Concerns intensified after photographs obtained by SaharaReporters showed Mrs. AbdulRaheem wearing an official KWASUBEB uniform and appearing prominently alongside other members of the delegation in Singapore.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State has raised concerns over the inclusion of the wife of the Chairman of the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (KWASUBEB), Professor AbdulRaheem Adaramaja, in the state’s official delegation to Singapore for the ongoing 2025 Asia Parliamentary International Debate Competition (Junior Secondary School category).
The controversy centres on Dr. Mrs. AbdulRaheem Khadijat, who is not a staff member of KWASUBEB, yet was reportedly listed among delegates to the international competition, while some qualified teachers and officials directly attached to the students were excluded from the trip.
Concerns intensified after photographs obtained by SaharaReporters showed Mrs. AbdulRaheem wearing an official KWASUBEB uniform and appearing prominently alongside other members of the delegation in Singapore.
The opposition party, which commented on the matter, questioned the propriety of her presence on what it described as an official government assignment.
It questioned why she was included, noting that she is not a staff member of SUBEB and does not work with any Kwara State public institution, but is instead an employee of the University of Ilorin.
However, her only connection to SUBEB is that she is the wife of the SUBEB chairman.
The party asked how the wife of the KWASUBEB chairman qualified to be part of the delegation when teachers who are directly responsible for the students were left behind, and what exact role she is playing on the mission.
The development has raised concerns about alleged nepotism and abuse of office within public institutions in the state, particularly in the education sector.
However, the Kwara State Government has defended Mrs. AbdulRaheem’s participation.
In a statement confirming her trip, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Rafiu Ajakaye, said Mrs. AbdulRaheem’s involvement was based on her professional qualifications and long-standing contribution to the students’ preparation.
“Yes, the said woman is indeed a proud wife of the SUBEB Chairman. A PhD holder with a specialisation in education, she has repeatedly supported her husband in all previous preparations of the children as a professional in the field,” Ajakaye said.
According to him, her role in the training of the students dates back to June and was known to other coaches involved in the programme.
Ajakaye further insisted that the state did not fund her trip.
“Her husband was 100% personally responsible for her trip, including her air ticket. Whilst others got allowances, she got no such thing from the government,” he stated.
He also defended her appearance in KWASUBEB uniform, explaining that she had been actively involved in tutoring the students throughout their preparation.
"She accompanied her husband on the important trip at no cost to the state; if anything, she contributed to the success with her expertise over which we are all happy as Kwarans.
"Any argument anyone may want to make will have to boil down to one thing: did the state spend anything on her being part of the trip? A yes would have been a problem. In this case, it is a no,” Ajakaye added.
Despite the government’s explanation, critics argue that the issue goes beyond financial cost and touches on ethics, transparency and fairness, especially in a system where qualified civil servants were reportedly sidelined.
However, critics are calling on the Kwara State Government and the Kwara State Commissioner for Education, Mallam Lawal Olohungbebe, to provide further explanations, conduct a proper investigation.
They also asked the government to issue clearer guidelines on official delegations, particularly on the basis upon which Mrs. AbdulRaheem was selected to be part of the trip to Singapore, where she was seen wearing an official government uniform at the event.
In a statement signed by its State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Olusegun Olusola Adewara, questioned the propriety of the presence of Mrs. AbdulRaheem Khadijat on an official KWASUBEB delegation to Singapore.
According to the PDP, the delegation travelled to Singapore for the ongoing 2025 Asia Parliamentary International Debate Competition in the Junior Secondary School category, involving selected Kwara students and top officials of KWASUBEB, including the Board Chairman himself.
However, the party said it was disturbed by photographs currently in public circulation which allegedly show Mrs. Khadijat, who is not a staff member of KWASUBEB, dressed in the official uniform of the Board and positioned prominently among the state’s official contingent.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Dr. Mrs. AbdulRaheem Khadijat is reportedly a staff member of the University of Ilorin and does not hold any statutory, advisory or administrative position within KWASUBEB,” the PDP stated.
The party described her inclusion in the official delegation as troubling, raising serious ethical and administrative concerns, especially at a time when qualified and duly appointed officers of the Board were allegedly sidelined.
More controversially, the PDP claimed it had received insider reports suggesting that the Chairman of KWASUBEB unilaterally altered the list of officials initially approved for the trip.
According to the party, the Board Secretary, Mrs. Adebisi Gloria Omolara, who was allegedly listed in the official submission, was removed from the final delegation without clear justification.
“If these allegations are true, they amount to a dangerous manipulation of administrative processes and the personalisation of a critical public institution,” the statement warned.
The PDP posed a series of questions to the Kwara State Government, the Commissioner for Education, Mallam Lawal Olohungbebe, and the KWASUBEB Chairman, demanding immediate clarification.
Among them are what official role the Chairman’s wife played on the trip, who authorised the issuance of KWASUBEB uniforms to a non-staff member, and whether the inclusion of a private individual was approved by the state government.
The opposition party also questioned why statutory officers and directors of KWASUBEB were allegedly excluded from the trip, while a non-official was reportedly accommodated at public expense.
Describing the development as “deeply insulting” to career civil servants within the education sector, the PDP said the incident reinforces growing public perception that public institutions under the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government in Kwara State are being run as personal estates.
The party further linked the controversy to broader concerns about transparency in the state, noting that Kwarans are still awaiting official explanations over allegations by Hon. Ilyasu Ibrahim regarding an alleged $800 million contract reportedly linked to the governor’s brother, Dr. Alimi AbdulRazaq.
“The cumulative effect of these unresolved issues is a steady erosion of public trust in the Kwara State Government,” the PDP said.
It therefore called for an immediate and detailed public explanation from the state government, including full disclosure of the approval process, funding, and final composition of the Singapore delegation.