Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara state has commended the Igbomina people in the state for their support and longstanding culture of self-help, which he said has resulted into success in education and enterprise among the people.
Speaking at the 13th Omo lbile Igbomina Day celebration at Iludun Oro, Irepodun local government area, Governor Abdulrazaq urged all the citizens of the state, including the people of Igbomina, to always embrace peace and eschew ethnic division to promote national unity and development.
He said the Igbomina Day celebration typifies how to sustain communal bonds and collaborate for higher goals while congratulating the people of Igbomina land and commending them for the continued support for his administration.
He also commended the Igbomina monarchs under Olupo of Ajase Ipo, Oba Ismaila Yahaya Alebiosu’s leadership for their support, which, he noted, have continued to assist the government to succeed.
“I urge you not to give up on the impressive cultural legacy of self-help handed over by your forebears. There is also need for national unity and less emphasis on ethnic division, which creates division, disunity, and under development.
“This government is for all, including the people of Igbomina who are not only robustly represented in government but have also benefitted hugely from the administration’s rural and urban development initiatives,” he said.
The governor listed some of the road projects in Igbomina land to include Arandun-Esie-Oro Road; Owu Fall Road; Orisa bridge, Oro Ago; Omu Aran Oko Road; Owode Ofaro-Alabe Road; and Ajase-Ipo Okeiya Road among others.
“We are going to deepen our investments in primary healthcare facilities, basic, secondary, and tertiary education most especially.
Abdulrazaq also commiserated with the Igbomina people on the recent death of the leader of the hunters, Chief Luqman Balogun (Jagun), and prayed God to repose his soul, while promising that his legacy will not be forgotten.
In his speech, National President of Omo Ibile Igbomina, Elder Gabriel Yemi Jimoh, said that the National Executive Council of the association has successfully revived the Asepo Omo Igbomina, a socio-cultural association for Igbomina people in Osun and Kwara state to enhance unity among Igbomina people in the
two states in question.
“The association is also working towards bringing traditional rulers of Igbomina extraction in the two states together for the greatness of Igbomina land”, he said.
Jimoh also said the NEC under his leadership has for the first time produced a compendium of Igbomina through which the human and natural resources that Igbomina land has been endowed with were showcased while it also featured tourist centres that can serve as revenue-yielding ventures.
In his remark, the Proprietor/Founder, Al-Hikmah University, Kwara State, Chief (Dr.) Raimi Oladimeji, commended the government for spreading dividends of democracy to Igbomina land.
He implored the Igbomina sons and daughters to contribute their quota to socioeconomic development of the Igbomina land.
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