From Ideas to Jobs: Ododo Backs 200+ Young Entrepreneurs

By Abah Benjamin Eneojoh, Lokoja

Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, has empowered over 200 young Kogites with business grants, describing the initiative as a strategic investment in youth entrepreneurship, job creation and economic growth across the state.

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. Grant cheques were presented to beneficiaries selected from across the state.
The Governor said his administration was deliberately moving youth development away from dependence on government employment towards enterprise, innovation and value creation. He noted that while government could not employ every citizen, it could create the right environment and provide support for young people to build sustainable livelihoods.
According to him, the grant programme was not charity but an investment by the Government and people of Kogi State in the intelligence, creativity and determination of young people.
Governor Ododo urged beneficiaries to justify the confidence placed in them by using the funds strictly for their intended purposes, building sustainable businesses, maintaining proper financial records and creating employment opportunities for others.
He said the success of the programme would not be judged only by the number of cheques distributed, but by the businesses established, jobs created and the positive impact on families and communities.
The Governor also assured young people who were not selected in the first phase that they should not be discouraged, explaining that the programme was designed as a continuing intervention that would be expanded to accommodate more qualified young Kogites across the state’s 21 Local Government Areas.
He linked the empowerment programme to his administration’s broader strategy of addressing insecurity through economic inclusion. According to him, creating legitimate opportunities for young people would help produce a generation that is productive, patriotic and committed to the development of the state.
Speaking at the event, Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Hon. Monday Anyebe, described the initiative as a practical demonstration of Governor Ododo’s belief in the potential of young Kogites.
Anyebe said the beneficiaries represented Phase One of the programme, assuring that subsequent phases would expand the circle of opportunity. He disclosed that the Ministry would establish a Grant Supervisory and Monitoring Body to track the utilisation of the funds, monitor business growth and challenges, provide guidance and document the impact of the intervention.
The Commissioner urged beneficiaries to see the grants as seeds planted in their hands and challenged them to grow the opportunity into sustainable enterprises capable of creating jobs and contributing to Kogi’s economic development.
One of the beneficiaries, Mr. Moses Ocheje from Omala Local Government Area, expressed appreciation to Governor Ododo for the initiative, describing the grant as a significant opportunity to strengthen his enterprise and improve his livelihood.
Ocheje thanked the Governor and the Kogi State Government for remembering young people in communities across the state. He assured that he would utilise the grant effectively and strictly for its intended purpose, promising to invest the funds responsibly, grow his business and ensure that the opportunity translates into greater economic value.
The empowerment programme adds to the growing youth-focused interventions of the Ododo administration and reinforces the Governor’s commitment to making young people active participants in the economic transformation of Kogi State.
Governor Ododo said his administration would continue to create pathways through which young Kogites can turn their potential into productivity, ideas into businesses and businesses into jobs, insisting that the future of Kogi must be built with the young people who will inherit the state.