By Chesa Chesa
The Kogi Diaspora Association (KDA), United Kingdom, has commended Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo for what it described as significant strides in infrastructure, healthcare, education and economic development across the state.
The association, in a statement signed by its Secretary-General, Sir Andrew Okwor, on Monday, said it had followed developments in Kogi with keen interest from the United Kingdom and was satisfied with the direction of the state under Ododo.
The group said the governor had demonstrated that continuity in governance could serve as a catalyst for sustainable development by building on projects and initiatives inherited from the immediate past administration of former Governor Yahaya Bello.
According to the association, one of the most notable achievements of the Ododo administration is its intervention in primary healthcare, particularly the revitalisation of more than 150 Primary Healthcare Centres across the 21 local government areas.
It noted that 88 PHCs had been rehabilitated with an investment of more than N7 billion, while over 70 other centres were undergoing renovation.
The association said more than 80 revitalised PHCs had been commissioned by November 2025, adding that the facilities were being equipped with medical equipment as well as improved power, water and other amenities.
KDA said the healthcare interventions were significant because they extended government services beyond Lokoja and other urban centres to communities where the majority of Kogites reside.
The association also praised the governor for sustaining investments in education and human capital, including the completion and commissioning of the GYB Model Science Secondary Schools.
It said the administration’s decision to complete inherited projects and put them to productive use demonstrated that political succession did not have to result in developmental discontinuity.
“Political succession does not have to mean developmental discontinuity,” the association said, stressing that the true test of leadership was not necessarily who conceived a project but who had the commitment to complete, equip and ensure that its benefits reached the people.
The group further commended the administration’s focus on agriculture, rural development, infrastructure and economic expansion.
It said Kogi’s agricultural and mineral resources, coupled with its strategic location, provided enormous opportunities that could be converted into economic prosperity through sustained investment.
The association acknowledged government interventions in agricultural mechanisation, farm inputs and support for farmers, as well as continued road and infrastructure projects across the state.
It also noted that the N820.49 billion 2026 budget reflected the administration’s development ambitions, while urging that such an ambitious financial plan must be matched with disciplined implementation, transparency and measurable results.
On fiscal management, the KDA commended efforts to reduce domestic debt, settle inherited obligations and strengthen fiscal discipline.
It also welcomed what it described as attention to the welfare of workers and pensioners, including regular payment of salaries and pensions and efforts toward pension harmonisation.
The association said development should not be measured only by physical infrastructure, but also by the ability of workers to plan their lives, pensioners to receive their entitlements and families to access essential services.
The KDA said it was particularly encouraged by the Ododo administration’s decision to build on the foundations laid by the Bello administration rather than dismantling them.
The association, however, clarified that its support for the Ododo administration was not a “blank cheque”, stressing that citizens still had a responsibility to demand accountability and better performance from government.
It called on Kogites at home and abroad to support initiatives that promote the collective interest of the state and encourage the governor to consolidate the gains already recorded.
