OPINION | Engr. Kale Kawu: When Character Meets Competence, Why Kwara Should Look Beyond Politics in 2027

By Comr. Larry Aduagba Onitangaran

There are politicians who spend years preparing for elections, and there are professionals who spend years preparing for leadership. The distinction may sound subtle, but it is an important one as Kwara begins to look ahead to the 2027 governorship election.

Engr. Sulaiman Bolakale Kawu Agaka, popularly known as Kale Kawu, belongs, in my view, to the latter category. As I began to look more closely at the man behind the political name, I found myself returning to a rather simple question: what did he do before politics placed him at the centre of the conversation about who should govern Kwara?

The answer is not found primarily in campaign speeches, political rallies or party structures. It lies in more than three decades of professional experience spanning engineering, public administration, infrastructure development and community engagement.

Kawu built a professional career before seeking political office. He rose through Nigeria’s public service and worked extensively in the power sector, particularly in rural electrification. Publicly available records of his career indicate that he held senior positions at the Rural Electrification Agency, including Director of Projects, Director of Procurement and Director of Monitoring and Evaluation, before his retirement from public service in 2025.

For a state like Kwara, where infrastructure, electricity, human capital development and economic opportunities remain central to the public conversation, that experience should not be dismissed simply because the man has now entered partisan politics.

Governorship is one of the most demanding responsibilities in public life. A governor is expected to manage institutions, public finances, infrastructure, human resources and political relationships, while simultaneously responding to the everyday needs of millions of citizens. It is therefore worth asking whether the experience a candidate acquired before entering politics can tell us something about his preparedness for office.

In Kawu’s case, engineering and public administration form a significant part of his professional history. His career has involved projects, procurement, monitoring and evaluation, areas that are often discussed in political campaigns but are considerably more complicated when one is actually responsible for delivering them.

The difference between announcing a project and successfully implementing one is enormous. It requires planning, procurement, supervision, financial discipline, institutional coordination and evaluation. These are not abstract concepts for someone who has spent years working within the public sector.

This is why I believe Kawu’s professional record should form part of the conversation about his candidacy.

Another aspect of Kawu’s story that I find particularly noteworthy is that his public profile did not begin with a political ambition. He first established himself professionally. He studied Electrical Power Engineering at Kwara State Polytechnic and subsequently pursued further education in administration and electrical power engineering. He later obtained an MBA from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology.

His professional progression through Nigeria’s power sector eventually took him into senior responsibilities at the Rural Electrification Agency. That trajectory is relevant because it provides an opportunity to consider a candidate beyond the traditional measurements of political strength.

In every election season, we tend to ask who has the strongest political structure, the biggest crowd or the most influential supporters. Those questions matter in politics, but they should not be the only questions. Perhaps the more important question is: who has demonstrated the capacity to manage complex institutions and solve problems before asking for the responsibility of managing a state?

Kawu’s relationship with his community also predates his current political ambition. In 2022, he was turbaned as the Dan Iyan Ilorin. The significance of the title goes beyond its ceremonial value. The recognition reflected the standing he had acquired within his community and his reported contributions to public causes, youth development and cultural activities.

At the time, a congratulatory message from the Kwara State Government described him as someone who had used his influence and resources for public good and youth development, while also recognising his philanthropic activities and support for Ilorin’s cultural heritage.

That acknowledgement is worth recalling because it predates the present political contest. It suggests that whatever assessment one eventually makes of Kawu as a politician, his public profile and community activities did not begin with the PDP governorship ticket.

My support for Kale Kawu is, of course, shaped by my political affiliation and personal assessment of the choices before Kwara. But I do not believe his candidacy should be discussed only through the prism of party politics. The real issue is what kind of leadership Kwara needs.

A governor oversees an enormous system involving education, healthcare, roads, agriculture, electricity and other infrastructure, the civil service, public finances, youth development, investment and security coordination. The office also requires someone capable of negotiating with the Federal Government, engaging the private sector and development partners, and translating policy ideas into programmes that ordinary people can actually feel.

This is where professional experience becomes relevant.

