« Quick Facts »
Name: AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, CON
Date of Birth: 05 February 1960
Title: Executive Governor of Kwara State
In Office: 29 May 2019 till date
National Honour: Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON)
Position/Office Held:
◦ Chairman Nigeria Governors’ Forum, NGF (29 May 2023 till date)
Political Party: All Progressive Congress (APC)
LGA: Ilorin West Local Government
Ward: Adewole
« Socials »
« Profile »
AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, a Nigerian politician and the current governor of Kwara State who took office in 2019, on the platform of the All Progressives Congress. He is a businessman and philanthropist. The 20th Governor of Kwara, one of Nigeria’s first-generation States.
« Early Life and Education »
AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq was born in Zaria, Kaduna State, into the family of the first lawyer from the country’s northern region, AGF Abdulrazaq, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), who was the then prominent traditional title holder of Mutawalli Ilorin and Tafida of Zazzau (Zaria).
AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, a Muslim, comes from Ilorin West Local Government, which is in the Kwara Central Senatorial District of the State. He speaks Yoruba, English, and Hausa languages fluently.
He attended Capital School, Kaduna, between 1966 and 1968; Bishop Smith Memorial School, Ilorin, between 1970 and 1971; and Government College Kaduna where he sat and obtained his West African School Certificate Examination (WASCE).
Prior to his foray into politics, AbdulRahman’s entrepreneurial spirit drove him to make history at the age of 29 when he founded NOPA Oil Services, the first indigenous company to trade in crude oil and petroleum products to the global markets (United States, Europe and Asia ) and also to import crude oil and petroleum products into Nigeria. His success story inspired other young entrepreneurs who have also become accomplished oil and gas magnates.
With his knowledge in the petroleum industry, AbdulRahman Abdulrazaq also ventured into other sectors such as agriculture, construction, information technology, shipping and real estate. He is a consultant to various multinational oil companies and governments, including Ghana and Cote D’Ivoire.
« Political Career »
AbdulRahman joined politics in 1999 when Nigeria returned to democracy. In 2011 he contested for the governorship of Kwara State on the platform of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and Kwara Central Senatorial District on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015. He failed on both attempts.
However, as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the March 9, 2019 election, he prevailed after scoring 331,546 votes. He defeated his closest challenger, Razaq Atunwa of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who got 114,754 votes.
In the 2023 general election, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq won his second term bid to continue as the Governor of Kwara State for another four years where he polled the highest votes of 273,242, defeating his closet rival, Shuaib Yaman of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), who scored 155,490, while Akeem Lawal of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) came third with 18,922.
He is also passionate about giving opportunities to young people, which possibly explains the preponderance of people below and in their 40s in his cabinet. It has been said that AbdulRahman Abdulrazaq has the youngest and most gender-friendly cabinet in the country.
« Leadership, Awards & Honours »
- 2023 Elected as Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum
- 2023 Conferred with National Honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON)
- 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award for his unwavering commitment to gender inclusion policy
- 2021 Leadership Newspaper Governor of the Year Award
- 2020 United Nations “HeforShe” Award, for his cabinet picks, which mainstreamed gender inclusion in Kwara State’s political structure.
