Group calls for accountability, improved governance in Kogi

The Campaign for Good Governance in Kogi (CGGK) has called on the state government to improve transparency and accountability in the management of public affairs.

In a statement on Tuesday, the group expressed concern that Yahaya Bello, former governor of Kogi, may still be influencing state decisions.

The statement was jointly signed by Sadiq Maiwuka, chairman; David Kupolati, vice-chairman; Patrick Baiye, publicity secretary; Stephen Ogu, general secretary; and Abu Zekeri, youth leader.

The group said it noted with concern the establishment of a committee led by Smart Adeyemi, a former senator, to canvass support for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu and Ahmed Ododo, Kogi governor.

The group said Kogi west, which Adeyemi represented in the senate for three terms, has been “politically sidelined” since 2016, yet is now being asked to lead a campaign for Tinubu and Ododo’s re-election.

“While President Tinubu has justified the confidence reposed in him through measurable progress in governance, the same cannot be said of the Ododo administration in Kogi,” the statement reads.

The group praised Tinubu for his “transformational leadership”, noting a drop in debt service expenditure from 95 percent to 69 percent of national earnings.

CGGK said the economy recorded 4.23 percent GDP growth alongside notable gains in oil and agricultural productivity.

The group also cited the president’s focus on human capital development through the student loan scheme, which has “benefited 600,000 Nigerians”, and the record N2.2 trillion disbursement to all tiers of government by the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) in September.

According to CGGK, these strides stand in contrast to Kogi’s “glaring decay and economic mismanagement” under Ododo.

“Thirty-four years after the creation of the entity, Kogi State does not in any way compare with its peers, some of which have earned much less resources over the same period,” the statement reads.

“Rather, the state is a graphic epitome of mass plunder and blatant rape, wilful neglect and unconcerned abandonment.”

CGGK claimed that there are no visible projects under the Ododo administration nearly two years after assuming office, except for the yet-to-be-completed Audit house in Lokoja.

The group challenged the governor to identify “any major project” being executed outside Ebiraland, including roads, schools, water schemes, or rural electrification initiatives.

CGGK called on the governor to prioritise transparency, ensure local governments receive their due allocations, and emulate other governors who, it said, are earning goodwill through performance.