Olu Samuel
Kogi state governor, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo has said that his administration spent N100 billion to support seven thousand farmer in the state in the past two years.
The governor disclosed this on Thursday in a keynote address delivered as the 3 day training programme on promoting development and infrastructure growth in alignment with the 32 year development plan held in Lokoja.
This,he said was geared towards fulfilling his promises of migrating the state from being a civil service state to an industrialized state through sustained agricultural revolution.
“In less than two years, this administration has moved from rhetoric to results.
The governor who was represented by the Finance Commissioner, Asiwaju Ashiru Idris said “We decided that Kogi would no longer remain a civil-service dormitory. We revived the Confluence Rice Mill with private-sector partnership; today, Kogi rice is back on shelves and hundreds of our youths now have direct employment.We supported over seven thousand farmers with inputs worth more than seven billion naira—100% free during the last wet season”.
“By refurbishing 140 abandoned tractors at a fraction of the cost of new ones, we saved the treasury over twenty billion naira, which is now being used to build roads and hospitals.Five hundred women and youths today are proud poultry owners because we gave them not fish, but the means to produce fish viable farms.” He said
The governor also disclosed that through KEDA, six billion naira in grants and soft loans has reached more than fifteen thousand micro, small and medium enterprises across the twenty-one local government areas of the state.
He said that the efforts of the administration was rewarded by Fitch ratings of it’s credit profile with a “B”. All these he said led to stable outlook ,clear evidence of fiscal discipline and improved performance.
The governor also disclosed that efforts were being intensified on the New Ultra-Modern Market located along the Zone 8–Crusher Road.
“This market sits on 25 hectares of land, and our objective is to open up the area, boost trade, and create a massive hub for commercial activities to thrive upon completion” he added.