Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo on Saturday called on the Federal Government to urgently assist in tackling the menace of insecurity and incessant flooding in some parts of the State.
The governor made the call when he received a delegation of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal commission (RMAFC) at the Government House in Lokoja.
Ododo said that Kogi, as a transit state that borders 10 other states, was in dire need of improved financial intervention from the federal government to address challenges of insecurity and flooding.
He said that as the gate-way to both the northern and southern parts of the country, Kogi should be a safe haven for all travellers, hence the need for improvement security.
“Findings revealed that the menace of insecurity and flooding in Kogi can impact other states bordering it if left unaddressed.
“This is the reason why we beg to be considered for improved funding from the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission under the Stabilization Fund to address emerging challenges in the state as part of ongoing special intervention by the federal government, ” he said.
Responding, the Leader of the delegation from the Commission, Mr Bako Shettimn explained that the team was in Kogi to verify the justification for the disbursement of the Stabilisation Fund in view of the state government’s request.
Shettima promised to look in to the issues presented to the commission with a view to addressing them.
“It’s the hope of this commission to take proactive steps to meet the demands put forth by the Kogi government, ” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ododo later took the RMAFC delegation on a tour of some ongoing projects in the state.
Some of the projects inspected included the 9 Kilometer Zone 8-Zango-GYB Road, 5.5 Kilometer Zone 8-Crusher Road, and the refurbishment workshop at the Kogi State Agricultural Development Project complex in Felele, among others. (NAN)