As the curtain draws on 2017, National Pilot takes a look at some major events that marked the year in Kwara State as compiled byย AHMED SULEIMAN.
JANUARY
N300m 2015 Election Fund: Dele Belgore, ex-minister, Oyedepo allegedly arrest ed by EFCC:ย *Conflicting accounts trailed the alleged arrest of top members of the Kwara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the 2015 election campaign funds in the state.
Gov.ย ย Ahmed appoints American as IVTEC Ajase-Ipo rector:ย * An American, Drย ย Wendy Kay Daeges was appointed by the Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed as the pioneer Rector of the International Vocational Training and Entrepreneurship College (IVTEC), Ajase-Ipo in Irepodun Local Government Area of the State.
ย National Quranic recitation competitionย ย holds in Ilorin:ย * The 31st National Quranic recitation competition in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital had 33 states and about 300 participants slugged it out in various male and female categories.
ย Geri-Alimi Underpass: KWSG commences construction, demolishes structures
โฆissues 7-day ultimatum to property owners
* As part of efforts to reduce traffic congestion and improve aesthetics of the Ilorin metropolis, the Kwara State Government commenced construction of Split diamond interchange (Underpass) at Geri-Alimi with the demolition of structures.
The Kwara State Government also issued a seven-day ultimatum to all landlords and property owners whose properties were within the right-of-way of Geri-Alimi underpass project on both sides of the road to remove such from the date of commencement of the announcement, to avoid damage to movable items.
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FEBRUARY
2017 Hajj:ย ย 2,481 intending pilgrims registered:ย * No fewer than 2, 841 Kwara pilgrims were registered before the closure of the online registration for the 2017 hajj operations in the state
BOI gives loans to Kwarans, unveils Ilorin office.:ย * The Bank of Industry (BOI) doled out a whopping N11.6 billion to businesses in the state and also commissioned its branch office in Ilorin, the state capital.
5,000 Kwara Peace Corps trainees stranded as camp remains shut:ย * About 5,000 Peace Corps trainees in Kwara State were stranded as the State Commandant; Lukman Adewole said he was yet to get directives from the Inspector General of Police (IG), Abubakar Idris to re-open the camp.
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MARCH
Gov Ahmed signs 2017 budget into Law:ย * Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed assented to N160. 9 billion 2017 budget as passed by the Kwara State House of Assembly.
Three sentenced to death by hanging:ย *The Kwara State High Court sentenced one Opeyemi Esan and his accomplices, Benjamin Moses Musa and Oluwasegun Omoyajowo Ajiboye to death by hanging over attempted murder of Prof. Onimisi Abdullah of the University of Ilorin.
Egungun Festival Fracas:ย * Following the communal clash over celebration of masquerade (Egungun) festival which engulfed over five communities in Oke-Ero Local Government Area of Kwara State, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed set up a Reconciliation Commission to unravel the root cause of the fracas.
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APRIL
Easter: Ilorin Shoprite Shuts doors over mammoth crowd:ย *Scores of shoppers who besieged Shoprite located along Fate road, Ilorin during the Easter celebration were locked out as a measure to control crowd and forย ย security reasons.
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MAY
Gov Ahmed inaugurates TIC:ย *New Transition Implementation Committee (TIC) chairmen were appointed for the 16 local government councils in the state.
Kwara celebrates 50th anniversary:ย The celebration of the golden jubilee Anniversary of Kwara was held in the state, which featured varieties of programmes held within and outside the state capital.
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JUNE
Gov Ahmed flags off N257m mass transit scheme:ย As part of efforts to alleviate the hardship faced by commuters in the state, the state Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, yesterday flagged-off a N257 million ‘ Maigida Soludero’ Mass Transit scheme
KWSG approves N1.1bn Secretariat:ย The sum of N1.1 billion was approved by Kwara State government for the construction of a new Secretariat.
Juju Signpost surfaces in Shao:ย The secession controversy rocking the state by some elders of Moro local government dissociating themselves from the Emirate escalated with an unidentified group of people erecting a signpost fortified with mystical powers (juju).
Hajj 2017:ย Ilorin airport begins airlifting: Airlift of Muslim pilgrims to Saudi Arabia for the 2017 hajj from the Ilorin International Airport commenced.
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JULY
Kulende Business woman murdered,ย ย policeman arrested
An officer of Kwara State Police Command was arrested and queried for negligence of duty over the death of a prominent business woman, Alhaja Rasheedat, who was reportedly murdered in cold blood at her shop located at Kulende area of Ilorin by unidentified gunmen.
