Former political appointees who served under ex-Governor Idris Wada of Kogi State have appealed to Governor Usman Ododo to pay their outstanding three months’ salary arrears.
The group said the payment would ease their financial burden, particularly as schools prepare to resume later this month.
The appeal was contained in a statement issued in Lokoja on Wednesday by Austine Medaiyedu, former Special Adviser on Inter-Governmental Affairs.
“I write to beg you in the spirit of the Kogi Agenda that you hold in high esteem, and in view of the current school fees challenges facing parents, to please consider the payment of our three months’ salary arrears,” the statement read.
The forum recalled that appointees under the Wada administration were initially owed four months’ salaries. According to them, former Governor Yahaya Bello paid one month in January 2024 before leaving office, with a promise that Governor Ododo would complete the balance.
They further highlighted their loyalty during the 2023 governorship election, saying they vigorously campaigned for the All Progressives Congress candidate.
“We took the Ododo/Oyibo project as our own. We registered as a support group with the campaign council, secured a campaign office commissioned by the deputy governor, and supported the council with posters, T-shirts, face caps, and giant billboards across the state,” the forum stated.
The group also urged Ododo to emulate Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, who recently approved salary arrears for political appointees who served under former Governor Olusegun Mimiko.
“As critical stakeholders in Kogi politics, we assure you of our continued prayers for the success of your administration,” the statement added.
The latest call comes barely a week after another forum of former political office holders in Kogi appealed to Ododo to settle N2.7bn in outstanding salaries and allowances owed them.
At that meeting, held on August 28, the group’s chairman, Musa Abdullahi, and secretary, Muhammad Omale, said they had received N2bn out of N4.7bn earlier promised by Bello. They lamented members’ struggles with illness, hunger, and unpaid bills, but passed a vote of confidence in Ododo, praising his leadership in security, education, healthcare, and infrastructure.
They also extended condolences to the governor over the recent death of his father and congratulated him on Kogi’s 34th anniversary.
