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Tag: Ahmed Ododo

  • Kogi eyes $500m FDI, 50,000 jobs from trade zone

    Kogi eyes $500m FDI, 50,000 jobs from trade zone

    Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Ododo, has led Chinese and international partners to unveil the Ajaokuta Economic City, a new Free Trade Zone (FTZ) projected to attract $500 million in annual foreign direct investment (FDI) and create 50,000 jobs.

    Speaking at the stakeholders’ engagement held at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja, Ododo said “the project marks a new chapter in Kogi’s industrial growth.”

    He thanked President Bola Tinubu for granting timely approval and supporting the initiative.

    The governor assured investors of a strong security framework for the FTZ and emphasized the role of higher institutions in the state in providing the required skilled manpower.

    “Today, we plant the seed of generational prosperity. Kogi State is the beating heart of Nigeria.

    We don’t talk. We do,” he said.

    The Chief Economic Adviser to the Governor and Chief Executive Officer of Kogi State Investment Promotion and Public Private Partnership Agency (KOSIPPPPA) Aliyu Inda Salami, had earlier in his remarks, said the Ajaokuta Economic City reflects governor’s commitment to ensuring that “Kogi’s resources work for the people.”

     Salami noted that the 4,000-hectare site had already been approved with strategic advantages including power infrastructure, rail lines, inland waterways, and multi modal transportation links.

    He confirmed that the project had received full presidential approval, adding that the groundwork for the first phase had been completed.

    Also speaking, head of the Chinese delegation, Mr. Li Zhensheng, described the Kogi-Hunan Free Trade Zone as a flagship achievement of the Kogi–Hunan Sister City partnership.

    He said China is ready to deploy industrial expertise to support manufacturing, logistics, and technology transfer within the zone.

    Similarly, Mr. Hasan GÜNGÖR, GM of ÖZTÜRK HOLDING CO LLC, Turkey expressed readiness to invest in oil, gas, and logistics.

    He assured that his company would adopt funding models that place “zero burden on government.”

    The Technical Adviser to the Governor, Dr. Sanni Abdullahi Ozomata, outlined the project’s economic impact, saying it is designed as a one-stop industrial ecosystem.

    Read Also: Tinubu unveils new security, economic blueprint to harness Nigeria’s marine wealth

    Ozomata highlighted key incentives including 100per cent capital repatriation, tax exemptions, sector-specific investment windows, and educational exchange programmes with Hunan Province.

    He projected that the Free Trade Zone will generate up to $500 million in annual Foreign Direct Investment and create 50,000 direct and indirect jobs.

    Goodwill messages from the Nigeria Investment Promotion Council (NIPC), Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the North Central Development Commission, and the Ministry of Finance and other stakeholders described the project as a major endorsement of the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

    Key highlight of the event was the signing of the administrative framework for the Free Trade Zone.

    The agreement was signed by Aliyu Salami for the Kogi State Government, Mr. Li Zhensheng for Zhuzhou Municipality, and Alhaji Isyaku Rabiu of IRS Group as a development partner.

    The event brought together investors from Nigeria, China, Turkey, and other countries to explore opportunities within the Kogi–Hunan Free Trade Zone.

  • Kogi community killing: Ododo orders crackdown on culprits

    Kogi community killing: Ododo orders crackdown on culprits

    By Olaide Oyelude, Lokoja

    Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Ododo, has ordered immediate crackdown on the people responsible for the recent death of two men in Odo-Ape community, Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area of the state.

    Gunmen alleged to be herdsmen allegedly attacked and killed the two men said to be farmers on Friday, prompting tension in the area.

    A statement issued on Saturday by the state’s Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, revealed that the governor directed his Security Adviser to work in synergy with security agencies and local vigilante groups to ensure that the perpetrators were apprehended and brought to justice.

    “The government is putting all hands on deck to ensure the attackers do not escape justice,” the statement read.

    Governor Ododo urged residents to remain calm and avoid reprisals.

    The statement added: “We sympathise with the communities affected by this unfortunate incident. Rest assured the Ododo administration is fully committed to your security and will stop at nothing to guarantee your safety.”

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    The state government also called on the public to provide credible information that could assist security agencies in their efforts to apprehend the culprits.

    It added: “Every life in Kogi State is important, and we need the cooperation of our people to end criminal activities.

    “Security operatives have already been deployed to Odo-Ape and other flashpoints in the area to restore peace and ensure the protection of lives and property.”

    The government assured residents that normalcy would be restored within hours.

  • Ododo okays N72,500 minimum wage for Kogi workers, gives tax relief

    Ododo okays N72,500 minimum wage for Kogi workers, gives tax relief

    Kogi State Governor Ahmed Ododo yesterday approved N72,500 as the new minimum wage for the state’s workers, effective from this month.

    Ododo gave the approval after receiving the report of the state’s Minimum Wage Implementation Committee, headed by the Head of Service (HoS), Elijah Avenemi, at the Government House in Lokoja.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the governor had, on September 17, inaugurated the committee to design effective modalities for the implementation of the new minimum wage in the state.

    The approved N72,500 minimum wage is N2,500 higher than the N70,000 national minimum wage bill passed by the National Assembly and signed into law in July by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

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    The governor also gave tax relief to all the workers in the state for the next one year.

    He reaffirmed his commitment to the overall welfare of all cadres of workers in the state, saying no Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) tax or any other form of deduction would be made within the next one year.

    “Having been a labour leader and a civil servant before going into partisan politics, I knew what the civil servants were passing through.

    “Now that God has made me the governor, I will do all within the state resources to provide succour for the state workforce.

    “I cannot forget where I came from. I am a man from a humble background who became who I am by the grace of God. I will, therefore, not use my position to oppress anyone but to better the lots of the people,” Ododo said.

    The governor sought the workers’ support for his administration to succeed, assuring them of continued prompt payment of their salaries.

    The state’s Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr. Gabriel Amari, who spoke on behalf of the organised labour, praised the governor for being worker-friendly.

    Amari expressed the workers’ appreciation to the governor for the seamless efforts at which the implementation committee arrived at the new minimum wage.

    He promised, on behalf of the workers, to ensure that the workers remained more committed to their duties and cooperate with the governor to carry out his good plans for the state.