By Soni Daniel Lokoja — Political and community leaders in Kogi East Senatorial District have expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu and Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo, for what they described as significant socio-economic and infrastructural development across the zone. The commendation came as the Renewed Hope Ambassadors and the Presidential Communications Team continued their inspection of legacy projects executed by the Federal and Kogi State governments. Leading the commendation was the Chairman of Ankpa Local Government Area, Alhaji Ademu Muhammed Yahaya, who praised the administration of President Tinubu and Governor Ododo for their interventions in the area.
In Ankpa, the team inspected a 12-kilometre internal road project supported by a 24-kilometre double-sided drainage network being constructed by the Ododo administration. The Kogi State Commissioner for Environment and Ecological Management, Engr. Joseph Oluwasegun, who is also the state chairman of the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project, described the road network as a major legacy intervention.
He explained that the project, implemented through the World Bank-supported ACReSAL programme, involved land reclamation, environmental stabilisation and channelisation aimed at controlling erosion, reclaiming degraded land and creating more space for agricultural and economic activities. Oluwasegun commended Governor Ododo for prioritising the payment of counterpart funds required to access World Bank support, noting that the release of funds for ACReSAL projects depends on the state’s fulfilment of its financial obligations. “I want to first commend Governor Usman Ahmed Ododo for always according counterpart funds for ACReSAL projects across the state utmost priority,” he said.
“The World Bank will only release its funds when the state government provides its counterpart funds for compensation and other ancillary needs. Governor Ododo is one of the governors that do not default in the provision of counterpart funds.” The commissioner said the project had improved livelihoods in the area through erosion control and the micro-loan component of the intervention, which has supported rural farmers and cooperative groups. He disclosed that more than $2 million had been disbursed to cooperative groups in the community, helping to reduce poverty and improve economic…
…Calls for joint task force, says corridor has become a governance emergency By Egufe Yafugborhi & Ochuko Akuopha ASABA — The Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) has called on President Bola Tinubu and the governors of Edo and Delta states to declare the Benin–Sapele–Warri highway an Infrastructure Emergency Zone and take immediate steps to reconstruct the failed road. The call was contained in the inaugural edition of The Common Good Letter, a monthly public accountability report released in July 2026. In the report, ANEEJ Executive Director, Rev.
David Ugolor, described the highway as a public safety and economic emergency that continues to affect millions of people in the Niger Delta. Addressing President Tinubu and the governors of Edo and Delta states, Ugolor said the road, which links the two states, had become a corridor of hardship, insecurity and economic decline. According to the report, “Every day, thousands of Nigerians endure hours of avoidable delays, damaged vehicles, escalating transport costs and significant economic losses.
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