“The Confluence State”
- Capital
- Lokoja
- Created
- 27 August 1991
- Population
- 4,466,800 2022 estimate
- LGAs
- 21
His Excellency
Ahmed Usman Ododo
Executive Governor of Kogi State
All Progressives Congress North-Central
- In office since
- 27 Jan 2024
- Term
- 1st term
- Term ends
- Jan 2028
- Deputy
- Salifu Joel Oyibo
Biography
Ahmed Usman Ododo is a Nigerian accountant and politician who has served as Governor of Kogi State since 27 January 2024. An Ebira from Okene in Kogi Central, he studied accountancy at the Federal Polytechnic, Bida, and accounting at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
Before entering elective politics he served as Auditor-General for Local Governments in Kogi State under Governor Yahaya Bello. He won the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary in 2023 and was declared winner of the off-cycle governorship election held on 11 November 2023, with Salifu Joel Oyibo, a former primary school teacher from Kogi East, as his running mate.
His administration's stated agenda centres on human capital development (health and education), agriculture and food security, security, and infrastructure. Because Kogi's governorship elections are held off-cycle, his first term runs until January 2028.
Career before office
An accountant by training, Ododo held public finance positions in Kogi State and was appointed Auditor-General for Local Governments by Governor Yahaya Bello, overseeing financial audits of the state's local government councils before contesting the governorship.
Key initiatives in office
- Upgraded more than 50 primary health centres across the state (2024)
- Constructed township roads in Lokoja (e.g. the 9 km Zone 8-Zango Daji-Kaduna Junction road) and several other towns
- Built a 350-bed hostel and added faculties at the Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH), Osara
- Paid bursaries reported at N316 million to about 8,700 students
- Mobilised tractors and allocated land in 76 communities for a state-supported farming programme
- Commissioned solar-powered water schemes in communities such as Itobe and Ejule
Education
- Studied accountancy at the Federal Polytechnic, Bida
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria
- Ph.D., University of Lagos (as reported)
Kogi State at a glance
North-Central
Other governors in the zone
Benue State
Hyacinth Iormem Alia
Kwara State
AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq
Nasarawa State
Abdullahi Audu Sule
Niger State