The youth empowerment project of the Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU)-the Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari Skills Acquisition Centre-has reached 80% completion, according to updates from the project team.

The accelerated progress followed the takeover of the multi-million-naira initiative by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State. During the IEDPU's annual national conference on 25 December 2024, the governor pledged to complete the project within six months, mirroring his administration's delivery of the CBT Centre in Igbaja (Kwara South) and similar projects in Shonga (Kwara North).

Engr Alfa Shuaib Alao, Chairman of the Project Committee, informed a government delegation that visited the site last Saturday that the centre will be delivered by 31 July 2025 at the latest. He gave the update alongside IEDPU President Alhaji AbdulMumini AbdulMalik during a tour of the facility by the delegation, led by the governor's Senior Adviser and Counsellor, Alhaji Saadu Salahu.

The senior adviser and counselor expressed great delight for the assurance to complete the project on schedule in the light of the projected capacity of the centre in providing unlimited wealth and job creation opportunities for youths in Ilorin Emirate and beyond .

This is just as IEDPU in collaboration with Oluwole Foundation presented cheques to 345 students of secondary schools across the five local government areas that make up Ilorin Emirate for their National Examinations Council ( NECO) registration.

At the presentation of the cheques to the beneficiaries, the IEDPU president, AbdulMalik said the gesture kick- started the 60th anniversary of the union.

"The beneficiaries include five candidates from each of the sixty - nine wards of our five local government areas, totalling three hundred and forty- five.

"I wish to point up straight that a philanthropist under the name of Oluwole Foundation provided the money for this scheme purposely to collaborate with IEDPU's progressive stride; particularly in education," AbdulMalik said.

The state commissioner for Education, Dr Lawal Olohungbebe, said the state governor has approved online registration for common entrance examination in the state.

He said the governor has also approved awards for the best teachers in all the 16 local government areas of the state to further encourage the teachers in public schools.

The donor of the money for NECO registration, Apostle Oluwole Adetuyi said the gesture was aimed at assisting indigent students in Ilorin Emirate.

Represented by the general manager of Diamond FM, Ilesha, Osun State, Mr Badewa Adeyemi, the donor said since education is the best legacy that the nation can bequeath to the young ones, "we are doing this NECO sponsorship to secure a better tomorrow for our children."