Kwara South Senatorial Aspirant Proposes Job Creation Through Business Formalization
Prof. Muritala Awodun, a senatorial aspirant for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara South for the 2027 general elections, has announced a comprehensive strategy to drive job creation by formalizing informal businesses and sponsoring business clusters across the district. He made this disclosure during a recent interview with journalists in Abuja, where he discussed his political ambitions and economic vision.
Formalizing Informal Businesses for Economic Growth
Prof. Awodun emphasized that small businesses serve as the backbone of the local economy. His plan involves identifying and formalizing informal enterprises by sponsoring their registration processes. "Small businesses are the backbone of our economy. I plan to identify and formalise informal businesses by sponsoring their registration to prepare them for opportunities," he stated. This initiative aims to provide local entrepreneurs with access to government and private sector grants, as well as soft loans, which are currently inaccessible to unregistered operators.
Beyond mere paperwork, Awodun pledged to establish platforms that connect entrepreneurs to essential resources such as funding, training, and markets. "I will create platforms that connect entrepreneurs to funding, training, and markets, ensuring they can grow and remain sustainable," he added, highlighting his commitment to fostering sustainable business development.
Security as a Prerequisite for Development
As a professor of business and entrepreneurship, Awodun stressed that his top priority remains security. He noted that several communities in Kwara South have been deserted due to insecurity under the outgoing administration. "Without the safety of lives and property, no meaningful development can take place," he asserted. His first 100 days in office would focus on security-related interventions to restore peace and facilitate the return of displaced persons to their homes.
Transforming Youth from Job Seekers to Job Creators
Addressing youth unemployment, Awodun argued that the government alone cannot provide sufficient jobs. Drawing from his experience as the founding Director of the KWASU Centre for Entrepreneurship, where students were trained to become job creators, he promised to replicate this model district-wide. "I will promote entrepreneurship by supporting youth-led innovations, providing grants, and encouraging the establishment of small businesses that can grow and employ others," he explained.
He linked youth restiveness to economic hardship and displacement, advocating for productive engagement through skills development, entrepreneurship, and sports to reduce crime and instability.
Leveraging Diaspora Investment and Agriculture
Awodun described Kwara South as richly endowed with arable land, minerals, and an industrious population but lacking coordinated development. His strategy includes mobilizing indigenes at home and in the diaspora to invest back home, guided by short-, medium-, and long-term economic blueprints designed to outlive any single administration.
He highlighted agriculture as an underutilized sector, pledging to promote commercial farming and revive agricultural culture in secondary schools through competitions, similar to programs he previously implemented at KWASU and KWIRS.
Infrastructure, Health, and Education Initiatives
Awodun also committed to advocating for increased government investment in infrastructure while encouraging community-driven development to bridge existing gaps. For rural healthcare, he plans to support periodic medical outreaches for early diagnosis and basic care.
In education, he promised scholarships based on need and excellence, along with providing learning materials for indigent students to ensure that no child is denied education due to financial constraints.
Women's Empowerment and Community Trust
Through his Muritala Awodun Widows and Orphans Foundation, which has supported over 900 widows since 2017, Awodun emphasized that women's economic and political empowerment remains a top priority. "Kwara South has immense potential. With unity, strategic planning, and collective effort, we can transform our region into a hub of prosperity and security," he concluded, urging trust in his Kwara South Agenda based on his past delivery of the Revenue Reform Agenda for Kwara State.
Recall that PDP primaries for the 2027 National Assembly seats are expected by mid-2026. Awodun is a former Chairman of KWIRS and ex-Director at the KWASU Centre for Entrepreneurship.
