Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has said he would jumpstart the state economy and tourism sector with solid infrastructure, especially roads and other basic amenities.

Speaking at the annual Ganni Festival in Gwanara in Baruten Local Government Area of the state on Saturday, AbdulRazaq said his administration planned to boost tourism as a revenue earner for Kwara.

“We want to put our various festivals and tourist centres in the national tourism calendar. We will push the agenda to the Tourism Board in Abuja so people will come here,” he said.

“But we need to also develop ourselves because people will not come when there’s no good infrastructure like hotel and good roads which can make it difficult for tourists to come and witness the exposition of our culture. Insha Allah (God willing) with this administration, (such lack of basic infrastructure) will be a thing of the past.

“Part of what we intend to do is to take the road from border here straight to Okuta to Kosubosu to Kaiama and to Bode Saadu. Works engineers have done the bill of quantity and the road has been designed already since we came in. That's part of my discussion with the Minister of Works and Housing recently.”

He said the state would partner with the Federal Government to fix the road since a part of it – Kosubosu to Kaiama – is a federal road.

Yakubu Danladi, Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, commended the Governor for his commitment to rescue Kwara from years of misrule and take it to a greater height.

“Baruten is the most backward local council in Kwara and the interventions of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq within the short period have started yielding results in road construction, health, and education, especially in the local government area,” Danladi, who is from Gwanara, said at the event.

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