Kawu’s supporters have pointed to his involvement in interventions relating to electricity, education, healthcare, youth development and community development. Some of the specific claims surrounding such interventions, particularly those made in political contexts, should naturally be examined and verified on a project-by-project basis. But beyond individual campaign claims, there is a broader and independently observable record of professional service and community engagement that deserves consideration.

There is another part of the conversation that is often neglected. Competence without character can be dangerous in public office. A technically capable person who lacks integrity can still preside over a system that fails the people. Similarly, a person of good character without the necessary competence may struggle to translate good intentions into effective governance.

The challenge, therefore, is finding the intersection between the two.

That is why Kawu’s professional background and public reputation deserve to be considered together. His supporters see in him a combination of professional competence, institutional experience, community involvement and an understanding of infrastructure. Whether those qualities ultimately translate into effective governance is a question that voters must decide for themselves. But they are legitimate qualities to place on the table.

For me, one of the most important questions of the coming election is not simply who can win in 2027. It is who can still be useful to Kwara after winning.

That distinction matters.

Election campaigns are temporary. Governance is not. A governor inherits institutions, budgets, infrastructure projects, debts, civil servants, unfinished programmes and the expectations of citizens. The successful candidate must then spend four years or more making decisions whose consequences can outlive the election that brought him to office.

Imagine, for instance, a Kwara where electricity is treated not merely as an election promise but as an economic strategy. Imagine rural communities connected to productive infrastructure. Imagine young people being equipped with marketable skills rather than being reduced to instruments of political mobilisation. Imagine agriculture being connected to processing, storage and markets. Imagine public projects subjected to serious monitoring from conception to completion. Imagine a civil service treated as an engine of development rather than merely a cost to government. And imagine investors looking at Kwara not simply as a transit state, but as a destination for business.

That is the larger conversation we should be having.

Before the PDP ticket, Kale Kawu was an engineer. Before the governorship contest, he was a public servant. Before his political ambitions became a subject of public debate, he had built a professional career and acquired recognition within his community.

That does not automatically make him the best candidate. Nor should anyone be asked to vote for him simply because of his résumé. But it does mean that his candidacy deserves to be assessed on more than party colours and campaign rhetoric.

Examine the man. Examine his professional record. Examine his experience. Examine his ideas. Examine his character. And then make your decision.

As 2027 approaches, Kwara has an opportunity to move beyond politics driven exclusively by emotion, personality, propaganda and party slogans. The questions should be practical. Who can create an environment for job creation? Who can attract investment? Who can strengthen institutions? Who can improve infrastructure? Who can give agriculture a clearer economic direction? Who can equip young people for the changing economy? Who can make government more responsive to ordinary citizens?

And perhaps most importantly, who has spent a significant part of his life acquiring experience that could be useful in governing a state?

My answer, based on my assessment of the available public record, is Engr. Sulaiman Bolakale Kawu Agaka.

The PDP has presented him as its candidate for the 2027 Kwara governorship election following its consensus process. But the significance of his candidacy should extend beyond the fortunes of one political party. It should compel Kwarans to have a broader conversation about what they expect from leadership.

For me, that conversation must include competence, character, experience, capacity and a demonstrated understanding of public service.

Kwara’s future is bigger than the 2027 election. The election will eventually be won and lost. Campaign posters will disappear. Political slogans will fade. What will remain is the state.

The roads will remain. The schools will remain. The hospitals will remain. The electricity challenge will remain. The young people looking for opportunities will remain. The farmers seeking markets will remain. The civil servants will remain.

And that is why the most important question is not simply who wins the election. It is what kind of Kwara we want to build after the election.

If competence, experience, infrastructure knowledge, character and public service are to be part of that conversation, then Kale Kawu deserves serious consideration.

Not simply because he is a politician, but because, before becoming one, he spent decades building a professional life.

Kwara deserves leadership that can turn experience into development. It deserves a governor who understands that public office is ultimately about service, accountability and results.

The 2027 election should therefore be more than a contest between political parties. It should be an opportunity for Kwarans to examine the people seeking their mandate, interrogate their records and determine who possesses the capacity to translate ambition into meaningful development.

For me, that is the case for taking a closer look at Kale Kawu.

Comr. Larry Aduagba Onitangaran is the moderator of ÒDÒPÍN. He writes from Ilorin, Kwara State.