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16 hours ago
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Kogi State Governor Alhaji Ahmed Ododo says his administration has performed excellently well since he assumed office on January 27, 2024.
The areas include security, health, infrastructural development, agriculture, empowerment, human capital development, and others.
Speaking in Lokoja at a town hall meeting on the enlightenment campaign of the renewed hope intervention programs of the Federal Government with the theme sensitising the citizenry on Federal Government intervention programmes at the State and Local Government levels, Governor Ododo disclosed that whatever policies and programs are being implemented by the Federal Government will be replicated in Kogi State.
The Governor, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Media, Ismaila Isah, said, “Here in Kogi State, I am very pleased to inform Nigerians that all of the programs that are being implemented, especially in the aftermath of the removal of fuel subsidies, have been well taken care of by the state government.
“That is one of the reasons why His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, when he campaigned, made it clear that he would run a pro-people government. A government that listens to the demands and yearnings of the masses.
“He also planned to ensure that there are palliatives for the people. We have done three palliatives now. The last one for the year will be coming up within these ember months. There are a lot of initiatives that are being tailored towards ensuring that we align ourselves completely with the policies and programmes of Mr President in line with the renewed hope agenda of the Federal Government.
“All the areas that have been enumerated in terms of intervention from agriculture, infrastructure, health care, the energy crisis, and how to go about ameliorating the crisis have been domesticated and adapted in Kogi State.
“For instance, in line with the Federal Government’s efforts to ensure local government autonomy, I am pleased to inform you that here in Kogi State, like His Excellency recently said at the last stakeholder’s meetings of the All Progressive Congress, APC, before the commencement of the preparation for the local government election, Kogi State has always ensured that there is autonomy for local government. That was what informed the publications of the state financial records about 52 months ago, which indicated how money that is meant for the state and local government has always been spent.
“For many years, not only with this administration but including the immediate past government. If you have gone through that record, there have not been any attempts to emasculate the local government. If you are following events in the state, the Kogi State Independent Electoral Commission (KOSIEC) is preparing to conduct the council election coming up on October 19, 2024.
“Kogi is one of the states that has moved quickly not only by accepting the judgement of the Supreme Court on local government autonomy but also by putting measures in place to ensure that the state government complies truly with that decision by ensuring that local government elections are held within the year, which is part of the bargain that has been raised between the state and the federal government by ensuring that nobody is left behind in the implementation of local government autonomy.”.
Explaining further the State Government’s efforts to cushion the effects of the removal of fuel subsidy, Governor Ododo said, “As for the NG-CARES, which is part of the intervention by the Federal Government to ensure we are able to cushion the effects of the removal of fuel subsidy on our people, here in Kogi State, there are over 170 projects so far that have been implemented under the NG-CARES programmes, and these programmes are touching very critical sectors like health care, education, socio-welfare, provision of amenities, and so many other areas where the government has been very active.
“In terms of agriculture, we will also notice that the government has keyed seriously into the Federal Government Agricultural and Food Security Initiative. Recently, the present administration flagged off the distribution of fertilisers in the state. Governor Ododo made it clear that fertilisers must not be diverted and priority should be given to communities where there is active farming.
“This is what informed the allocation of 50 per cent of the fertiliser distribution to farmers in Ibaji and Bassa Local Government deliberately to ensure that this very active set of farming communities are well taken care of not leaving out other parts of the state where there have also been farming.
“There are a lot of things we are doing. For the first time in the history of Kogi State, we now have about 76 farming clusters across the 21 local government areas.”.
According to the Governor, “in terms of infrastructure, the state government has also keyed into the infrastructural projects that the federal government has embarked on. Within the first eight months, we are already embarking on the construction of about 100 kilometres of roads in about eight towns. For those township roads, we intend to do 400 kilometres in the next year. But 100 kilometres have already kicked off in about eight local government areas, especially in Kogi East and West.
“Very soon, we will be flagging off in Kogi Central, and the project will continue until we are able to deliver up to 400 kilometres of township road in the state. Recently, we have completed the nine-kilometre Zone Eight, GYB, Zango road, which started under the last administration. Between now and November, the raid from Zone Eight up to the crusher, the State Assembly, and the High Court will also be completed.
