Kwara Appointments: Adesanya-Davies Alleges Christian Marginalisation

….Demands Review

Bishop Professor Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies has accused the Kwara State Government of marginalising Christians in strategic public appointments, urging Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to review the recently constituted governing councils of 17 state institutions and agencies.
Adesanya-Davies, a former presidential candidate and educationist, made the demand in a statement dated October 28, 2026, following reports that the governor had approved the appointment of governing councils for eight state-owned tertiary institutions and nine other government agencies.
She alleged that the appointments reflected a recurring pattern of religious imbalance, claiming that only four or five of the 17 council chairmen were Christians.
According to her, the alleged imbalance raises questions about fairness, inclusiveness and equal opportunities for qualified citizens in the state.
The professor argued that Christians in Kwara, particularly those from the North and South senatorial districts and parts of Kwara Central, have continued to be overlooked in appointments to strategic government positions despite their contributions to education, healthcare and economic development.
She maintained that Kwara State’s religious and cultural diversity should be reflected in public appointments, stressing that merit should go hand in hand with fairness and inclusiveness.
Among the institutions whose council appointments she questioned were Kwara State Polytechnic, the International Aviation College, Ilorin, the Kwara State Scholarship Board, the Kwara State Agency for Arabic and Islamic Studies, and other government agencies.
Adesanya-Davies also questioned why, according to her assessment, Muslims predominantly occupy leadership positions across several institutions and agencies.
She called on the governor to immediately review the appointments to ensure what she described as a fairer religious balance.
She also urged the Kwara State House of Assembly to exercise its oversight responsibilities and called on the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Kwara State chapter, to speak out on the issue.
The former presidential candidate further appealed to both Christians and Muslims in the state to support efforts to promote equity and inclusion in government appointments.
“I am not against the appointment of Muslims. I am for the inclusion of Christians,” she said, adding that Kwara should remain a state where all religious groups have a sense of belonging.
She warned that excluding qualified people from public appointments on religious grounds could undermine human capital development and the state’s progress.
Adesanya-Davies stressed that the state could only achieve its development goals by ensuring that qualified citizens from different religious backgrounds had opportunities to contribute to governance.
The governor’s reported appointments took effect on October 16, 2026. However, the allegations of religious imbalance in the composition of the councils remain the position of Adesanya-Davies, and an official response from the Kwara State Government was not included in her statement.