By Abah Benjamin Eneojoh
Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, has empowered over 200 young Kogites with business grants, describing the intervention as a strategic investment in the entrepreneurial capacity of the youth and a catalyst for job creation and economic growth across the state.
Governor Ododo made the declaration on Wednesday at the Kogi Youth Entrepreneurship and Business Grant Programme, held in Lokoja as part of activities marking the 2026 International Youth Day celebration, where grant cheques were presented to beneficiaries drawn from across the state.
The Governor said his administration was deliberately shifting the focus of youth development from dependency on government employment to enterprise, innovation and value creation, stressing that government could not employ every citizen but could create the environment and provide the support required for young people to build sustainable livelihoods.
According to him, the grant programme is not charity but an investment by the Government and people of Kogi State in the intelligence, creativity and determination of its young people.
Governor Ododo charged the beneficiaries to justify the confidence reposed in them by using the funds strictly for their intended purposes, building sustainable enterprises, keeping proper financial records and creating employment opportunities for others.
He said the success of the programme would not be measured merely by the number of cheques presented, but by the businesses established, jobs created and families and communities positively impacted by the beneficiaries.
The Governor also assured young people who were not selected in the first phase that they should not be discouraged, revealing that the programme was designed as a continuing intervention which would be expanded to accommodate more qualified young Kogites across the state’s 21 Local Government Areas.
He linked the empowerment programme to his administration’s broader strategy of tackling insecurity through economic inclusion, noting that creating legitimate opportunities for young people would help build a generation that is productive, patriotic and committed to the development of the state.
Speaking at the event, Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Hon. Monday Anyebe, described the initiative as a practical demonstration of Governor Ododo’s belief in the potential of young Kogites.
Anyebe said the current beneficiaries represented Phase One of the programme, assuring that subsequent phases would expand the circle of opportunity. He disclosed that the Ministry would establish a Grant Supervisory and Monitoring Body to track the utilisation of the funds, monitor business growth and challenges, provide guidance and document the impact of the intervention.
The Commissioner urged beneficiaries to see the grants as seeds planted in their hands and challenged them to “grow” the opportunity into sustainable enterprises capable of creating jobs and contributing to Kogi’s economic development.
One of the beneficiaries, Mr. Moses Ocheje from Omala Local Government Area, expressed appreciation to Governor Ododo for the initiative, describing the grant as a significant opportunity to strengthen his enterprise and improve his livelihood.
Ocheje thanked the Governor and the Kogi State Government for remembering young people in communities across the state, assuring that he would utilise the grant effectively and strictly for the purpose for which it was provided. He promised to invest the funds responsibly, grow his business and ensure that the opportunity would ultimately translate into greater economic value.
The empowerment programme adds to the growing youth-focused interventions of the Ododo administration, reinforcing the Governor’s commitment to making young people active participants in the economic transformation of Kogi State.
Governor Ododo said his administration would continue to create pathways through which young Kogites can turn their potential into productivity, ideas into businesses and businesses into jobs, insisting that the future of Kogi must be built with the young people who will inherit the state.