Cholera Outbreak: 17 fatalities, 1,617 cases recorded in Kwara
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), has revealed that theย ย cholera outbreak in Kwara State claimed lives of 17 people.
Policeman go berserk, shoots 3 in Ilorin
There was pandemonium in Sawmill, Ilorin, Kwara State when a policeman attached to First Bank in the area, went berserk and shot three people.
Cultists on the rampage in Ilorin kill 2, terrorise residents
Suspected cultists went on rampage in Ilorin, Kwara State killing two people and unleashing terror on residents. The suspected cultists were murdered during reprisal attacks by rival cult groups.
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AUGUST
Reckless driver kills SARS officer, injure another in Ilorin: A reckless commercial driver whose name could not beย ย ascertainedย ย reportedly murdered a Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad officer, Sgt Aminu Yusuf and inflicted a fatal injury on one Mohammed Baruba, National Pilot learnt.
The driver rammed into the security agents in an incident that occurred at Ote Expressway in Asa Local Government Area of Kwara State.
Kwara detects 400 cases of certificate forgery: The Kwara State Government detected 400 cases of certificate forgery among the state and local government workers.
Scores of people escaped death as four storey building collapse in Ilorin:ย A four storey buildingย ย ย under construction, at Zulu Gambari road in Ilorin, collapsed. The property belongs to Hon Moshood Mustapha, who described the incident as an act of God.
When the building, which was an extension of Crystal House International Hotel caved in around 11am about 200 workers were said to be on site.
Mysterious deaths in Oro-Ago community:ย Children, tree fellers and herdsmen dominate list of casualties of mysterious death that claimed the lives of no fewer than 74 people in 15 settlement of Oro-Ago in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.
Ilorin Nude Dance:ย KWHA summons Kwara Hotels, Harmony Holdings, Princess Luxury, others: The Kwara House of Assembly summoned the Group Managing Director of Harmony Holdings, Mr Tope Daramola, the Chief Executive Officer, Kwara Hotels, Mrs Funmi AbdulKadir and some Hoteliers in Ilorin over allegation that they run strippers club within their premises.
Horror in Ilorin:ย ย Islamic cleric kills friend, exhumes corpse for rituals:ย Residents of Oloje in Ilorin West Local Government Area of Kwara State were on Tuesday terrified as decomposing human parts were found at the Eleran compound residence of an Islamic cleric, Folunrusho Babatunde.
The residents had earlier woken up Tuesday morning to discover that the corpse of one Sulaiman who was said to have died under mysterious circumstances and buried last Wednesday at Onilu compound, Oloje, had disappeared from its grave.
First JAMB tertiary institutions football competition holds in Kwara:ย The first ever tertiary institutions football competition was held at theย ย ย University of Ilorin.
Kwara LG polls: APC rakes in N23m:ย The Kwara state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) raked in over N23 million from the sale of expression of interest forms as chairmanship aspirants in the coming local government election slated for November 18 in the state.
Omar’s Glorious day: Encomium as Kwara 1st female HOS bows out:ย *The banquet hall of Fresh Hotel in Ilorin, Kwara State witnessed array of personalities yesterday as the Kwara State Head of Service, Hajia Zahra Muazu Omar was given a befitting sent forth party.
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SEPTEMBER
Ex-Kwara lawmaker, Elefo, dies:ย Former lawmaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Hon Hamidu Giwa Afolabi (Elefo) died. He died following a brief illness.
WAEC: Kwara records unprecedented result in history:ย Kwara State broke the jinx of failure in the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE) otherwise known as WAEC as it recorded 64 per cent this year.
Odo-Owa Crisis: 8 Kwara communities, 26 monarchs disown Odo-Owa:ย The communal crisis rocking Odo-Owa in Oke-Ero Local Government Area of Kwara State took a new twist as no fewer than eight communities dissociated themselves from the community.
Kwara AG, Ajibade, 29 others decorated as SANs:ย The Kwara State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Barr Kamaldeen Ajibade with 29 others were decorated as Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen.
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OCTOBER
IVTEC rector resigns:ย *The American rector of the the International Vocational Technical Entrepreneurship College (IVTEC), Ajase-Ipo, Kwara State, Dr. Wendy Kay Daeges resigned her appointment.
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Yellow fever: Kwara vaccinates 200,000 in 3 days:ย The Kwara State Commissioner for Health, Alhaji Suleiman Atolagbe Alege said that not less than 200,000 people have been vaccinated within three days of the ongoing yellow fever reactive vaccination in the state.
