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LOKOJA, KOGI STATE — Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, has empowered more than 200 young people across the state with business grants, describing the intervention as a strategic investment in youth entrepreneurship, job creation and sustainable economic growth.
Governor Ododo spoke on Wednesday at the Kogi Youth Entrepreneurship and Business Grant Programme in Lokoja, organised as part of activities marking the 2026 International Youth Day celebration, where grant cheques were presented to beneficiaries drawn from different parts of the state.
The Governor said his administration was deliberately moving youth development beyond dependence on government employment by promoting enterprise, innovation and value creation.
He noted that while government could not employ every citizen, it had a responsibility to create an enabling environment and provide the necessary support for young people to establish sustainable businesses and livelihoods.
Governor Ododo described the grant programme as an investment in the intelligence, creativity and determination of Kogi youths rather than an act of charity.
He charged the beneficiaries to justify the confidence placed in them by deploying the funds strictly for their intended purposes, maintaining proper financial records, building viable enterprises and creating employment opportunities for others.
According to him, the real measure of the programme would not be the number of cheques distributed, but the businesses established, jobs created and positive impact generated in families and communities across the state.
The Governor also urged young people who were not captured in the first phase not to lose hope, assuring them that the intervention was designed as a continuing programme that would be expanded to accommodate more qualified beneficiaries across the 21 Local Government Areas.
He linked the initiative to his administration’s broader strategy of addressing insecurity through economic inclusion, stressing that providing legitimate opportunities for young people would help foster a productive, patriotic and economically empowered generation.
Speaking at the event, the Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Hon. Monday Anyebe, described the programme as a practical demonstration of Governor Ododo’s confidence in the capacity of young Kogites to drive economic development.
Anyebe said the beneficiaries represented the first phase of the programme, adding that subsequent phases would widen access to the intervention.
He disclosed that the Ministry would establish a Grant Supervisory and Monitoring Body to track the utilisation of the funds, monitor business growth, identify challenges, provide guidance to beneficiaries and document the impact of the programme.
The Commissioner urged the beneficiaries to regard the grants as seeds that must be nurtured into sustainable enterprises capable of creating jobs and contributing to the economic development of Kogi State.
One of the beneficiaries, Mr. Moses Ocheje from Omala Local Government Area, expressed appreciation to Governor Ododo and the state government for the initiative, describing the grant as a major opportunity to strengthen his enterprise and improve his livelihood.
Ocheje assured the government that he would use the funds responsibly and strictly for the purpose for which they were provided, promising to grow his business and translate the opportunity into greater economic value.
The youth empowerment programme adds to the series of interventions by the Ododo administration aimed at positioning young people as active participants in Kogi’s economic transformation.
Governor Ododo reiterated his administration’s commitment to creating pathways through which young Kogites can transform their potential into productivity, ideas into businesses and businesses into employment opportunities.
He maintained that the future of Kogi State must be built with the young people who will ultimately inherit and lead the state.
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