Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, Kwara APC Candidate. The Face of Silent Revolution in Kwara State.
His story, on the surface, may read like a fable. But if you take the pains to read it with undivided attention, you will find out that it is most compelling and engaging.
For Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, the CEO, First Fuels Limited, and son of Alhaji AGF Abdulrazaq, the first Northern lawyer in Nigeria, born in Ilorin West Local Government of Kwara State, the journey to fame actually started when he ventured into importation of petroleum products at a relatively young age.
He was in the news, sometimes ago, when his company had several million litres of petroleum products stored in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s tanks in Ejigbo depot as well as Mosimi depot in Ogun State, serving the needs of independent marketers in the South-west. Again, eyes turned on him when Mobil Oil wanted to export its first batch of condensate out of Nigeria.
Abdulrazaq came to the rescue as he succeeded in getting the best international prices and buyers for the product.
It will also be recalled that with the active support of Ronke Onadeko-Osayande, they executed a lot of oil-related transactions that launched the firm into the big league and fetched them billions of naira as reward for their sweat.
For obvious reasons, many had thought that he would have owned a private depot or refinery in Nigeria. But for Abdulrazaq, who is said to have made positive impacts on the lives of many younger businessmen like Tonye Cole, Ade Shonubi, Ade Odunsi, Adewale Tinubu, Omamofe Boye and Onajite Okoloko, that was not the case, as First Fuels was hit by a few bad investments.
At the height of this challenge, his former partner, Ronke Onadeko, left the company to become the Country Director of Bank Paribas (BNP) offices in Lagos.
Subsequently, Abdulrazaq dumped the oil business for politics, and even floated
football club known as FC Abuja, which recorded some modest success in the sports world. Since then, he has lost touch with the business that gave him fame for politics.
He contested the Kwara Central Senatorial District under Peoples’ Democratic Party in 2015 with the self resolve of salvaging his constituents from the ills of unproductive representation at the Red Chambers but lost the big gallantly.
He has seen the Greater Dream of contesting for the office of Governor in Kwara State, bringing to bear his National and International experience towards remodelling Kwara to a Mega State
He is married with Children.
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