Gov AbdulRazaq Builds N400m Retirement Home Amid Rising Insecurity – Report
Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State has come under fire after reportedly acquiring a N400 million property in Ilorin, demolishing it, and beginning construction of a new retirement home, even as insecurity worsens across the state.
Multiple government sources told SaharaReporters that the governor purchased the house from Chief Olusola Adekanola, a well-known chartered accountant.
The property, located on AbdulRazaq Road, sits behind a banquet hall and directly opposite the residence of the governor’s brother, AbdulRazaq Alimi.
The area hosts some of Kwara’s most powerful political figures, including former Senate President Bukola Saraki, Senator Saliu Mustapha, Senator Smart Adeyemi, businessman Moshood Mustapha, and industrialist Kamarudeen Kamwire.
Sources alleged that the governor had embarked on massive infrastructure upgrades on and around AbdulRazaq Road, fuelling suspicions that state resources were being diverted to enhance his private investments.
“The house faced the residence of the governor’s brother, where Governor AbdulRazaq has been staying since assuming office,” one insider said.
“Governor AbdulRazaq has strategically reconstructed all the roads in and around the well-known AbdulRazaq Road, where his personal retirement home is currently under construction. The area, famous for hosting the residences of prominent political figures in the state, is now where the governor is building his own home.”
Another insider identified the person supervising many of the governor’s private projects as Araba Oluwafemi Sanni, a civil engineer, owner of Flow FM, and Chairman of Stefolga Group.
Araba is said to be handling several government contracts, including the ongoing construction of the new Kwara State Secretariat and the Government House main entrance gate.
“He is a civil engineer who supervises most of AA’s projects and also handles contractor engagements. He is practically AA’s frontman and bagman,” one source alleged.
Critics say while AbdulRazaq focuses on luxury residences, many parts of Kwara continue to suffer relentless bandit attacks.
Hundreds of residents in Kwara North and Kwara South have reportedly fled their homes, abandoning farms, businesses, and ancestral properties.
“Despite the growing insecurity in the state, Governor AbdulRahman is busy constructing multiple multimillion-naira houses for himself using Kwara State funds, while bandits continue to terrorise communities across the state, from Kwara North to Kwara South,” a source stated.
On August 17, SaharaReporters revealed that communities in Ifelodun Local Government, including Sagbe, Ologomo, Alabe, and Babanla, had been overrun by kidnappers, forcing residents to flee.
A video obtained by the platform showed a man, identified as Ganiyu Babatunde, pleading with the state government to urgently intervene.
Displaced families, including women and children, were sighted at Oke-Ode garage with their belongings, seeking transport to safer locations.
Locals lamented that if they deserted their ancestral homes, strangers could take over their heritage.
Attempts to obtain a reaction from the Kwara State Government were unsuccessful.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