On security, the governor said, “In the areas of security, you all know how the government has been combating insecurities. The government is ensuring that there is consistent improvement in our local security architecture, which is why we are seeing the recruitment of over 1000 local hunters to complement the existing ones.
“The State Vigilantes Service has also been improved. More recruitment has been done, and their welfare packages have improved. In a few weeks from now, there will be another delivery of sets of vehicles for the Police, Army, Navy, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, and other security apparatus in the state. We have given over 100 vehicles to the state security architecture, and we have also provided motorcycles for local hunters across the 21 local government areas of the state. These are some of the things the state government has been doing to fully integrate into what the federal government is doing.
“In the health sector, we are currently revitalising over 70 primary health centres, and plans are ongoing to upgrade tertiary health institutions across the state.”.
In his remarks, the Kogi State Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Alhaji Seidu Ademu Haruna, who was represented by his Vice Comrade Ibrahim Obansa, commended the Kogi State Government for their quick intervention in cushioning the effect of fuel subsidy removal.
He appealed to the Federal Government to step up in its game to allow more people to participate more in agriculture and other intervention programmes in the country.
The Kogi State NUJ Chairman said, “Kogi State is strategically located in this country. We want more federal government interventions. The Federal Government should make it less cumbersome for the students to access these loans and more speedy so that people can access them. It is not everybody that knows how to read and write. When you say consumer credit, how many people understand this?
“They should be able to simplify this. On the whole, Kogi State is lucky that we have a governor who is proactive in ensuring things are done timely and accurately. Let the market women carry this message to the people that the government is working and are committed to allowing their business to grow.”
The Maigari of Lokoja, HRH Ibrahim Gambo, who was represented by the Mutawelli of Lokoja, Alhaji Adamu Mohammed, appreciated the state government for creating an enabling environment for businesses to strive.
“When there is no peace, there is no way we can access these interventions. The government should ensure that this kind of gathering is stepped down at the local government level,” he added.
The resource person at the event, who is a former Head of Centre, Federal Information Centre Lokoja Alh. Lawal Karim Shaibu, highlighted some of the intervention strategies the Federal Government has adopted to cushion the effect of the fuel subsidy removal.
He listed the student loan initiative, investment in digital and creative exercise, the compressed natural gas CNG initiative, the Nigerian Youth Academy (NIYA), the National Youth Talent Export Programme (NATEP), and local government reform as some of the notable interventions by the federal government to cushion the hardship in the country as a result of fuel subsidy removal.
Earlier in her welcome address, the Head of Centre, Federal Information Centre, Lokoja Sabina Abalaka, pointed out that the Town Hall meeting is aimed at sensitising and creating awareness among the citizenry and critical stakeholders to the interventions being taken by the Federal Government to cushion the effects of the hardship being experienced by the people as a result of the removal of fuel subsidies.
Abalaka admitted that the removal of the subsidy has brought about excruciating hardship as a result of the general rise in prices of goods and services and the sharp decrease in the purchasing power of the people.
Continuing, Abalaka said, “As difficult as this decision is, it is imperative and unavoidable in order to prevent the total collapse of the national economy. We are all aware that trillions of dollars have gone down the drain in the name of fuel subsidy, and everybody, including local and international economic experts, is in support of this awesome decision.
“The purpose of this meeting therefore is to inform you and create awareness on interventions embarked upon by the Federal Government to help cushion the effects of this hardship. It is expected that this will be a continuous exercise that will be carried out to help inform and enlighten the citizenry on the efforts being made by the Federal Government.
“The Federal Government has assured us that this is a passing phase and that the pump price of petroleum products would eventually stabilise. The Vice President just a few days ago likened our present pains to those experienced by a woman in labour and said that the joy after delivery naturally makes the woman forget the pains of the labour. May the pains we are facing now eventually give way to joy and happiness.
It was gathered that the town hall meeting on the enlightenment campaign of the renewed hope intervention programs of the Federal Government was organised by the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation.
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