By joshua 
2nd year anniversary: Extolling Gov Ododo’s vision of an Airport, law modern market for Kogi
By Chris Ben-Kato Senior Special Assistant on information and communication strategy
It was the former American leader, Edmund Burke who once said, great leaders are the guide posts of tomorrow. Nothing can be more apt to this in examining His Excellency, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo’s transformational and focused administration since he assumed office two years ago.
As soon as he took the oath of office on January 27, 2024 he announced the names of his cabinet members. His action was a great proof that he already has his vision on what his administration would focus in the years ahead.
In the last two years in office, His Excellency Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo has made the vision of a great Kogi State his focus. It is therefore not surprising that at the eve of the celebration of his second year in office, he publicly signed a fifty billion naira bond for the establishment of an Airport and a brand new modern market in the state.
His Excellency, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo is seeing far beyond today. He is so committed in building a future of economic prosperity for the good people of Kogi State and for posterity.
When an Airport and a modern market is put in place in the state, the positive bandwagon effect of prosperity can not be quantified for the state. The employment these twin projects will generate to the state will be in hundreds of thousands. What is more, the employment generation will cut across both the literate, semi literate, Artisans including all manner of field workers. His Excellency’s vision for the state deserve a great commendation and he must be clearly seen a true great leader of the state.
Looking back at Governor Ododo’s positive impact and exploits in the last two years, it would be of great service to remind ourselves that few months into his administration, the governor took the bold step of putting smiles on the Local Government workers by restoring a full monthly salaries payment. Suffice it to say here that for over a decade Local Government workers had looked forward to the restoration of the full payment of their salaries and His Excellency the Chief Servant of the state, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo did it for them.
In the last two years, His Excellency Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo has revamped the education sector in the state. Since assumption of office he has continued to pay the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) fee for all the students in public schools. He has also continued to pay scholarship to Kogi State indigent students in tertiary institutions across the country.
His Excellency Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo has improved the welfare of workers in the state. He has been paying salaries to the entire state workforce between 22_24 of every month. The governor was one among the first to implement the new approved federal government minimum wage in the state. He also increased the allowances of the state pensioners and offered free medical treatment to pensioners in the state earning below fifty thousand naira per month through the Bello Care programme of the state Health insurance Agency.
Tertiary institutions in the state have continued to receive a boost in funding. None of the nine tertiary institutions in the state have not received enormous resources in improving its educational infrastructure. Today there is no trace of strike in all the Tertiary institutions in the state. Kudos to the pragmatic administration of the Chief Servant of Kogi State, His Excellency Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo.
It is on record that His Excellency, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo since assumption of office has continued to operate an inclusive administration in the state. Women are carried along in the state. All the Vice Chairmen and House Leaders in all the twenty one Local Government Areas of the state are all women. Women are members of His Excellency’s cabinet. There are many women that are Special Advisers, Senior Special Assistants, Ward Special Assistants etc etc in all of His Excellency’s appointments.
On security, His Excellency, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo has left no stone unturned. Patrol vehicles, security gadgets have been purchased in large quantity and distributed to all the security agencies in the state to curb the menace of insecurity. Few weeks ago a large cache of arms were recovered from the men of the underworld by security agents in the state. In the same vein the governor ordered the demolition of criminal hide outs in Okene and other Senatorial districts in the state. The directive has since been carried out by the security agents in the state thereby flushing out the criminals out of the state.
Some weeks ago, the drones purchased by the administration of Governor Ododo arrived the state and had since commenced operations across all suspected crimina hideouts in the state. The measure has gone a very long way in routing out criminals out of the state.
In the construction of roads, the governor has ensured that each of the three Senatorial districts in the state is included. Few days to the celebration of his second year in office, His Excellency Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo took a tour and inspected the construction of Iyale-Oganenigu road in Dekina Local Government Area which is located in the Eastern Senatorial district of the state.
His Excellency Alhaji Ahmed Usman who doubles as the Chief Servant of Kogi State has performed so excellently in his administration in the last two years of his tenure of office. He is one of the rare Chief Executive ably being sort after in other states of the federation.
It is my candid appeal that the good people of Kogi State should join hands in ensuring His Excellency, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo return to Lugard House come 2027.
ONE GOOD TERM DESERVES ANOTHER FOR HIS EXCELLENCY ALHAJI AHMED USMAN ODODO
Hon. Chris Ben-Kato is the Senior Special Assistant on information and communication strategy to the Chief Servant of Kogi State, His Excellency Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo