President Bola Tinubu said on Sunday that the previously abandoned Ajaokuta Steel Complex, which is currently nearing completion, will have the capacity to employ 500,000 Nigerians once recognised as a free trade zone.
The President also committed to fully capitalise on the Complex’s potential once it is completed, as it will promote Nigeria’s foreign direct investment and provide an outlet for the construction of the much-needed conducive business environment for all sectors to prosper.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented the President, announced this at the launch of the All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship campaign in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, for the November 11 governorship election.
Addressing a large throng in Lokoja, VP Shettima also stated that Tinubu remained dedicated to completing the River Niger, Kabba-Lokoja, and Abuja-Lokoja highways.
According to VP Shettima, President Tinubu is a man of many ideas who is motivated to reposition the nation in its correct place, particularly when it comes to restructuring and reviving the Nigerian economy.
Shettima was quoted in a statement issued by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President, as saying, “Given Mr President’s commitment to the development of Kogi State and indeed the entire Nigeria, Kogi in particular, being a confluence state, cannot afford to have a governor who is hostile to the centre.” We must be progress partners, working together to build our wonderful nation.”
He also hinted at Tinubu administration plans to make the Itakpe agriculture processing facility a reality, just as he promised jobs and inexpensive education under the current administration.
Reiterating that the welfare of the people would never be willingly jeopardised, VP Shettima urged Kogi citizens to turn out in large numbers on November 11 to vote for the APC’s candidate, Ahmed Usman Ododo, in order to build on the successes of the APC government in the state.
He stated that Kogi State’s natural assets would be utilised for the development of the state and the nation as a whole, and that President Tinubu had also given his approval for the renovation of the Obajana-Okene road in Kogi State.
Earlier, Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, expressed gratitude to President Tinubu for accepting to launch the governorship campaign in his state, stating that his administration has accomplished much and that it is now time for consolidation in order to move the state ahead.
“We have done a lot in the area of security, education and health, among others. We want to consolidate on that. I am, therefore, calling on the people of our dear state to vote for our candidate in order to move Kogi State forward,” he said.
Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, National Chairman of the APC, stated that because Governor Yahaya Bello has delivered outstanding administration to the people of Kogi, the state cannot afford to fall behind by handing power to a party other than the one at the centre.
In addition, Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, Chairman of the APC Campaign Council for Kogi State, urged Kogi residents to clean up their voter cards and vote for the APC candidate in the November 11 governorship election.
Ahmed Ododo, Kogi State APC governorship candidate, pledged to carry the people of the state along if elected, stating he remained committed to Kogi State’s development programme.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Is Anthony Odiong still a priest after life in prison sentence over rape?")
