Your Excellency,
I write to you with profound respect and a deep sense of responsibility as a concerned stakeholder in the development of Kogi State.
First, I wish to acknowledge the various infrastructure initiatives being undertaken by your administration to reposition Kogi State for economic growth and sustainable development. The emphasis on road infrastructure, strategic economic projects and the opening up of the state to investment reflects the importance of building a strong foundation for future prosperity.
Of particular significance is the recent flag-off of the construction of the Kogi International Cargo Airport at Zariagi, Adavi Local Government Area, on November 10, 2026. This is a major development that, when completed, could place Kogi State in a strategic position within Nigeria’s aviation, logistics and international trade network.
Similarly, the proposed Ajaokuta Free Trade Zone, also known as the Kogi-Hunan Free Trade Zone, represents an important opportunity to transform the state’s economic landscape through manufacturing, industrial production, international trade and foreign direct investment.
The development of the Lokoja International Market is another strategic initiative that could strengthen commercial activities and expand opportunities for traders, entrepreneurs and investors.
Your Excellency, these projects deserve recognition because they provide important foundations for the economic transformation of our dear state.
However, there is one critical area that requires deliberate attention: THE ESTABLISHMENT OF INDUSTRIAL ESTATES ACROSS THE THREE SENATORIAL DISTRICTS OF KOGI STATE.
FROM INFRASTRUCTURE TO INDUSTRIALISATION
Your Excellency, infrastructure development becomes more economically rewarding when it is supported by industries that create jobs, process local resources, generate revenue and stimulate commercial activities.
An international airport, an international market and a free trade zone should not operate as isolated projects. They should function as interconnected economic institutions supported by manufacturing companies, agro-processing industries, warehouses, export businesses and other productive enterprises.
This is why I respectfully appeal to your administration to consider establishing well-equipped industrial estates in Kogi Central, Kogi East and Kogi West.
The objective should be to ensure that the economic opportunities being created by your administration are distributed across the three senatorial districts, rather than concentrated in a few locations.
THE KANO EXAMPLE: CONNECTING AVIATION WITH INDUSTRIAL GROWTH
Your Excellency, a practical example can be drawn from Kano State.
The Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport serves as an important gateway for passenger movement and cargo transportation. Kano has also developed industrial estates and a Free Trade Zone that accommodate manufacturing, agro-processing and other commercial enterprises.
The relationship between aviation, industrial estates, commercial markets and manufacturing provides an important lesson for Kogi State.
Kogi should not only build an international cargo airport; it should also develop the industrial capacity to produce, process, package and export goods through that airport.
Imagine agricultural products, processed foods, solid mineral products and manufactured goods from Kogi being transported to other parts of Nigeria and international destinations through the proposed airport.
That is the kind of economic chain that can turn infrastructure investment into sustainable prosperity.
WHY KOGI NEEDS INDUSTRIAL ESTATES IN THE THREE SENATORIAL DISTRICTS
- KOGI CENTRAL: MINING, STEEL AND MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES
Kogi Central has enormous opportunities in solid minerals, steel-related activities, metal fabrication, building materials and agro-processing.
With the strategic location of Ajaokuta and the proposed Free Trade Zone, the district can become an important destination for steel-related industries, mineral processing companies, engineering firms, cement and building-material manufacturers, and other manufacturing businesses.
The government can encourage local and international investors to establish factories that will process the state’s natural resources into finished products rather than allowing the state to depend mainly on the extraction and transportation of raw materials.
- KOGI EAST: AGRICULTURAL PROCESSING AND FOOD INDUSTRIES
Kogi East has considerable agricultural potential, which presents opportunities for large-scale agro-industrial development.
Industrial estates in the district could accommodate rice mills, cassava processing factories, maize processing plants, palm oil processing companies, cashew processing industries, food packaging companies and agricultural storage facilities.
Such investments would provide farmers with ready markets for their produce, reduce post-harvest losses, increase agricultural earnings and create employment opportunities for young people.
- KOGI WEST: MANUFACTURING, LOGISTICS AND AGRO-ALLIED INDUSTRIES
Kogi West also deserves strategic industrial investment, taking advantage of its geographical position, agricultural activities, mineral resources and connectivity to neighbouring states.
Industrial estates could accommodate food processing companies, pharmaceutical manufacturing, packaging industries, plastic manufacturing, agricultural equipment production, warehouses and logistics companies.
This would expand economic opportunities and ensure that the benefits of industrial development reach communities across the district.
THE ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF ATTRACTING MORE COMPANIES TO KOGI STATE
Your Excellency, the presence of more companies and industries in Kogi State will have far-reaching benefits beyond the immediate creation of employment.
