By Abah Benjamin Eneojoh
Govrnmen House, Lokoja
October 7, 2025
Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to inclusive development, unity, and grassroots empowerment. The Governor made this known when he hosted stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Kogi East on a courtesy visit at the Government House in Lokoja.
The delegation, led by retired Major General Patrick Akpa, commiserated with the Governor over recent tragedies in Kogi West and the Ibaji boat mishap. They commended the Governor for his landmark achievements in education, which recently earned him the Golden Award of Excellence from the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT). The group also promised their support for the re-election of both President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo.
The stakeholders pledged their unalloyed loyalty and support to the administration of Governor Ododo, while commending the Deputy Governor, Comrade Joel Salifu, for his leadership and initiative in fostering unity within the party. They also called for major infrastructural projects in each local government area of Kogi East, including several roads that require construction and rehabilitation.
In response, Governor Ododo thanked the delegation for their visit and solidarity, describing their presence as “a show of unity and shared purpose.” He lamented that despite the zone’s rich endowments in cashew, coal, and other mineral resources, its people have not fully benefited due to external exploitation.
The Governor pledged continued investment in rural infrastructure and education, reaffirming that pupils in public primary and secondary schools do not pay school fees. He assured that more roads across the nine local government areas of Kogi East are being penciled down for construction and urged the stakeholders to send lists of internal roads that need construction and rehabilitation for consideration.
The Governor also announced that indigenes of the oil-producing community in Ibaji would be included in KOSOPADEC appointments and that plans are already in motion to fix the Ganaja Village road and many other roads in the zone. He lauded the people of Kogi East for ensuring a peaceful election in 2023 and urged them to sustain the peace for greater development.
The event was highlighted by the presentation of the NUT Golden Award of Excellence in Education to Governor Ododo by the Deputy Governor, Comrade Joel Salifu. The Governor dedicated the award to God and the people of Kogi State, saying it was “a motivation to do more for teachers and education.”
