Things you should know about Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq

Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq is the Governor of Kwara State in central Nigeria or the Middle Belt. Before joining active politics, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq was a successful businessman and philanthropist with a special focus on the poorest of the poor and persons living with disabilities.

He is the 20th Governor of Kwara, one of Nigeria’s first-generation States.

EARLY LIFE

AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq was born in Zaria, Kaduna State, into the family of the first lawyer from the country’s northern region, AGF Abdulrazaq, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), who holds the prominent traditional titles of Mutawalli Ilorin and Tafida of Zazzau (Zaria).

AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, a Muslim, comes from Ilorin West Local Government, which is in the Kwara Central Senatorial District of the State. He speaks Yoruba, English, and Hausa languages fluently.

EDUCATION

Abdulrazaq attended Capital School, Kaduna between 1966 and 1968; Bishop Smith Memorial School Ilorin between 1970 and 1971; and Government College Kaduna where he is said to have earned his West African School Certificate Examination in 1976 (WASC).

POLITICS CARRER

AbdulRazaq joined politics in 1999 when Nigeria returned to democracy.

In 2011, he contested for the governorship election in Kwara State on the platform of Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) but failed, and again contested unsuccessfully for Kwara Central Senatorial District on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in both 2011 and 2015.

However, as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the March 9, 2019 election, he prevailed after scoring 331,546 votes. He defeated his closest challenger, Razaq Atunwa of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who got 114,754 votes.

OIL BUSINESS

Prior to his foray into politics, AbdulRahman’s entrepreneurial spirit drove him to make history at the age of 29 when he founded NOPA Oil Services, the first indigenous company to trade in crude oil and petroleum products to the global markets (United States, Europe and Asia) and also to import crude oil and petroleum products into Nigeria. His success story inspired other young entrepreneurs who have also become accomplished oil and gas magnates.

With his knowledge in the petroleum industry, AbdulRahman Abdulrazaq also ventured into other sectors such as agriculture, construction, information technology, shipping and real estate. He is a consultant to various multinational oil companies and governments, including Ghana and Cote D’Ivoire.

PHILANTHROPIST LIFE

Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq is a supporter of people living with disabilities. His contributions include a donation of Braille learning tools, educational aids, and equipment to School of the Blind in Ilorin and Pacelli School of the Blind. His charitable nature is also not limited to Kwara State.

He has generously donated to good causes such as his support to the Children of Africa Foundation whose major project is Mother and Child’s Hospital (MCH) Bingerville, Côte d’Ivoire.

He is also acclaimed for his silent philanthropic activities. These include educational scholarships for indigenes and the provision of potable water for disadvantaged communities in Kwara State. Hundreds of women and youths have also benefited from his empowerment programmes, vocational training, provision of start-up capital for small-scale businesses and provision of tools, post vocational training.

FAMILY 

The governor is happily married to Olufolake AbdulRazaq with children,