Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo has appointed nearly 1,192 political appointees raising concerns among civil society organizations.
The appointments come at a time of high inflation, limited government funds and focus has shifted to the size and cost of governance. The Community Outreach for Development and Welfare Advocacy (CODWA) has sharply rebuked the governor, labeling the appointments “further waste of limited resources” of the state.
The group argues that Ododo is following in the footsteps of his predecessor, Yahaya Bello. Bello was criticized for similar practices and is currently wanted by Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency, the EFCC. CODWA accused Bello of leaving the state in a state of underdevelopment and dehumanization.
The Executive Director of CODWA, Comrade Taiwo Otitolaye, questioned the potential benefits of such many appointees.
“How long will Kogi State suffer from leaders who have left the state dilapidated?” Otitolaye queried.
“These appointments are nothing but a further waste of limited resources.”
He said that instead of exploring ways to liaise with the Federal Government and relevant stakeholders to reactivate Ajaokuta and other world-class projects in the state to full working capacity, the governor is wasting Kogi’s commonwealth.
“It has become a brazen sore anticlimax for a state with one of Africa’s most blessed natural resources, home with oil and solid minerals, to continue to rumble on bad governance without end.“
He argued that the state needs more leadership with vision and political will to develop the state.
Otitolaye also criticized the government for the lack of good roads, hospitals, and factories to employ its youth and women and for not promoting human capital development despite its abundant resources. He called for the state government to assemble experts to design and implement a Kogi State Development Plan and Strategy to move the state forward.
“We condemn this primitive use of state apparatus and resources to the detriment of the state and its citizens. This maladministration and waste must stop!
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 criticizes the move as wasteful and calls for a comprehensive development strategy for the state.){kind=link}