KWSG lifts restriction order on monarchs:ย * Theย ย restriction order on Aloffa of Iloffa, Oba Samuel Niyi Dada and the Oloota of Odo-Owa, Oba Joshua Adeyemi Adimula of Oke-Ero Local Government Area of Kwara State was lifted by the state government. The monarchs were confined to their domain for about 30 days before the reversal of the sanction. They were punished by the state government for their slleged involvement in the communal clash that engulfed their communities and claimed lives and property.
Top politicians, captains of industries storm Ilorin for Senate President’s daughter’s wedding:ย Ilorin, the state capital was agog for the traditional weddingย ย ceremony of Tosin, daughter of Senate President, Bukola Saraki and his wife, Toyin. Eminent personalities from all walks of life graced the ceremony.
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NOVEMBER
47 days after, corpse of civil servant killed by lightening found fresh:ย 47 days after burial, the corpse of Mr. Ahmad Adekunle Abdulsalam, a staff of the College of Education, Oro, who was killed by lightening on September 21 was exhumed and mysteriously found still fresh.
Mike Omotosho’s 71-yr-old mum kidnapped, regained freedom:ย The mother ofย ย Mike Omotosho, the National Chairman of Labour Part (LP), Mrs Elizabeth Omotosho was kidnapped by gunmen from her residence in Tanke, Ilorin. She however regained freedom after spending five days in the kidnappers’ den.
Judges, magistrates threaten strike over poor working condition:ย Lower court judges and magistrates threatened to down tool if their working conditions failed to improve.
Emir of Ilorin marks 22nd anniversary on the throne in style:ย In commemoration of his 22nd anniversary on the throne, the Emir of Ilorin and Chairman, Kwara State Traditional Council, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu Gambari jetted out to the United Kingdom to celebrate the special occasion.
KWIRS generates N17.4bn in 10 months:ย ย The Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KWIRS) declared that it generated a total sum of N17.4bn from January to October.
APC sweeps 16 chairmanship seats:ย Candidates of the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were declared winners of the 16 chairmanship seats in the November 18 local government election held across the state.
Three dies as youth set senator’s house ablaze in Lafiagi:ย Three people were reported dead while tension enveloped Lafiagi, Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State after a clash between youths and security men of Senator representing Kwara North in the National Assembly, Alhaji Sha’aba Lafiagi The irate youth consequently torched the house belonging to the lawmaker.
National Pilot holds roundtable:ย Dignitaries, academics, media executives graced National Pilot Newspaper’sย ย roundtable on economy. The guest speakers at the event, which is the first of its kind,ย ย held in Ilorin, addressed current issues in the country with special focus on economy and restructuring.
Students protest Kwara poly fees hike:ย Students under the aegis of National Association of Kwara Stateย ย Students took to the streets of Ilorin, the Kwara State capital to protest allegedย ย tuition hike.
Gov Ahmed presents 2018 budget:ย * The Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed presented the 2018 budget proposal before the state House of Assembly. The budget presented was N181bn.
Saraki intervenes in Kwara Poly tuition hike: The Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki decried hike in the tuition of Kwara State Polytechnic for the 2017/18 Academic session
Olomu of Omu-Aran dies:ย The Olomu of Omu-Aran, Oba Charles Oladele Ibitoye Adogbajale Bi IIeke died at the age of 65 after a brief illness.
Fuel scarcity surfaces in Ilorin:ย Motorists and commuters face hardship as long queues for fuel surfaces within Ilorin metropolis,ย ย withย ย motorists passing the nights at the filling stations
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DECEMBERย
NBA honours Justice Ayo Salami, National Pilot MD, 5 others:ย * Former President of Court of Appeal , Justice Isa Ayo Salami (rtd) and the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of National Pilot Newspaper wereย ย among seven worthy members of the public that received meritorious award in Ilorin , Kwara state.
The awards were presented during the 2017 annual Bar Dinner of the Nigeria Bar Association, Ilorin Branch recently.
Gov Ahmed slashes Kwara Poly tuition by N5,000: The Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, directed the Kwara State Polytechnic to slash the fees payable by N5,000 (five thousand naira).
This was in response to the intervention of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, who had argued against any idea of increasing the tuition payable by students.
Assembly orders Kwarapoly to reverse fees increment:ย ย The Kwara State House of Assembly ordered the management of the state Polytechnic to reverse tuition hike.
Gov Ahmed signs 2018 budget of N190bn into law: The Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfaattah Ahmed has signed into law the state budget of N190,997,425,571, as passed by the state House of Assembly.
New Year Eve Fracas: Hoodlums attack worshippers in Ilorin: There was pandemonium on New year eve as hoodlums attack Muslim and Christian worshippers at Taiwo Isale area of Ilorin. People were injured and property destroyed during the fracas.
