Stop Relying On Govt Funds For Kwara Durbar, Organisers Told

The Ilorin Emirate Concerned Group (IECG) has cautioned the organisers of the 2025 Ilorin Durbar Festival against continued reliance on government funding for the event, calling instead for a return to community-driven sponsorship. The warning comes less than three weeks before the annual celebration traditionally held at the palace of the Emir of Ilorin. This […]

The Ilorin Emirate Concerned Group (IECG) has cautioned the organisers of the 2025 Ilorin Durbar Festival against continued reliance on government funding for the event, calling instead for a return to community-driven sponsorship.

The warning comes less than three weeks before the annual celebration traditionally held at the palace of the Emir of Ilorin.

This year’s Durbar, slated for the second day after the upcoming Eid-ul-Adha, has been marred by controversy involving the Kwara State Government and Senator Saliu Mustapha, representing Kwara Central at the National Assembly.

The contention centres on a N500 million Sulu-Gambari pavilion project facilitated by the senator.

Captured in a supplementary federal budget, the project was halted by the state government shortly after construction began.

The Kwara State Town Planning and Development Authority, alongside security agents, shut down the site, citing lack of proper approvals.

In a follow-up, the Kwara State Geographical Information Service (KWGIS) clarified that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, the supervising agency, failed to obtain the necessary permits.

Senator Mustapha subsequently advised the contractor to address the oversight and pursue proper authorisation, a move sources say was made to de-escalate the issue.

In the midst of the impasse, Durbar Committee Chairman, Engr. Sulaiman Yahaya Alapansapa, publicly aligned with the state government, acknowledging Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as the lead sponsor of the Durbar for the past six years.

He further revealed that the governor played an instrumental role in revising the initial pavilion design.

Critics, however, decried the committee’s position as politically compromised.

But speaking at a press conference in Ilorin, IECG spokesperson, Mallam Shuaib Nuhu, lamented the increasing politicisation of the Durbar, describing it as a dangerous trend that could erode the event’s historical and cultural significance.

“The Durbar is a proud symbol of our heritage, unity, and dignity. It must not become a pawn in political games,” Nuhu said.

He expressed disappointment that with just weeks to the event, the committee had yet to secure sufficient funding, describing it as unacceptable in an Emirate renowned for its affluent indigenes and goodwill.

Nuhu called on the Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU) and the Durbar Committee to mobilise patriotic and apolitical stakeholders, particularly from the diaspora, to secure sustainable, independent funding.

Also speaking, Alhaji Shola Muse, a member of both the IECG and the Durbar Processing Committee, criticised the committee’s stance on the pavilion project, describing it as a distortion of facts and a product of “manipulative political acrimony.”

He noted that the practice of annually seeking government handouts has become detrimental to the credibility and sustainability of the Durbar.

He said the development contrasted with the Ojude Oba festival in Ogun State, which thrives on private funding and community ownership.

“What we are doing here lowers our integrity as a people,” Muse said, calling for a probe of the Durbar Committee’s financial records since inception to promote transparency and accountability.

Muse questioned the dependence on the state government: “What happens if an Ilorin outsider becomes governor and refuses to fund the Durbar? Would that be seen as sabotage?”

He insisted that while the government can support the Durbar, it must not be its sole financier or decision-maker.

Describing the decision to move the event to Adewole Baseball Park due to the pavilion impasse as regrettable, Muse said the refusal to tap into the wealth and goodwill of many willing indigenes had left the Durbar in a precarious state.

“I can count at least 20 non-political indigenes who can each donate N10 million to support the Durbar,” he said. “This constant romancing with the government has not helped. We must stand apolitical if we truly mean business.”

The IECG maintained that the Durbar belongs to the people of the Emirate and urged all stakeholders to guard its sanctity, free from political manipulation and financial dependency.