The Kwara State Government has acquired land in both the Ilorin East and Ilorin South Local Government Areas of the state to site the New Ilorin SmartCity Estate.
The land acquisition followed a stakeholders meeting held between the state government and the land owners.
According to a statement by the Press Secretary of the State Geographic Information Service, Abdulrazaq Yusuf, and made available to PUNCH Online on Tuesday, the acquisition of the land was in the best interest of the people of the state and the entire nation.
The Executive Chairman, Kwara State Geographic Information Service, Abdulkareem Sulyman, was quoted as disclosing this recently when he paid a courtesy visit to the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Zulu-Gambari in his palace, in Ilorin, the state capital.
The statement read, “The chairman commended the royal father for his fatherly role in piloting the affairs of the Ilorin metropolis and environs, adding that the motives behind the visit were to intimate the royal father of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s quest for the acquisition of about 20,065 hectares of land, in both Ilorin East and Ilorin South Local Government Areas respectively, for the establishment of the New Ilorin SmartCity Estate.
“The SmartCity would accommodate modern schools, hospitals, markets, police stations, fire services, stadia and other social amenities.
“The SmartCity Estate would also House 1,000 Federal Renewed Hope housing units as well as accommodate the Phase Two Industrial Park and a host of other infrastructure.”
Sulyman also affirmed that when fully activated, the project would provide employment opportunities for youths.
He disclosed that owners of the acquired lands would soon be compensated, as they have already been asked to forward their claims to the office of the Executive Chairman, KW-GIS.
Sulyman, therefore, solicited the full support and cooperation of the traditional ruler.