In an era when revenue accruing to government is shrinking, with demands by the people higher than the income, state governments, across the country are beginning to look inward to augment allocation from the federation account through revenue-generating projects.
Two of such projects in Kogi State are the remodeling of Kogi Hotels and construction of the mega motor park at Felele in Lokoja. Besides the ascetic impact of the projects on Lokoja township, when completed they will add value and up the state’s revenue profile.
The essence and benefits of these projects came to the fore penultimate Thursday, when Governor Idris Wada, on a routine inspection of some on-going projects, visited the sites. Gov Idris Wada espoused the propriety of the projects describing them as world.
Wada who said he is building for posterity underscores the quality of job at the park and hotels, as with his other projects. Project inspection has remained a vital part of the Captain Wada’s administration; but in recent times, he has taken it a notch further. The essence he disclosed is not only to ensure that the projects are executed to specifications but that they are delivered on schedule and according to specifications.
The Governor in a chat with newsmen said recent economic recession has shown that the task of governance in the present times calls for ingenuity on the part of policy makers and resource managers.
According to him, the Kogi Hotels and the Lokoja Mega Terminal are intended to enhance the future growth of the state. The mega terminal whose work has reached 75 percent completion, will certainly generate revenue for the state, stressing that the facility would provide quality services to road transport workers, vehicle operators and travelers alike.
The park located at Felele, along Abuja-Lokoja highway, and awarded at the cost of N1.2 billion would on completion meet the needs of the state in view of its gateway status, with twenty-three states criss crossing the state on a daily basis. Facilities available at the park include a clinic, automobile workshop, eatery, a bank, police post, offices and shops. It is designed to help decongest the highway of vehicles that cluster the road and cause obstruction to free flow of traffic.
The governor during the inspection explained that the remodeling of Kogi Hotels would provide quality accommodation, conference and sports facilities for the people of the state and top caliber visitors to the state capital.
The governor expressed satisfaction with the quality of work at the two projects and commended the contractors for not compromising standards and urged them to sustain the tempo.
Conducting the governor round the projects, commissioner for culture and tourism, Mr Kayode Olowomoran said the Kogi Hotels project is 95 percent completed and would be commissioned in December.
Abdullah Wuya, commissioner for transport, while disclosing that the Mega park could accommodate two hundred and fifty buses, assured that the project would be commissioned on schedule.
Abdullah Wuya, commissioner for transport, while disclosing that the Mega park could accommodate two hundred and fifty buses, assured that the project would be commissioned on schedule.
There abound several on-going projects across the state, such as the 500 housing units in Ganaja and Crusher, the State University Teaching Hospital and the Kogi diagnostic and imaging centre. Similarly, the Kogi Housing project, a seventeen story building in Abuse at N2.2 billion are some on-going projects that would complement revenue generation in the state.
Other ongoing projects that would have direct bearing on the lives of the people when completed are the 16km Ganaja-Otokiti road, Welcome to Lokoja-new market road, and the township roads in Mopa, Iyara, Egba, Kabba, Ankpa, Dekina, Lokoja and Koton-Karfe. The administration has so far completed 58 road projects across the state. Governor Wada on assumption of office made it a policy to complete projects inherited by his administration. Some of these projects include the completion of Greater Lokoja water works, the Confluence Beach Hotels, the Confluence Stadium and the State secretariat complex phase II amongst several others.
Amidst dwindling resources, making it almost impossible for states to pay salaries of workers, the Wada administration in the state has paid the salaries of its workers till June, while efforts are on to begin the payment of that of July. The state wage bill is put N3.2 billion with an average monthly allocation of N3.5 billion. Aside employing about 15,000 youths under its YAD4Kogi programmer, the Commissioning of the Nigeria Korea Friendship Institute of Advanced Technology Lokoja, a world class technological institute for the training of middle level manpower for industries within and outside the state recently, was another bold step by the Wada administration to make thesaurus of the state self reliant and skillful through vocational education.
In Kogi state, health policy is people centred. Apart from establishing five zonal hospitals and on-going rehabilitation and re-equipping of all general hospitals in the state, under the state government’s free rural health policy; last year alone, 115,000 persons were treated of various ailments free in rural areas. This figure does not include surgeries. With the several on-going projects the present administration is embarking upon, that is not only aimed at improving the revenue, Kogi State no doubt is work in progress, waiting to deliver completed projects in due course and in line with the mandate given to Capt. Wada by the people.
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