Vice President Kashim Shettima on Wednesday commissioned the Kwara State Garment Factory in Ilorin, a facility projected to provide at least 4,000 direct jobs when operating at full capacity, alongside the newly completed 11-storey Kwara Revenue Service House.
The commissioning formed part of activities marking the conferment of the traditional title of Sardauna of Ilorin on Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq by the Emir of Ilorin and Chairman of the Kwara State Council of Chiefs, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari. President Bola Tinubu had earlier congratulated AbdulRazaq on the conferment, describing the title as recognition of his public service and contributions to the state.
The garment factory, one of the flagship industrial projects of the AbdulRazaq administration, is designed to operate on a multi-shift basis. State officials said more than 500 workers had already been recruited and trained for the initial phase, while employment is expected to rise beyond 4,000 when the facility reaches full operation.
Shettima also inaugurated the 11-storey Kwara Revenue Service House, which will serve as the headquarters of the state’s internal revenue service. The state government said the building was financed from savings on consultancy fees that would otherwise have been paid to external revenue-collection consultants.
Speaking later at the Emir’s Palace during the turbaning ceremony, Shettima commended investments by the Kwara administration in education, healthcare, roads, infrastructure and economic development, saying public projects should be sustained beyond the tenure of the administrations that initiate them.
According to a statement by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications in the Office of the Vice President, Shettima said the significance of such investments was ultimately reflected in the everyday experience of citizens — whether children have access to classrooms, families can obtain healthcare and farmers can reach markets.
He stressed that public infrastructure should be preserved and improved so that succeeding generations can continue to derive value from it.
Shettima also used the occasion to reflect on the AbdulRazaq family’s longstanding relationship with the Ilorin Emirate, recalling the public career of the governor’s late father, Alhaji AbdulGaniyu Folorunsho AbdulRazaq, SAN, OFR.
The Vice President recalled that the elder AbdulRazaq was a pioneering lawyer from Northern Nigeria and had held the traditional title of Mutawalle of Ilorin. He said the latest honour conferred on the governor represented another chapter in the family’s relationship with the Emirate.
Shettima said inherited family names might carry history, but the responsibilities associated with public service had to be undertaken afresh by every generation.
He also spoke about his working relationship with AbdulRazaq, particularly through the National Economic Council, where the Federal Government and states deliberate on economic policy, financing, implementation and issues affecting communities across the federation.
According to the Vice President, cooperation between the different levels of government requires sustained engagement, respect for constitutional responsibilities and an understanding that citizens’ expectations of government are not limited by administrative boundaries.
Shettima noted that AbdulRazaq, as Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, also participates in discussions between state governments, the Federal Government and development partners on matters affecting households, businesses and the broader economy.
Among the projects and programmes referenced by the Vice President were improvements to classrooms, expanded healthcare services and roads intended to improve connections between communities.
Among the projects and programmes referenced by the Vice President were improvements to classrooms, expanded healthcare services and roads intended to improve connections between communities.
The garment factory and Revenue House were commissioned before the traditional ceremony at the Emir’s Palace. Independent reports confirmed that the garment facility has a projected full-capacity employment figure of at least 4,000, while the Revenue House is an 11-storey administrative complex for the state revenue service.
The ceremony attracted several governors, ministers, traditional rulers and other public officials. Those listed as attending included the governors of Imo, Kebbi, Plateau, Ekiti, Ogun, Niger, Bayelsa and Kaduna states.
First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu was represented by the wife of the Vice President, Hajiya Nana Shettima. Also present were the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole; Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN; the Emir of Zazzau, Nuhu Bamalli; and the Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Ghandi Afolabi Olaoye, Orumogege III.