By joshua The Labour Story Under Ododo: Why Kogi Workers May Want Him Back In 2027
…From Percentage Salaries To N72,000 Minimum Wage: The Labour Story Under Ododo
By Abu Micheal
As Governor Usman Ahmed Ododo approaches the third year of his administration, conversations in Ministries, LGAs, and market squares in Kogi State are already shifting to 2027. And for one critical voting bloc, civil servants, the question is no longer if they will support a return, but why they cannot afford not to.
In Nigerian politics, the last year of a first term is usually for politicking. But in Kogi, workers are measuring the Ododo government with a different yardstick: welfare, peace, and dignity restored.
To understand why many workers are rooting for Ododo, you must situate it in history. The administrations before him, particularly between 2016 and 2023, were defined by salary struggles, screening exercises, and for many LG workers, the indignity of “percentage salaries.” There were months when some local government workers went home with as little as 10 percent of their pay, depending on allocation. Promotions were not cash-backed. Morale was low. Life for many civil servants during that period was described as difficult, and fear was a constant companion in the public service.
Coming into that environment, the Ododo administration inherited both expectations and skepticism. Critics argue that like the previous government, not every sector has seen massive physical infrastructure in the first three years. There is also wide disenchantment in some quarters over performance, especially when juxtaposed with the humongous allocations states including Kogi have received since the advent of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration following the removal of fuel subsidy. But supporters point to one clear difference: a peaceful working environment and a deliberate focus on welfare packages that civil servants say they can feel.
Several of the policies under Governor Ododo have been publicly announced and widely reported. In October 2024, Governor Ododo approved and commenced payment of N72,000 as the new minimum wage for Kogi workers, above the N70,000 national benchmark. For many, this was the single biggest relief item. After years of stagnation, the administration also commenced cash backing of promotions, so that workers who had been due for promotion for years began to see financial effects, a move the NLC and TUC publicly acknowledged. Regular payment of salaries for state workers and pensions for retirees has also become a consistent feature, helping to stabilize household economies across the state.
Beyond direct pay, civil servants are now captured under the Kogi State Health Insurance Scheme, KGCHIS, reducing out-of-pocket medical expenses for beneficiaries. The administration has also sustained the policy of free education in public schools and continued government payment of WAEC, NECO, and NABTEB fees for students, a decision that directly reduces the financial burden on worker-parents. Traditional rulers have equally witnessed upgrades and support under this administration, even as some have called for improved remuneration and adherence to due process in appointments.
Unlike previous years marked by protests and strike threats, the last two years have been relatively peaceful in the labour sector. No major strike action by state workers has been recorded, and that peace is not by accident. A major reason is the presence of Comr. Onuh Edoka as Special Adviser to the Governor on Labour Matters. Comr. Edoka is not new to Kogi labour. With over three decades in unionism and two terms as State NLC Chairman, he fought many of the same battles during the administrations of Capt. Idris Wada and Alh. Yahaya Bello, often from the picket line. Today, he is on the other side of the table. Workers say that experience is paying off. Issues that once required protests are now being resolved through dialogue and policy. From pushing for the N72,000 wage to ensuring promotions are cash-backed and workers are enrolled in health insurance, Edoka’s footprints are visible in the labour policies of this government. Labour leaders privately admit that what they protested for years, they are now getting through engagement. That, for many workers, is governance with a human face.
Civil servants constitute a significant percentage of voters in Kogi. They are in every LGA, every polling unit. They talk to families, to communities, and they vote. Despite perceptions in some quarters about the administration, it will be very difficult for this bloc to abandon a government that restored dignity to their pay. LG workers, who bore the brunt of percentage salaries, say it most plainly. “We will never forget this administration,” one LGA worker in Kogi West said. “For years we lived in shame. Today we can plan.”
It is without mincing words, Kogi State from all indication is an APC State. Nothing looks like it will change. Other political parties will only be participants in the 2027 Governorship Election as nothing looks like the have a presence. With the war chest and control Gov. Ododo has as grip on the State, it will obviously be a contest between the incumbent and others as spectators. He remains a sure odd, added to the massive support of the civil servants.
That sentiment explains why, as 2027 approaches, the phrase on the lips of many Kogi workers is: “Ododo is the devil we know. We prefer him to an angel we do not know.” For them, the choice is not about big grammar or big projects on paper. It is about salary that comes when due, promotion that comes with money, health insurance that works, and a government that listens. With Comr. Onuh Edoka bridging government and labour, and with welfare policies already rolled out and published, Governor Ododo has built a base that will be very difficult for any challenger to uproot in 2027. Because in Kogi, workers remember. And this time, they say they will vote with that memory.
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