infrastructural development, policymaking, and resource distribution.
This is only the second comprehensive urban planning blueprint to be developed since the inception of Kwara State in 1967. The 2022 Ilorin City Master Plan, serving as the foundation for the SmartCity project, is a strategic approach to urban development. The vision is to build a cityscape that harmonises infrastructural advancement with sustainable living.
The blueprint outlines essential services like transportation, utilities, waste management, and water and drainage systems. It also covers education, healthcare, climate change adaptation, and green spaces. All these are essential to balanced and equitable development.
The scale of this project is monumental. Spanning over 20,065 hectares, the SmartCity project will be a microcosm of a modern Kwara, featuring housing estates, state-of-the-art schools, advanced healthcare facilities, bustling markets, and robust public safety infrastructure, including police stations and fire services, among others. It also includes leisure and sports facilities like stadium and Phase II of the industrial park to bolster economic growth.
Governor AbdulRazaq’s vision for the SmartCity goes beyond physical infrastructure. It’s about building a resilient, adaptable, and vibrant future. It’s about creating a city that grows and evolves, not only houses its residents but enriches their lives.
In his endorsement, the Emir of Ilorin and Chairman of Kwara State Council of Traditional Rulers, Alhaji Dr. Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari CFR, commended the Governor for his visionary initiatives to build a modern Kwara.
The birth of the SmartCity project under Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s administration is a bold step towards actualising a modern Kwara. This initiative will address current urban challenges and provide a resilient framework for the future, ensuring that the city of Ilorin and Kwara State at large continue thriving.
Indeed, Ijoba Mekunu is not ready to back down on initiatives reechoing the #IseNlo mantra.
Olayinka Fafoluyi ANIPR is Senior Special Assistant, New Media to the Kwara State Governor