"It is no coincidence that 'Ododo' means the same thing in Igala, Ebira and Okun languages. It means flower and flowers are associated with beauty and productivity.
"Ododo Ahmed Usman, by his name, is a symbol of unity as the three major ethnic groups in the state call the name the same thing.
"Apart from working hard to deliver on infrastructure and human capacity development; Governor Yahaya Bello has spent the last 90 months working to unite the state in words and act. His longest singular road project is in the Eastern Senatorial District; his most audacious agricultural development project is in the West and his educational and health super-infrastructures are spread across the State.
"GYB appointed an Igala man as Chief of Staff in 2016. No Governor had appointed a person from another Zone as his Chief of Staff before then. He shattered that ethnic suspicion and made an Igala and a Christian his CoS.
"Appointments and projects are equitably distributed across the state, giving the people so much confidence that Kogi is blessed with a detribalised bridge builder.
"He didn't stop at that. He built a Chapel in the Government House! And the Christians now see the Governor as the leader for all irrespective of religious beliefs.
"This is the story of Kogi that must continue and not a relapse into the convulsive ethnic profiling of the past. Ododo is the man who has learnt from the Architect of Modern Kogi at close quarters, working hard to make Kogi better and united.
"Ododo is the man to trust, going forward. Governorship is for those who are prepared and have been prepared for the task. It is a time Kogi cannot afford to miss her steps and get off-track. We must win together as a people. May Ododo succeed".
Kingsley Femi Fanwo (KFF)
July 9, 2023.
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