Kwara governor Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq sacks female-dominated cabinet after one year

Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State has terminated the appointment of his cabinet members, with effect from December 31, 2020, his spokesman Rafiu Ajakaye said late Sunday.

Mr. Ajakaye disclosed in a statement that only the Secretary to the State Government Mamman Jubril was retained in the far-famed cabinet that was illustrious for its unprecedented gender inclusion.

“His Excellency especially commends the Honourable cabinet members for their contributions to the development of the state while also wishing them the best in their future endeavours,” the statement said, as it directed the ousted cabinet members to hand over to the most senior officers in their respective ministries.

Governor AbdulRazaq had less than a month ago received the United Nations-backed “HeforShe” award for assembling the most women-friendly cabinet in Africa.

Among those sworn in as commissioner in the female-dominated cabinet on December 14, 2019, was a 26-year-old serving National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) member, Joana Nnazua Kolo.

The governor had also appointed a 30-year-old employee of the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Fatima Bisola, as education commissioner.

Mr. AbdulRazaq was widely criticised for recruiting ‘inexperienced hands’ to run the affairs of the state, with many projecting the cabinet to under-deliver.

“While I appreciate the idea of youth inclusion in politics, commissionership is not a platform for industrial attachment,” a former minister for youth and sports Bolaji Abdullahi had said.