Governor Usman Ododo was sworn-in as the 5th executive governor of Kogi state on Saturday, taking over from Alhaji Yahaya Bello who rounded up his second tenure same day.
In his inaugural speech, Ododo prayed for God’s guidance in delivering enviable performance that matches the huge expectation of the people of Kogi State who voted overwhelmingly for him and his party, the All Progressives Congress.
He praised President Bola Tinubu and promised to remain loyal to him, come rain, come shine.
He added that “Your Excellency, under my leadership, I want to restate that Kogi State shall be one of the sub-national hubs of pilot projects for key drivers of the Federal Government’s programmes in food security, poverty eradication, job creation, access to capital, inclusion, rule of law, the fight against corruption and overall economic growth, which would have local adaptation to the realities of Kogi State.”
Aside the promise made to Tinubu, the Governor also pronounced key promises on what will shape his administration.
Quoting him verbatim, we present 15 key promises made by Governor Ododo in his inaugural speech:
1. Our approach will be open, frank and rugged but I am confident that it will lead us eventually to progress and prosperity.
2. This is the time for us to commence the process towards achieving a charter of equity on power rotation in the state because it is now apparent that no single senatorial district in our state can go it alone without the cooperation and support of others who are co-equals in the political configuration of the State.
3. Furthermore, our government shall hit the ground running with people-oriented programmes and projects delivered with utmost focus on the wellbeing of our people and we shall govern with transparency, probity and accountability at all times.
4. We are going to make Kogi State an attractive investment destination for local and foreign investors.
5. In this new era, more homes shall be built, more jobs will be created, businesses will blossom, our farmlands will thrive.
6. Our health care system will witness massive improvement in scale and efficiency.
7. Our schools will be filled and our teachers will have more reasons to smile on their way to the classrooms; our youths will find more avenues to build skills for innovation and creative enterprises and the welfare of our women shall be the utmost priority of this administration.
8. This will require us to look at the low hanging fruits such as completing all the critical infrastructural projects of the immediate past administration that are dear to the wellbeing of our people and by tapping into existing opportunities for partnership with the Federal Government. These will focus more on our areas of comparative advantage such as solid minerals and steel development, agriculture, marine and blue economy; tourism and creative economy, as well as information technology and digital economy, where our youth population with tremendous energy can be hugely mobilized to become key players in the value chain. We must all be prepared to begin from where the immediate past administration stopped.
9. Our team will be made up of individuals with ambitions greater than what you have seen before now.
10. Kogi State, which has been rated in the top 10 category under Governor Yahaya Bello by both local and international organisations, as far as growth indicators are concerned, will perform even better because the leadership will be more inventive, our workers will be more productive across sectors and the productive capacity will remain undiminished under the new administration.
11. A lot needs to be done to keep our communities safe and secure, help our young people find jobs, keep families in business, keep pupils in school and our teachers looking forward to the next school day, connect our farmers to markets even as we sustain food sufficiency in all parts of the state, get corporate organizations into partnerships that work for our communities and help our pensioners to live dignified and fulfilled lives.
12. Our administration will be aggressive, deliberate and strategic in making our business environment attractive. Kogi has all it takes to fulfill Nigeria’s dream of becoming the industrial hub of the global south. We are one of the most endowed states in Nigeria with abundant mineral resources and many gifts of nature. Kogi is where two of Africa’s biggest rivers, Niger and Benue, form a Confluence. The huge water bodies can serve in the areas of transportation, agriculture and tourism. We have all it takes with the many rivers and dams in the state to produce food all year round with an all seasons farming. We must produce what we eat , eat what we produce and produce what others eat. Aside the very valuable mineral resources our state is blessed with, we have no excuse not to be the food basket of Africa with the robust agricultural platforms already put in place by my leader and predecessor, His Excellency Alh. Yahaya Bello, CON.
13. In the next couple of months, we are hopeful that the world will make Kogi their tourism destination of choice. As your Governor, I will be at the forefront of our investment drive and we shall put in place, a Diaspora Investment Platform to make every Kogite around the world our investment Ambassador. It is economically imperative to build an economy that is basically driven by the private sector.
14. Fellow Kogites, I promise to govern with the fear of God and to be just, fair and equitable in all my dealings with all men and women irrespective of tribe, religion or political affiliation.
15. Our government will be transparent, accountable and we shall reward honesty, hard work and courage while promoting tolerance, loyalty and fairness.
Source: Kogi Reports
