The Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari has called on the Kwara State government to involve dialogue in solving the matter on its land policy with the Ilorin Emirate community.

Alhaji Gambari made the call while speaking at the 47th Annual Conference and launching of Almanac by the Ilorin Emirate Development Progressive Union (IEDPU) held at the Emir's palace recently.

The Emir expressed gratitude to the people for their large turn out and support for the programmes embarked upon by the union in the past years.

Alhaji Gambari who said that the people were not happy about the land policy of the state government as contained in Kwara State Legal Notice number 17, published in the state Gazette No 45 of September 24, 2009, however, admonished government to involve dialogue in resolving the issue.

He said thate government should not see the IEDPU as an opposition to its policies, adding that the union should be regarded as a pressure group that relate people's feelings to government policies in a democratic setting.

In his address, the National President of IEDPU, Justice Saka Yusuf (retd) commended the state governor, Alhaji Ahmed Abdulfatah on his achievements in the state and urged him to do more on education, health and other human endeavours.

He, however, said that the people of the Emirate were not happy on the policy of the government on land acquisition in the state capital.

He also expressed disgust on how the government was allocating land that belong to educational institutions, farm centre and public institutions to individuals and religious organisations.

"We appeal to the Kwara State government to abrogate or withdraw the legal notice for the sake of our children yet unborn and the pride of union tradition that is being trapped upon. In addition, the people of Ilorin Emirate are pleading to the state government to stop sale of land within the premises of educational institutions," he said.

The state governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Isiaka Gold said that rehabilitation of roads in Ilorin township had started, while rehabilitation of the general hospital had reached 50 per cent completion.

He said that the government had prepared Ajase-Ipo Rehabilitation Centre and Molete Youths Centre to train the youths in skill acquisition.

Also speaking, the chairman of the event, Justice Lambo Jimoh Akanbi of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt appealed to the union to establish an educational foundation to assist indigenes of the emirate in their educational pursuit.

Dignitaries at the occasion included Brigadier-General Bolakale Agbabiaka, who represented Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ibrahim Ola Sa'ad, Professor Shuaib Oba Abdulraheem, Chairman, Federal Character Commission, Professor Abdul-Ganniy Ambali, Vice Chancellor, University of Ilorin, among others.