Date: 2021-11-08

KWARA State on Saturday emerged the state with the highest number of points in the September edition of the Progressive Strides, the monthly bulletin tracking the performance of the 21 APC states in the country.

This was contained in a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, on Sunday.

He said Kwara ticked 26 points to top the table, followed by Lagos (21) and Jigawa and Kebbi which had 16 strides apiece in the month under review.

Ajakaye further said, "The entries for the edition witnessed more improvements as regards developmental strides collated from the (Progressive Governors') Forum States in 2021."

Salihu Mohammed Lukman, Director General of the Forum, wrote in the preface to the 63rd edition of the report.

The statement read, "In general, there is an all-round increase in the pattern of initiatives introduced by the states with Kwara State recording most initiatives for this month having 26 development strides.

"These cut across economic development, education, science and technology, health and nutrition, agriculture and rural development, infrastructure, security and sensitisation, empowerment and innovation, environment and hygiene, transportation and finally sports and youths' development. "Lagos State follows with 21 strides while Jigawa and Kebbi trail with 16 each. Gombe and Kaduna recorded 15 strides each; Nasarawa and Ogun 14 each; Ekiti and Niger 13 each; Kano and Katsina 10 each; while Ebonyi got 9 strides.

"Kogi recorded eight strides; Cross River, Osun and Yobe got six each, as Borno and Ondo had four each. Finally, three strides were recorded in Imo and Zamfara States each."

Kwara had repeatedly topped the table of the Forum' s Strides since it was introduced.