By Adamu Aminu
As our passenger plane made its final stop on the runway of Tunde Idiagbon International Airport, Ilorin, Kwara State, at precisely 3:45 PM on Tuesday, 21st January 2026, I felt a wave of anticipation. I was part of a delegation led by the Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Hon. Yusuf Abdullahi Ata, to attend the 14th National Council on Lands, Housing, and Urban Development.
As we alighted and headed to the arrival hall, I spotted a team of protocol officers, directors, and personal assistants to the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary waiting to receive us.
My instincts told me that a befitting reception had been fully arranged, and I sensed that everything was thoughtfully reserved for the participants — a chance to be pampered with the true taste of hospitality in Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State.
Immediately, the convoy of motorcades took us through the city of Ilorin to our reserved apartments. After short pleasantries and welcoming banters were exchanged between the Minister and our chief host, the ever-smiling Permanent Secretary, Shuaib M.L. Belgore, OON, NPOM, we drove through the city centre.
As we gazed through our vehicle windows, it was clear that Ilorin is a melting-pot city, with a beautiful tapestry of sights, modern structures, and cultures reflective of a modern replica of a Hausa-Fulani city — evident in its ambience and native costumes.
The apartments we were lodged in, located in one of the highbrow areas of Ilorin, reminded me of a Hausa aphorism: “Bakon Ka Annabinka.”. The rest is left for the reader to imagine how comfortably we were pampered by the culture of hospitality in Ilorin.
Our arrival coincided with the mourning period for the late Chief Imam of the state, Mohammad Bashir.
On the following day, Wednesday, January 22nd, our entourage — led by Minister Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa and Minister Yusuf Abdullahi Ata, and accompanied by our chief host, Shuaib ML Belgore — paid a dual-purpose visit to the palace of the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji (Dr.) Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari.
The visit was to offer condolences on the passing of the Chief Imam and to seek royal blessings while informing him of the ongoing Council meeting within his emirate.
Upon arrival at the Emir’s palace, we were greeted with a red-carpet reception. I was delighted by the way the palace’s royal guards, known as Dogarai, welcomed and praised us in fluent Hausa, clad in traditional robes typical of royal guards in Kano or Katsina.
One of the most captivating moments was hearing the day’s proceedings conducted in both Yoruba and Hausa languages.
The visit, which lasted for an hour, was warm and memorable. His Royal Highness, the Emir of Ilorin, delivered his remarks in a low-key voice, showered his blessings on the Minister’s entourage, and prayed for the successful deliberation of the Council meeting.
On the next day of the Council meeting, as I walked through the bustling halls of the Kwara Innovation Hub, where the 14th National Council on Lands, Housing, and Urban Development was being held, I couldn’t help but feel a wave of nostalgia.
My ears were first greeted by the voice of the event’s Master of Ceremonies, the formidable Director of Press, Mallam Salisu Badamasi Haiba. I also spotted the Director of Planning, Research, and Statistics, Mallam Mukhtar Iliyasu Umar, moving from pillar to post to ensure the day’s event was successfully delivered.
To be candid, the 14th National Council on Lands, Housing, and Urban Development in Ilorin reminded me of years past, when housing policies were still young in Nigeria’s development agenda, and every council meeting felt like a seed being planted for future cities.
Now, with ministers, commissioners, and private investors gathered under one roof, I saw how far we’ve come — and how much of that journey lives in my own memories, struggles, and hopes for better homes for Nigerians.
The council, chaired by Minister Ahmed Musa Dangiwa and supported by Minister of State Yusuf Abdullahi Ata, carried the theme of sustainable housing delivery and urban renewal.
Yet, beyond the technical sessions and policy debates, I recalled earlier councils where ideas were whispered in small rooms, and today, they echo in national frameworks. Seeing states commit to land provision and at least 1,000 housing units annually felt like watching those early whispers turn into action.
This event was not just about policy; it was about people — about families who will one day live in homes born from these discussions. Reflecting on Ilorin’s role as host, I felt pride that Kwara, with its rich history of hospitality, once again opened its doors to shape Nigeria’s housing future.
It reminded me that progress is built not only on bricks and mortar but on memories, perseverance, and collective vision.
As I left the Innovation Hub, I realized that even though I had attended the 13th National Council as my first assignment trip to Gombe State in November 2024, the Ilorin Council meeting left me with more than notes — it left me with a renewed hope that tomorrow’s skylines will stand as monuments to today’s reflections.
Adamu Aminu, Special Assistant on Media to the Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, writes from Kano.