The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, Wednesday, in llorin, the Kwara State capital, commissioned the state Garment Factory, a signature project of the administration of Governor Abdul Rahman Abdul Razaq designed to employ at least 4,000 people at full capacity, and the 11-storey Kwara Revenue Service (KWRS) House.
The commissioning of the projects was part of activities marking the turbaning of Governor Abdul Rahman Abdul Razaq as the Sardauna of Ilorin (the Defence Minister of Ilorin Emirate), by the Emir of Ilorin, HRH Alhaji (Dr.) Ibrahim Kolapo Sulu-Gambari, making the governor the first person to hold the title.
Speaking during the turbaning ceremony at the Emir’s Palace in Ilorin, Senator Shettima applauded the legacy of continuity sustained by Kwara State Governor Abdul Razaq following his turbaning as the first Sardauna of Ilorin.
He recalled that the governor’s late father, Alhaji Abdul Ganiyu Folorunsho AbdulRazaq (SAN), carried an Ilorin name into history as the first lawyer of Northern Nigeria and the first Mutawalle of Ilorin-a title he said remains in the family in celebration of their bond with the emirate.
The Vice President observed that a deserving service honoured is a declaration about the conduct the people wish their children to inherit, noting that the man at the centre of the turbaning ceremony is no stranger to the Ilorin Emirate.
“His father, Alhaji Abdul Ganiyu Folorunsho Abdul Razaq, SAN, OFR, carried an Ilorin name into history as Northern Nigeria’s first lawyer. Every path begins with someone willing to walk without familiar footprints. Through law and diplomacy, his story became part of Nigeria’s own.
The branch may reach towards another horizon, yet it carries within itself the memory of the root.
His father was the first Mutawalle of llorin, a title that remains in the family in celebration of their bond with the Emirate. Today, another chapter enters the family’s relationship with this palace,” he said.
Noting that the continuity of a legacy-such as the one made by Governor Abdul Razaq-summons reflection on what a name can carry across generations, the Vice President said although a surname may be received by a child at birth, the responsibilities attached to that surname must be undertaken afresh.
“As Governor Abdul Razaq receives his turban, we remember those who preceded him, and we offer prayers for the generations who will encounter this occasion through the stories their elders preserve,” he maintained.
VP Shettima revealed the strong bond of friendship he shares with the governor, noting that they consistently discuss matters and share responsibilities beyond ceremonial occasions.
He continued: “There is something sobering about celebrating a friend while both of you remain answerable to the demands of public office. Titles will eventually pass into the record of our lives. The human bonds formed along the way should endure beyond the appointments through which other people first came to know us.
“At the National Economic Council, our responsibilities meet in discussions concerning the federation and its states.
We consider how economic proposals connect with implementation, financing and the circumstances of communities. That work requires listening across different experiences and respecting the obligations each government carries.
“A federation is sustained through the patient conversation between those who share responsibility for its people. No boundary on an administrative map can divide the dignity Nigerians are entitled to expect.”
The VP said Governor Abdul Razaq participates in engagements with the federal government and development partners as Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum, adding that behind this institutional language lies the core responsibility of meeting the needs of farmers, households, and businesses
He lauded the governor’s governance record in Kwara, pointing out that it extends from renewed classrooms to medical coverage and roads connecting communities.
“These are chapters in the story of a state as its people encounter it: the lesson a child can attend, the treatment a household can seek, and the market a farmer can reach.
Such investments must be sustained so that those who inherit them can build upon them. A legacy takes its fullest measure in the generations it continues to serve,” he added.
