The newly sworn-in governor of Kogi State, Ahmed Ododo, retains nine of the 16 commissioners who had previously served in the cabinet of his predecessor, Governor Yahaya Bello.
Ododo made his decision known shortly after he was sworn into office as the fifth executive governor of Kogi yesterday in Lokoja.
He also retained the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Folashade Ayoade, and the State Security Adviser, retired Commodore Jerry Omodara.
The commissioner nominees are Mr. Kingsley Fanwo, Mr. Wemi Jones, Mr. Bashir Abubakar, and Messrs. Abdulsalami Ozigi, Mohammed Abdulmutalib, Idris Asiwaju, and Barr. Yunus Abdullahi
Others include Mr. Sunday Faleke, Mr. Timothy Ojoma, Mr. Segun Joseph, Mrs. Rabiat Momoh, and Dr. Adams Abdulaziz.
The governor also appointed Alhaji Ali Bello as his Chief of Staff, Mrs. Hillary Ojoma as Deputy Chief of Staff and Mr. Elijah Jelele as Head of Service.
Ododo also appointed a Chief Press Secretary, a Director-General of Protocols, a Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, a Director-General of Government House and a Legal Adviser as some of his aides.
The new governor appealed to the leadership of the Kogi State House of Assembly to give all the nominees prompt consideration to ensure unhindered operations in the executive arm of government.
Ododo served as Auditor-General (Local Governments) in the cabinet of Yahaya Bello.
He took over from Alhaji Yahaya Bello, who served in office for eight years.
The swearing-in ceremony, which was held at the Muhammadu Buhari Civic Centre in Lokoja, was conducted by the chief judge of the state, Hon. Justice Joseph Josiah Majebi, and graced by dignitaries from across the nation, including Nigeria’s Vice President Kasshim Shetima and the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Dr. Abdulahi Ganduje, among others in attendance.
The new governor took the oath of office at exactly 2:30 pm, after which he presented the highest award in the state to Yahaya Bello.
In his acceptance speech, Ododo expressed gratitude to God for making his election and swearing in a reality and commended Yahaya Bello for his support during the electioneering campaign period and the victory of the APC.
The governor encouraged all opponents that contested to join hands to move the state to the next level, emphasizing that it was time to build a united Kogi State.
He pointed out that Kogi cannot afford to go back to the era of ethnic divisive tendencies that rocked the state in the past.
He commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima and the National Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, for allowing level playing fields.
