Kwara Finance Commissioner honoured for leadership, transparency and accountability

The Kwara State Commissioner for Finance, Dr Hauwa Nuru, has received the Kwara Political Award 2026 in recognition of her leadership, fiscal responsibility, transparency and commitment to accountability in public financial management.

Organised by Symbol Magazine, the award recognises individuals whose leadership and service have contributed to Kwara State’s development and progress.

Speaking while receiving the award, Dr Nuru said the transformation across the state went beyond visible infrastructure, stressing that sustainable development depended on sound financial management, fiscal discipline, transparency and accountability.

She noted that since Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq assumed office in 2019, prudent management of public resources and accountability had remained central to the administration’s governance approach.

According to her, the government prioritised putting the state’s finances on a sound and sustainable footing, thereby creating a foundation for investments in roads, healthcare, education, social protection and other critical sectors.

“The transformation in Kwara is not only about the roads and infrastructure you see. It begins with financial discipline, transparency and accountability. When you put the finances right, you create the capacity to deliver across all sectors of government,” she said.

Dr Nuru said the administration had consistently prioritised the welfare of workers and pensioners.

She stated that the government had fully settled inherited salary and pension arrears and continued to pay current salaries and pensions regularly and on time.

The commissioner also disclosed that the government had paid more than ₦30 billion towards clearing outstanding inherited gratuity liabilities.

She said the continued allocation of resources to gratuity payments demonstrated the administration’s determination to address inherited obligations responsibly while meeting current commitments and funding ongoing development projects.

“We have fully cleared the inherited salary and pension liabilities. However, we recognise that gratuity obligations also matter. This administration has therefore continued to commit substantial resources to clearing the outstanding gratuity, and has already paid over ₦30 billion. We will continue to do this responsibly and systematically, while ensuring that current salaries and pensions are paid as and when due,” she said.

The commissioner also highlighted improvements in workers’ welfare, including increases in the minimum wage from ₦18,000 to ₦30,000 and subsequently to ₦70,000, alongside consequential adjustments across the relevant salary structures.

She cited the implementation of the 30 per cent peculiar allowance as another measure aimed at improving workers’ welfare and cushioning the effects of rising living costs.

According to Dr Nuru, these interventions demonstrate that fiscal responsibility goes beyond controlling expenditure to include protecting citizens’ welfare and ensuring public resources deliver meaningful benefits.

She explained that effective financial management remained fundamental to the performance of every sector, adding that the state’s capacity to sustain investments in healthcare, education, roads, infrastructure, social programmes and economic development depended on a strong and disciplined public financial management system.

“When you see improvements in healthcare, education, infrastructure and social interventions, you are seeing the results of a financial system that is being managed with discipline and purpose. Finance is not an end in itself; it is the foundation upon which sustainable development is built,” she said.

Dr Nuru commended Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for providing the leadership, political will and support needed to sustain public financial management reforms and maintain fiscal discipline amid competing demands on the state’s resources.

She also appreciated the Kwara State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prince Sunday Fagbemi, the award organisers, political leaders and other stakeholders for their support and recognition of the administration’s efforts.

The commissioner dedicated the award to Governor AbdulRazaq, the management and staff of the Ministry of Finance, and other stakeholders who had contributed to the state’s financial reforms and development efforts.

She reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to transparency, accountability, fiscal discipline and prudent management of public resources in support of the administration’s development agenda and the wellbeing of Kwara residents.

Babatunde Toyin Abdulrasheed

Press Secretary

Kwara State Ministry of Finance

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