Kogi governor meets Nigerians in London, urges support for Tinubu's reforms and diaspora investment

Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo has appealed to Nigerians living in the United Kingdom to actively support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's economic agenda and project a positive image of the nation. Speaking at a town hall meeting with Kogi indigenes and other Nigerians in London, Ododo emphasized the crucial role of the diaspora in nation-building.

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You may have crossed oceans in search of opportunity, but you have not crossed beyond your identity. Wherever you excel, our homeland is honoured. Wherever you break new grounds, our flag flies a little higher.

Governor Ododo called on attendees to channel their investments, expertise, and global networks toward the development of Kogi State and Nigeria. He argued that the nation's future hinges on the collective efforts of its citizens, both at home and abroad, urging them to become active partners by supporting ongoing reforms and seizing investment opportunities within Kogi.

The governor stressed that the engagement was more than a reunion; it was a platform to foster collaboration between the diaspora and the state government for sustainable development. He quoted, “You may have crossed oceans in search of opportunity, but you have not crossed beyond your identity. Wherever you excel, our homeland is honoured. Wherever you break new grounds, our flag flies a little higher.”

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Bring home not only your investments, but also your ideas, your expertise, your innovation and your global networks. Nations are transformed not only by the wealth their people send home, but by the knowledge, values and vision they bring home.

Ododo also lauded President Tinubu's "courageous" decisions, including fuel subsidy removal and foreign exchange market unification, stating these reforms have bolstered states' financial capacity for critical investments. He pointed to the Kogi International Airport and Kogi Free Trade Zone as key federal interventions transforming the state. The governor further celebrated the unity in Kogi State, describing it as the foundation for rapid transformation, where people have moved beyond ethnic and religious divisions for a shared developmental vision. “Poverty has no tribe, hunger has no religion and underdevelopment respects no ethnicity. Our unity has become the engine of our progress,” he stated.

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There was a time when our differences were exploited against us. Today, we understand that poverty has no tribe, hunger has no religion and underdevelopment respects no ethnicity. Our unity has become the engine of our progress.