By Opeyemi P. Gbemiro
Gov. Ahmed Ododo of Kogi has directed the immediate allocation of land to federal civil servants serving in the state to enable them to build their own houses.
Ododo gave the directive on Friday when he received members of the Association of Heads of Federal Establishments in Lokoja.
He described the more than 25,000 federal workers in the state as critical partners in development and pledged his administration’s commitment to improving their living and working conditions.
The governor also pledged support for the association’s proposed hostel project for students of the Federal University Lokoja (FUL), directing that the facility be reserved exclusively for female students.
He commended the association for its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, including the establishment of a primary school and the acquisition of land for the proposed hostel.
Ododo assured the association that the state government would not abandon the primary school earlier demolished to pave the way for the construction of a new international market.
He said he had directed the Commissioner for Education to ensure that the school continued operating at a new location.
The governor also promised to support the completion of the hostel project, which the association said would comprise two blocks with a capacity to accommodate 68 students.
He said the intervention would help address accommodation challenges faced by students of the university.
Ododo further promised to provide pilgrimage slots for members of the association to participate in Hajj and Jerusalem pilgrimages.
He urged the members to assess leadership based on performance and track records, rather than other considerations.
Earlier, the Chairman of the association and Kogi Coordinator of the Federal Character Commission, Mr Gabriel Usman, said the state hosted 114 federal agencies.
Usman explained that the association’s interventions in the education sector were designed to complement the state government’s development efforts.
He listed the association’s requests to include support for the hostel project, a bus for its activities, additional land for members, pilgrimage opportunities and the appointment of a Special Adviser on Federal Establishments from among its members.
