Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has received the Integrity Governor of the Year award from the Nigerian Association of Christian Journalists (NACJ) in recognition of his transparent leadership and developmental achievements.
The award was presented on Tuesday in Ilorin, according to a statement by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, on Wednesday.
NACJ President, Dr. Charles Okhai, said AbdulRazaq emerged top in a ranking process involving four other governors, citing notable progress in education, infrastructure, healthcare, youth empowerment, and transparency under his administration.
He praised the governor’s attention to workers’ welfare, particularly his administration’s record of regular promotions, prompt salary payments, and the transparent recruitment of over 8,600 qualified teachers to boost public education.
“When we nominated you, we didn’t look at you from a religious perspective but on account of your sterling performance,” Okhai said, reaffirming NACJ’s commitment to promoting national development through responsible journalism.
In his response, AbdulRazaq dedicated the award to the people of Kwara State, describing it as a recognition of collective efforts to improve governance and living standards.
“We take this award as an acknowledgement of our modest efforts to improve the conditions of our people and deliver political goods to the largest majority,” he said.
The governor highlighted Kwara’s strong performance in transparency and governance indices, including global programmes supported by the World Bank, adding that the state had recorded major strides in road networks, education, health, sports, and technology infrastructure.
“No government since 1999 has delivered as many projects in road connectivity, education, health, sports, or tech infrastructure as we have done in the last six years,” AbdulRazaq said, while also commending President Bola Tinubu for his continued support to the state.