State Secretariat, Lajorin  Street,
Opposite Kwara State High Court,
Ilorin.

Statutory Responsibilities

Directorate of Personnel, Finance and Supply

This Directorate serves as the nerve centre of the Ministry, in terms of the provision of Personnel, Finance and Supply for the implementation of Government policies and programmes of the ministry. It also caters for staff promotion, training, posting, discipline and general welfare. It processes releases of funds for the effective implementation of government policies and programmes.


Directorate of Social Welfare

The Directorate of Social Welfate provides social services to the destitute, abandoned children and the less privileged peoples. It counsel intending couples on marriage matters and give licenses to churches for marriages. It oversees the affairs of Children reception Centre, Ga-Akanbi, Juvenile Remand Home, Oko Erin and all the Area Social Welfare Offices across the State.

Directorate of Planning

The directorate is responsible for the preparation and monitoring of annual budget of the ministry. It also serves as the secretary to the ministerial Tender Board.

Directorate of Rehabilitation

This Directorate ensures that there is effective rehabilitation of People with Disabilities in the State. This is done through the Removal/Rehabilitation/Empowerment and Repatriation of Street beggars. It oversees the training of Destitute at Amoyo, It provides on annual basis aids to the less privileged and handicap.  

Directorate of Tourism

The Directorate co-ordinates all the activities relating to Tourism development at federal level, states and any other matters relating to federal programmes on Hotel and Tourism. It also coordinates all activities relating to public and private Hotels e.g Kwara Hotels. Again, it monitors the activities of the state Tourism Board.

Through Art Council, The ministry promotes cultural activities at National and international levels. 

Achievements

It is our collective guilt that in the frenzy embrace of a new life that civilization brought for us, we threw away almost all the vital ingredient of our cultures. We almost irretrievably lost our cultural identities. That was a costly indiscretion on our part.

But thank God for the recent renaissance, a new cultural reawakening that has once again brought our cultural heritage to the world focus. Today, our culture has prodigiously attracted tourists from far and near which has, in its wake engendered social development.

In this ministerial mandate, the focus is multi-sectoral highlighting social welfare, rehabilitation, planning and tourism. Away from the mentality of the past, cultural artifacts need not be a burden. And it requires vision to realize this.

Being an active participant in the private sector before, his coming into politics, Governor Saraki had in his blueprint the need to humanize culture and tourism not just as a veritable business but also as an instrument for social pragmatism.

The implementation of the blueprint is what has engendered a new cultural reawakening in the state. This step has created an auspicious business climate for tourists and investors. Of all the investors-friendly states in Nigeria of today, Kwara State is in the Premier league.

Summary of Achievements

The last 7 years of Governor Bukola Saraki’s administration have witnessed an unprecedented achievements and upliftment of the less privilege peoples in the state. These include:

•  Successful hosting of annual Armed Forces Remembrance Day Celebration/Emblem appeal fund lunch.
• Establishment of the State Rehabilitation Centre at Amoyo which is targeted to encourage skill acquisition for the less privilege and handicap people.
• Posting of Social welfare Officers to the Area offices across the state.
• Construction of an Ultra-modern Marriage Registry (2005). Marriages are conducted every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday of every week. Pre-marriage Counseling is also conducted by the unit using this modern hall.
• Construction of Hostel for un-adoptable children (2005).
• Construction of Principal and Male Hostel at Amoyo Rehabilitation Centre, (2005).
• Construction of Matron’s Quarter at the Children Reception Centre, Gaa-Akanbi (2005). This centre enhances good quality of life of the abandoned and motherless babies, orphans, loss but found children and children in need of care and protection.
• To ensure that these children have good homes by having a family setting, the ministry processed the cases for adoption of some of the children while some were re-united with their parents.
• Construction of access road to Amoyo Rehabilitation Centre (2007).
• Construction of Matron’s Quarters, Female Hostel, Dinning Hall and Kitchen at Amoyo Rehabilitation Centre (2008).
• Training of People with Disabilities (PWDs) at the state Rehabilitation Centre, Amoyo and Federal Rehabilitation Centres at Ibadan and Lagos in the following vocations:-

           ii. Poultry Keeping
          iii. Shoe Making
          iv. Tailoring

• Distribution of mobility Aids (2008). Over N60 Million had been spent for the provision of mobility aids for People with Disabilities in Kwara State over the last 7years. The breakdowns of items involved are as follows:-

• Renovation of Tourism Board Structure
• Construction of Owu fall access road
• Reconnaissance survey of attractions in the state and organization of Tourism sensitization awareness seminars for the industry for all the 16 LGA’s in Kwara State.
• Renovation of Juvenile Remand Home, Oko-Erin (2008).
• Renovation of Workshop at Juvenile Remand Home, Oke-Erin (2008).
• Staging of the first Kwara State Tourism Fiesta (2009).
• Preparation of feasibility studies for the following selected Tourist site:-

           i. Own falls
           ii. Imoleboja Rock Shetter
          iii. Dada Pottery
          iv. Alfa Alimi Islamic Centre at Kuo
           v. Establishment of an inland Beach at Jebba.
          vi. Tourism Board Premises

• Acquisition of Parcel of land at Akerebiata, Ilorin for Tourism Project (intended Site for Dada Pottery village).
• Leasing of Kwara Hotels Limited to KH Management and Integrated Services Limited to renovate to a standard of 4 or 5 star Hotel and manage for 15 years.
• Kwara state satellite motel limited was leased out to operate on built, manage and transfer bases for a period of 15 years. The motel is to be redeveloped to a 3 star standard for a period of 15 years.
• Installation of 15KVA Generator at Amoyo Rehabilitation Centre, Children Reception Centre, Gaa-Akanbi and Juvenile Remand Home, Oko-Erin (2009).
• Evacuation and Rehabilitation of over 300 Destitute of Kwara origin from Lagos State to the Proprietors of Olokun and Olorunda Psychiatric Home, Alagbado and Olorunda, Ilorin for treatment (2009). Some of the destitute were treated and had been happily re-united with their respective families.
• Construction of Gateman’s House and Toilet at the Children Reception Centre, Gaa-Akanbi (2009).
• Construction of a Prototype Clinic at Juvenile Remand Home, Oko-Erin (2009).
• Construction of Prototype Clinic at Children Reception Centre, Gaa-Akanbi (2009).

The Juvenile Remand Home, Oko-Erin handles the reformation of juvenile delinquent cases, children below the ages of 18 years. Some of the children were those convicted by the Court while some were brought to the Centre by their Parents/Guardians, Police and Area Officers for correction. The more hardened ones are referred to the Borster Training Centre, Ganmo.

To cap it all, the state Government through the ministry sponsored a number of cultural shows especially the support given to Kwara Art Council to perform beyond the shores of Nigeria. Within the country, all the National festivals like NAFEST, Abuja Carnival are duly sponsored and Kwara State was recognized as she won laurels.