- MASSIVE JOB CREATION: Industrial establishments will provide direct employment for engineers, technicians, accountants, administrators, factory workers, drivers, security personnel and other professionals. They will also create indirect employment for traders, transporters, suppliers and service providers.
- REDUCTION IN YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT: One of the most effective ways to address unemployment is to create an environment where private businesses can establish factories and absorb the growing population of skilled and unskilled young people.
- INCREASED INTERNALLY GENERATED REVENUE: More operational businesses will expand the state’s revenue base through applicable taxes, levies, business registrations and other legitimate revenue channels.
- ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION: Kogi State should gradually move beyond an economy largely dependent on government activities and public-sector employment. Manufacturing, agriculture, mining, logistics and commercial enterprises can provide alternative sources of economic strength.
- DEVELOPMENT OF LOCAL SKILLS AND TECHNOLOGY: Industrial establishments will expose Kogi indigenes to modern technology, technical training, engineering practices and international standards of production.
- GROWTH OF SMALL AND MEDIUM-SCALE ENTERPRISES: Large companies will create business opportunities for local suppliers, transport operators, food vendors, artisans, maintenance contractors and other small businesses.
- INCREASED INVESTMENT AND EXPORT POTENTIAL: With the international cargo airport, Free Trade Zone and Lokoja International Market working together, Kogi can attract investors interested in producing goods for both domestic consumption and international markets.
- IMPROVED STANDARD OF LIVING: Industrial development will increase household incomes, expand economic activities, encourage infrastructure development and create opportunities for families across the state.
A CALL FOR A KOGI STATE INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT POLICY
Your Excellency, I respectfully suggest that your administration consider establishing a dedicated Industrial Development and Investment Promotion Framework.
Such a framework should include:
- Identification and allocation of suitable land for industrial estates in each senatorial district.
- Provision of reliable electricity, water supply, access roads and other essential infrastructure.
- Introduction of attractive incentives for genuine local and foreign investors.
- Establishment of a one-stop investment facilitation office to simplify business registration, land acquisition and other government procedures.
- Partnership with the Bank of Industry, Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission and relevant federal agencies to facilitate industrial financing.
- Collaboration with universities, polytechnics and technical institutions to provide the skilled manpower required by industries.
- Development of special programmes that encourage local entrepreneurs to establish manufacturing and processing businesses.
- Promotion of public-private partnerships to ensure that industrial estates become operational and commercially sustainable.
Importantly, the government should prioritise attracting actual manufacturing companies and investors who will establish operational factories, rather than merely allocating industrial plots without corresponding economic activities.
KOGI MUST BECOME A PRODUCING STATE, NOT JUST A TRANSIT STATE
Your Excellency, Kogi State enjoys a strategic geographical advantage as a connecting point between northern and southern Nigeria. It also possesses agricultural resources, solid minerals, human capital and significant commercial potential.
The International Cargo Airport, Ajaokuta Free Trade Zone and Lokoja International Market provide an opportunity to establish a new economic direction for the state.
However, the real measure of success will not only be the number of infrastructure projects completed but also the number of industries established, businesses attracted, jobs created, products manufactured and economic opportunities made available to the people.
Imagine a Kogi State where young graduates do not have to travel to Lagos, Abuja, Kano or Port Harcourt in search of industrial employment.
Imagine a state where farmers in Kogi East supply raw materials to factories within their communities, where mineral resources in Kogi Central support manufacturing industries, and where businesses in Kogi West benefit from expanded commercial and industrial activities.
Imagine locally manufactured products from Kogi being transported through the international cargo airport to different parts of the world.
This is the economic future that industrialisation can help create.
CONCLUSION
Your Excellency, history will remember not only the roads, bridges, markets and airports constructed during your administration but also the economic institutions established to provide sustainable opportunities for generations yet unborn.
The time has come for Kogi State to move beyond infrastructure development to a more comprehensive industrialisation agenda.
I therefore respectfully urge you to consider the establishment of functional industrial estates across Kogi Central, Kogi East and Kogi West as a complementary investment to the Kogi International Cargo Airport, Ajaokuta Free Trade Zone and Lokoja International Market.
Let Kogi become a destination for manufacturers, investors, exporters and entrepreneurs.
Let our natural resources create wealth within our communities. Let our young people find meaningful employment in their home state. Let the three senatorial districts become active contributors to a diversified and productive Kogi economy.
The airport will connect Kogi to the world, the international market will connect our businesses to buyers, the Free Trade Zone will attract investment, but industrial estates will give our people the opportunity to produce, manufacture and create wealth.
I believe that a deliberate industrialisation policy will complement your administration’s infrastructure agenda and lay a stronger foundation for sustainable economic development in Kogi State.
Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurances of my highest regards..
Yours faithfully,
– Yusuf Nuhu
Media Consultant
Lokoja, Kogi State.
