Other side of Kogi’s Idris Wada

The governor rekindled hope in the traumatized people of Qjapata/Ajodiun and Ihiame communities in Igalamela/Odolu local government area, when he commissioned two blocks of school buildings there. Each block consisted of three class rooms. He also donated furniture and built a block of detached toilets, all at cost of N11.5 million for the school. The […]

The governor rekindled hope in the traumatized people of Qjapata/Ajodiun and Ihiame communities in Igalamela/Odolu local government area, when he commissioned two blocks of school buildings there. Each block consisted of three class rooms. He also donated furniture and built a block of detached toilets, all at cost of N11.5 million for the school. The project was handled under the direct supervision of Kogi State Agency for Social and Community Development.
 Until the governor gesture, the three communities which the school serves had suffered untold deprivations. From time immemorial, they have been sending their wards to secondary schools in far away Idah, Ejule or Ajaka until some years ago when through self effort, they established the Community Secondary School with wooden walls and thatched roofs. James Odiba, General Manager of the agency that handled the project, explained that it was constructed in record period of three months.
Leader and spokesperson of the community, Mr. Peter Atabo, requested that the state government should take over the school and turn it to a Government Day Secondary School. He also narrated the ordeals of the people each time they had to travel on the long neglected Ejule-Idah-Achokpa road, the only access road to the outside world. They also wanted portable water and electricity. And like a leader eager to assuage the yearnings of the electorate, Wada promptly promised to do all within his power to elevate their standard of living. He therefore announced the construction of the road and water, while promising to set the necessary machinery in place for the school’s takeover.
From Ojapata, the governor proceeded to Ajaka, headquarter of Igalamela Odolu Local Government, where he inspected on-going projects and commissioned a water rehabilitation work. At the ceremony Wada assured the people of his willingness to improve their living conditions through the delivery of grass roots-oriented dividends of democracy.
On December 4, the governor played host to hundreds of youths who were just being liberated from the twin stigma of joblessness and thuggery. The governor at a ceremony in Lugard House presented cheques of N250, 000 each to youths as mobilization for the youth empowerment programme.  N37.5 million was distributed to a batch comprising of 150 young men and women.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Youth and Women Empowerment, Dr (Mrs)Temitope Shinkaiye, explained that her office has trained about 1,500 young persons in and outside the state under the Youth Advancement and Development for Kogi State (YAD4KOGI).
The youths are being trained mainly in the agro-allied industry as a vehicle of revitalizing the comatose industry.
The governor is not leaving any stones unturned in his efforts to revamp agriculture in the state. The latest effort is his commitment towards the resuscitation of Asharu Oil Mills in Dekina Local Government and other moribund agricultural companies in the Confluence State.
Earlier, Wada displayed the determination of his government to reposition agriculture when he purchased nine tractors for the state branch of National Cotton Association of Nigeria, NACOTAN.  Speaking at the occasion, President of Kogi State Cooperative Women Alliance, Deaconess H.A Odiba, urged the governor to increase the number of tractors available in the state.
In the health sector, the administration has been providing free medical treatment and services across the 21 council areas of the state. The Free Medical Treatment exercise in conjunction with a private concern CEEDIO Group, saw a medical team visiting all parts of the state rendering surgical and medical services to the sick ones.
The government has also stepped up its payment of counterpart funds to the World Health Organization (WHO) and other health institutions locally and globally. This has helped in ensuring the eradication of polio and other diseases.
Drugs and related supports are regularly made available to AIDS/HIV victims.
The administration has shown strong passion for the development of education. In fact, the first official trip of the governor was a visit to Kogi State University (KSU), Anyigba. He followed this up with a visit each to Kogi State Polytechnic KSP, Lokoja, Kogi State College of Education, Technical, Kabba and Federal University, Lokoja. The governor has since begun the construction of modern hostel blocks at KSU and KSP aside other projects in the institutions.
Even more instructive is the administration’s policy not to abandon any of the projects it inherited from its predecessor. Thus, the Confluence Stadium is ready for inauguration. In the same vein, the 100 room Confluence Hotel Extension and the second phase of the State Secretariat are almost ready for commissioning.
Civil servants and other government workers in the state get their salaries and other entitlements as and when due.
Elesho is the Chief Press Secretary to the Kogi State Governor.