Ahmed made the announcement in Ilorin in his message at the 1438 Hijra celebration, which commemorated the beginning of the new Islamic Year.

The governor who spoke through Alhaji Musa Yeketi, the state Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, also said the state government would embark on palliative programmes that would benefit traders, artisans and civil servants in the state.

According to him, the Infrastructure Fund popularly called IF-K, which was launched by the state government last week, would serve as window to fund critical projects since a plan to raise N20 billion bond did not yield the desired result.

"This innovation will begin to manifest soon.

"Construction of an underpass at Geri-Alimi has been launched and this will be the third one in the country," he said.

The governor also said that an asphalt plant that would take care of the deplorable state of the roads in the state had been installed.

He said mobile workshops had been put up for Entrepreneurship training of students in Secondary Schools across the state.

Also in his message, the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, said he was delighted by the atmosphere of peace in the state, which he said, was a departure from last year's experience.

The Chief Imam of Ilorin, Sheikh Mohammed Bashir Salihu, had earlier led the gathering in a special prayer for the nation.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that over 70 Islamic and conventional schools participated in a March Past to celebrate the day.