At Grand Durbar, Emir of Ilorin Reiterates Commitment to Preservation of Cultural Heritage

The Emir of Ilorin and Chairman, Kwara State Traditional Council, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, on Monday expressed commitment to the preservation of the cultural heritage of the Ilorin Emirate.

He noted that culture and traditional activities remain the genuine recipes for unity, peaceful co-existence and harmonious working relationship among people of diverse ethnicity such as Ilorin Emirate.

Sulu-Gambari stated this in Ilorin at the Ilorin Emirate Durbar festival 2019, where he went round along with contingents of families of traditional chiefs in some selected areas of Ilorin metropolis.

At the event, the state Governor, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, was represented at the event by the state Deputy Governor, Mr. Kayode Alabi.

The emir’s entourage moved on a horse procession from the ancient palace of Ilorin and passed through Abdulazeez Attah road at General roundabout; Ibrahim Taiwo road and emir’s road as indigenes of IIorin, friends and well-wishers chanted in celebration.

 

In his address, the emir expressed satisfaction with the assignments of the 2019 Ilorin Emirate Durbar Committee, and appealed to indigenes of the community to be good ambassadors in their places of work with strong signs of patriotism, honesty and steadfastness.

In his remarks, the state governor, AbdulRazaq, called the people of the state to continue to support his administration in its new reforms, agenda and paradigm shift in governance.

 He said the people’s resolve for a new dawn meant a need to eschew actions or inactions that had made development and growth difficult in the past.

Represented by his deputy, Alabi, the governor also commended the Emir of Ilorin, Sulu-Gambari, and the Ilorin Emirate Council for the historical cultural event.

According to him, “We must embrace reforms which are often tough in the beginning. We must make tough choices in our decision to move our state forward.

 “I have made my personal decision along this line. I will not use public funds to enjoy or gratify myself at the expense of the people.

“Public resources will only be applied strictly to public projects and overheads approved and budgeted for. We will not entertain excesses of any sort. With people’s interest as the guiding principle, we will do things differently and purposefully to get more impactful results.

“I appeal to this distinguished gathering of our people to unite behind this agenda for the progress of our community and generations yet unborn. Anything short of this will keep us moving in a circle, and that would defeat the purpose of our people standing in the sun to vote the way they did.”

 The Chairman of the occasion, Alhaji Lanre Sagaya, thanked the organisers of the event, especially the Emir of Ilorin, for finding him worthy of the chairing the event.

The Grand Durbar was attended by many prominent guests, including sons and daughters of Ilorin from across the country and in diaspora.

Some of them were Senator Ibrahim Yahya Oloriegbe; Chief of Staff, Alhaji Adisa Logun; Olusin of Isanl-Isin, Oba Solomon Oloyede; Alhaji Jani Ibrahim, Moshood Mustapha, Lukman Mustapha, Mallam Olaolu Ali (SAN); former Vice Chancellors of University of Ilorin, Professors Shuaib Oba Abdulraheem; Abduganiyu Ambali, and Mallam Soliu Mustapha among others.