The Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, has been commended for his inclusive style of leadership, which has given residents of South South extraction in the state a sense of belonging and participation in governance.
The commendation came from the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 8 Headquarters, Lokoja, AIG Betty Isokpan Otimenyin, when she received a delegation of the leadership and members of the South South States Residents in Kogi State in her office on Friday. The group comprises residents from Edo, Delta, Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom and Cross River States.
AIG Otimenyin, the first female to head Zone 8, which comprises Kogi and Kwara States, said the Ododo administration’s decision to appoint South Southerners into strategic political positions is unprecedented in the state’s history. She said it reflects the Governor’s detribalised and people-centred approach to governance.
She urged those appointed to justify the confidence reposed in them through loyalty, diligence and total commitment to the administration and to constituted authorities in the state. She stressed that “to whom much is given, much is expected.”
The AIG reiterated her Command’s resolve to nip crime and criminality in the bud. She said that through collaboration with sister security agencies and the support of the state government, Kogi and the entire Zone 8 Command have remained relatively peaceful since she assumed office on July 30, 2026.
She urged members of the South South community to go about their legitimate businesses without fear of molestation, assuring them that the Command is resolved to ensure the safety of lives and property across the Zone.
Emphasising that effective policing is a shared responsibility, she called on the community to keep partnering with security agencies by providing timely and credible intelligence whenever the need arises.
Leading the delegation, the President of South South States Residents in Kogi State and Special Adviser to the Governor on South South Mobilization, Abu Micheal, said the visit was to identify with the proactive policing and renewed security architecture being implemented by the Zone 8 Command under AIG Otimenyin.
Micheal praised Governor Ododo for keeping the state safe and for creating an enabling environment for all ethnic groups to thrive irrespective of origin. He described the AIG as a well-grounded, experienced and accomplished officer whose track record places her in a strong position to sustain peace and security in Kogi and Kwara States.
He noted that the inclusion of Southerners in the present administration is the first of its kind since the creation of Kogi State. He assured the AIG that South South residents will continue to support the Ododo administration and security agencies in maintaining peace and driving development.
Other speakers, including Hon. Lucky Oba and Hon. Kingsley Oshilim, both Senior Special Assistants on Grassroots Mobilization, solicited the AIG’s support and collaboration during the grassroots sensitisation programmes being carried out by political appointees of South South extraction.
The meeting ended with a renewed commitment to partnership, intelligence sharing and peaceful coexistence among all residents in the Zone.
