By joshua 
Gov. Ododo: Deepening grassroots governance, entrenching people oriented leadership
By Chris Ben-Kato Senior Special Assistant on information and communication strategy
For those who care to listen, His Excellency, the Chief Servant of Kogi State, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo has made it clear in many fora that he is a grassroot politician.
In his usual characteristic of a humble politician, the governor would tell the people that he can never forget his roots in Opogoro, his ancestral home in Okene Local Government Area where he had his humble beginning in life and learnt the rudiments of politics and followership. He will cap his story by saying he will always identify with the people living at the grassroot and often refer himself as one of them.
Many of the governor’s statements on his humble beginning has kept endearing him to the people at the grassroots moreso that he has continued to identify himself with them with their plight. He loves the people and in the almost two years that he has remained in the helms of affairs as the governor of Kogi State,he has continued to demonstrate his love for the entire people of the state.
It is on record that prior to his ascension as the governor of Kogi State, His Excellency, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo built a standard health care facility at his home – Opogoro where he directed that all the people living in the area irrespective of tribe or religion should be treated free of charge. Over the years he has continued to use his personal resources to finance the health care center which has continuously been catering for the health needs of the people.
One of the Holy book says, if you take care of a distressed person you have directly done it on behalf of Allah who created that person. Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo built a health care facility which today is still taking care of numerous people who are in dire health needs. What a merciful Muslim His Excellency is. It is therefore of no surprise that Allah in his infinite mercies rewarded him and elevated him as Kogi State State Governor.
In the last two years, His Excellency, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo has remained so passionate on the dire needs of the entire Kogi people. There is no sector of development he has not touched all in a bid to meet the immediate needs of the people of the state.
Since assumption of office on January 27, 2024, His Excellency, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo has paid particular attention on education, health care, roads, water, workers and Pensioners welfare, urban and rural development, traditional institutions, security, food provision and the continued upgrading of Lokoja, the state capital.
Just last week the governor commissioned the prototype modern health care facility in Lokoja which is numbering about eighty and is spread across the twenty one Local Government Areas of the state. With this development, the governor’s primary concern on health care delivery to Kogi State residents in both urban and rural communities is to say the least legendary. He kept on mapping out strategies on health care and he is delivering it to the people of the state and meeting the demands of the people on healthcare.
On health insurance, the governor has put up a robust health insurance package for the people of the state. The State health insurance equity plan is treating the vulnerable people across the two hundred and thirty nine wards in the state free of charge. These vulnerable people include the aged people, pregnant women, children below the ages of five, people living with disability and the poor who cannot afford medical bills and are all been treated free of charge through the Kogi State Health insurance Equity plan.
It is also on record that Pensioners earning below fifty thousand naira per month are been treated free of charge whenever they are sick through the Kogi State Health insurance Equity plan spread across the two hundred and thirty nine wards in Kogi State.
In a bid to strengthen governance in the state, all the Honourable Commissioners in the state were last week provided with Prado Jeeps. This indeed will go a long way in enhancing the performance of their daily schedules for the benefit of the people of the state.
In the area of education, His Excellency Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo has continued to pay the yearly WAEC fees for final year students in secondary schools. The governor is also paying yearly scholarship to indigent Kogi State students in tertiary institutions across the states of the Federation. He has also continued to develop learning infrastructure across the nine State owned tertiary institutions in the state.
As we speak, traditional institutions are been upgraded for traditional rulers across the state. There is today relative peace in the state because His Excellency is taking care of the traditional institutions in the state.
The workers at both the local and state levels are being paid their salaries as at when due. As a matter of fact the welfare of the workers in the state is one of the top priority of the governor as he has continued to pay their salaries between 22nd and 24th of every month, a feat that is record breaking in the state.
The youths and women in the state are being empowered through skills acquisition while many of them are also being empowered through political appointments.
Kogi today is standing so tall among the comity of states in the federation due to the ingenuity His Excellency, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo has introduced in the governance of the state. He has continued to touch every facet of development in the state and has been deepening grassroot and Urban development in the state.
His Excellency Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo has continued to entrench people oriented leadership in the state and the people of the state are happy for it.
FOR HIS EXCELLENCY ALHAJI AHMED USMAN ODODO : ONE GOOD TERM DESERVES ANOTHER TERM
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.