Works will begin on the 18,000-hectare Ilorin Smart City Satellite Town next year, Kwara State governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has said.

Ilorin Smart City Satellite Town is an offshoot of the Ilorin City Master Plan, designed for the expansion of the capital city.

The governor said the capital city deserves constant infrastructural upgrade, maintenance, and expansion, following its position in the state and central Nigeria.

AbdulRazaq spoke at the opening of a two-day annual national conference of the Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU), which commenced on Monday.

“Next year, we plan to commence preliminary works on the Ilorin Smart City Satellite Town, which should cover an area of 18,000 hectares. This is a beautiful adaptation from the Ilorin City Masterplan that I had previously discussed in this gathering two years ago.

“I therefore invite you to support this historic milestone in the socioeconomic and physical evolution of Ilorin and Kwara State as a whole. It will usher in immeasurable growth, huge investments in real estate, and the opportunities that come with building a new city,” AbdulRazaq stated.

He congratulated the Emir of Ilorin, Alh. Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, IEDPU, sons and daughters of Ilorin on another impressive outing, praying Allah to grant the Emirate many more successes in the coming years and to make the state a positive reference point in harmony, peace, and prosperity.

“Our gathering here serves to chat for this great emirate a new agenda of development, unity, brotherhood, and general wellbeing of our people. I am excited that His Royal Highness and indeed the IEDPU have remained reliable partners for inclusive growth, continuous improvement in the living standards of the people, and steady evolution of Ilorin into a mega city .

“The Ilorin City Master Plan is the second comprehensive document since the 1970s that outlines how the capital city should be planned. But it is just the first phase of the master plans we are bequeathing to the state, in shaa Allaah. Other phases will be for Kwara South and Kwara North. I thank the IEDPU and other stakeholders for their contributions to it.

“Your Royal Highness, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, not only does Ilorin constantly need infrastructural upgrade, maintenance, and expansion because of its positions in our state and central Nigeria, the reality is that the capital city is at the risk of becoming a slum if nothing is done to give it a befitting expansion that improves its standing and makes it a 21st century city on a sustainable basis,” the governor added.

AbdulRazaq appreciated the people of the Ilorin Emirate for their unflinching support for the administration in the last four years, especially during the 2023 general election.

He announced a personal donation of N25million to support the IEDPU’s skill acquisition centre and the Central Mosque projects.