The advocacy group expressed concerns that the governor is following in the footsteps of his predecessor, Yahaya Bello, who has been criticised for similar practices and is currently at large.
The Community Outreach for Development and Welfare Advocacy (CODWA) has condemned the recent decision by Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo, to appoint 1,192 new political appointees, calling it an act of extravagance and prodigality.
The advocacy group expressed concerns that the governor is following in the footsteps of his predecessor, Yahaya Bello, who has been criticised for similar practices and is currently at large.
CODWA argued that Bello left the state “bleeding and in the intensive care unit” of underdevelopment and dehumanisation.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Executive Director, Comrade Taiwo Otitolaye, questioned, “What can Ododo possibly achieve with an outrageous figure of 1,192 political appointees?”
The statement read, “A statement by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Folashade Ayoade stated that the Governor has approved the appointment of the so-called aides.
Comrade Otitolaye stated, “For how long will Kogi State suffer from leaders who have left the state in a dilapidated condition?
“These appointments are nothing but a further waste of limited resources.
“Except for the late Abubakar Audu, Kogi state has been RULED by mediocre leadership without vision and Political Will to develop the state.
He said, instead of the Governor 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, he is wasting Kogi’s commonwealth.
“It has become a brazen sore and climax for a state with one of most blessed natural resources in Africa, home with oil and solid minerals, to continue to rumble on bad governance without end.
According to him, Kogi State lacks good roads, hospitals, and factories to employ its teeming youth and women. It is one of the worst states in terms of promoting human capital development, despite its abundance of human resources.
“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!”
“Rather than wasting scarce resources, we call on the state government to assemble experts to design and implement a Kogi State Development Plan and Strategy to move the state forward,” he added.
Leave a Reply