By joshua 
Gov. Ododo : Demystifying purposeful oriented leadership in a multicultural state
… Kogi now a solid mineral resources eaner
By Hon Chris Ben-Kato
In a surprise move, the Chief Servant of Kogi State, His Excellency Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo is steadily moving the state on a continuous pedestal of progress unprecedented in the annals of the history of the state.
His journey to the state pinnacle of power started when the roll call was made plain for the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary election in 2023. A cursory look at the contestants at a glance will ordinarily put His Excellency by the edge. Indeed only a few at the time gave him a chance to win the governorship primary election. Allah in his infinite mercies however has a way of identifying his own in any given multitude of people.
At the time the primary election was conducted, His Excellency, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo won and thus began his race for Lugard House.
It is on record that His Excellency Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo has to face the hurdle of ethnic campaigns in a state with diverse ethnic groups for the November 2023 Kogi State governorship election.The ethnic campaigns were never a child’s play as His Excellency has to face the task of convincing Kogi State electorates to prove he is capable of doing the job of leading the state to great heights.
Thanks to Allah, His Excellency Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo won the Kogi State November 2023 governorship election. At his swearing-in on January 27, 2024 he hit the ground running in his administration by immediately appointing his cabinet members same day. And since then His Excellency has kept the ground running.
In the last one and half year, His Excellency Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo has demystified leadership. As soon as he assumed office, he kept behind him the ethnic intrigues which bestrode the November 2023 election. His first assignment was the visit to Kogi leaders in various political parties in the state. From former governor Idris Wada, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, Clarence Olafemi to senator Smart Adeyemi and a host of other Kogi State leaders, His Excellency Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo visited them all in a bid to build a strong united Kogi State.
In the business of the state, His Excellency, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo hit the ground running by paying full salaries to all the Local Government workers in the state, he also took the gauntlet by ensuring that salaries of workers at the state and Local Government levels are promptly paid between 22 – 25th of every month. This trend has continued to date.
On festive seasons like Sallah and Christmas celebration, the governor has always ensured that salaries are paid before the festival comes up. This he does always even if any of the festival comes up by the middle of any month. This indeed is a positive prove that His Excellency Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo is a politician and leader with the great fear of Allah.
In the area of education, he has continued to pay Scholarship to indigent students in tertiary institutions and has also improved on the educational infrastructure in all the state owned tertiary institutions. Only last week, the governor restored full accreditation of full medical courses at the Prince Abubakar Audu University Anyigba. The school for over two decades was without a full fledged medical college of its own.
In the health sector the governor has firmly focused on the improvement of the primary health care centers located across the twenty one Local Government Areas of Kogi State. Today the Kogi State ministry of health is on the onslaught against malaria across the twenty one Local Government Areas of the state. The monthly state immunization programme carried out by the state ministry of health is putting all the children in the state on sound health.
The state and Local Government workers are smiling today because His Excellency Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo was one of the first governor in the country to implement the new minimum wage in the state. The Pensioners in the state also got an increase in their monthly allowances. As it stands out today the people of the state are happy with the purposeful leadership of the Chief Servant of the state, His Excellency Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo.
In a bid to ensure the state is financially buoyant, the governor recently cleared a backlog of the state debt amounting to billions of naira. This came to bear because the governor is a prudent manager of state resources.
Still pushing for buoyant financial resources in the state, the governor recently moved swiftly into the harnessing of the abundant mineral resources in the state. In the past the mineral resources has not been harnessed to the good advantage of the state. With positive concern for the development of the state, His Excellency has fully purchased the heavy duty equipments for the harnessing of the state mineral resources. As it is today, Kogi State has moved into export of mineral resources. This indeed will improve the state internally generated revenue and remove it from the usual cap in hand waiting monthly for the federal government resources to run the state.
In his cabinet, the Chief Servant of the state, His Excellency Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo runs an inclusive administration. Women are fully integrated in his administration while there is a balance among the various ethnic groups in the state in his cabinet.
One and half year on the ground, His Excellency Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo has done well and is moving forward daily for the growth of the state. With him on the saddle, Kogi State is safe.
For His Excellency Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo – ONE GOOD TERM DESERVES ANOTHER.
Hon Chris Ben-Kato is the Senior Special Assistant to His Excellency Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo on information and communication strategy.