Ilorin Smart City: Kwara Govt Engages Communities Ahead of Groundbreaking

In preparation for the Ilorin Smart City Project groundbreaking, the Kwara State Government has continued to engage affected communities in marathon meetings with different stakeholders in Ilorin South and Ilorin East Local Government Areas for the acquisition of 20,065 hectares of land for the project.

The Executive Chairman of Kwara State Geographic Information System (KW-GIS), Esv Abdulkareem Babatunde Sulyman, disclosed this recently when he led the government team to Akanbi Wards I & II where they met community Leaders to seek their support on the massive developmental project.

The Chairman, who was represented by the Head of the Acquisition Unit of the Agency, Mallam Nuhu Yusuf, further affirmed that “Government will attend to all legitimate claims by the people of the affected areas. The plan is not to displace people from their ancestral lands, as rumoured in some quarters, but rather accommodate everyone within the larger plan of the project.”

ESV Sulyman said the Agency had previously held various meetings with other stakeholders, particularly the Emir of Ilorin Alhaji Dr Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari CFR, who expressed his royal support for the project, aimed at further developing the State Capital sustainably.

According to him, “relevant stakeholders are currently being engaged in dialogue across the board, asking anyone with legitimate claims to forward such to the Agency for prompt action, adding that Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq is only concerned about sustainable development of the state, in the interest of all and for the benefit of the entire people of Kwara State.

“For instance, the Smart City would accommodate Modern Schools, Hospitals, Markets, Police posts, Fire Services, Stadia, residential buildings and other social amenities. Most of these will be executed by the state through Public Private Partnership,” Sulyman confirmed.

Stressing further, he also affirmed that; “The project would accommodate 1000 units Federal Government Renewed Hope Housing Estate, as well as industrial developments and a host of other infrastructure.

According to Sulyman, another meri therein is the employment opportunities and provision of infrastructural facilities for the inhabitants of the areas, Kwara State and Nigeria at large.

In view of the above, the Executive Chairman of the Agency, therefore, solicited the support and cooperation of the Daudu in sensitising the people of his community and environs to the success of the proposed laudable project.

Earlier, the Daudu of Fufu, the Headquarters of Ilorin South Local Government, Alhaji Mohammed Muazu Alege, said the idea of developing the Ilorin Smart City in the area is a welcomed development, adding that it would bring tremendous progress to his immediate environment and the entire State of Harmony – Kwaran, as a whole.

Alhaji Alege, after that, prayed for the successful tenure of office for Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq led administration, assuring the visiting team of spreading the good tidings to the people at the community level by canvassing for their maximum support to enable the project to succeed.