Ododo assents bill for Kogi anti-graft, electricity agencies

The Kogi State Governor, Ahmed  Ododo, on Thursday, gave his assent to the bill by the state House of Assembly for the creation of a state-owned anti-corruption agency.

The governor’s Special Adviser on Media, Ismaila Isah, disclosed this in a press statement on Thursday.

According to the statement, Ododo signed the anti-graft agency bill alongside six other bills, including “A law to establish the Kogi State Electricity Market and the Kogi State Electricity Regulatory Commission.”

According to the law, the Kogi State Electricity Regulatory Commission will “regulate electricity generation, transmission, system operation distribution, supply and promote access to electricity in the state through increased private sector investments or public-private partnership in grid, multi-grid  and other off-grid electricity option using renewable and non-renewable fuel sources in the state and other purposes connected therewith.”

The governor also signed  “A law to repeal and re-enact the Kogi State Local Government Service Commission Law 2014 and for other matters connected therewith 2024.”

Another was “A law to repeal and re-enact the Kogi State Scholarship Board Edict, 1998 and other matters connected therewith, 2024.”

The statement quoted the governor as describing the laws as people’s laws, stressing that the assent to the bills was in line with his promise to lead with transparency, accountability and the fear of God.

“These laws combined together can be referred to as the people’s Acts. All the laws have a direct bearing on the lives of our people and this is the reason we are here.

“Let it be known that under my administration, nobody is above the law.

“This is in line with my promise to lead with the fear of God and to ensure that our resources work for the people of the state,” Ododo said.

He enjoined the people of the state, especially those in positions of authority, to embrace the new laws and be familiar with their provisions.

The PUNCH reports that the state Assembly, while deliberating on the anti-graft agency bill during a plenary session in May, said it would assist the government in combating corruption in the state.

The Majority Leader of the House, Suleiman Abdulrazak, said the proposed Kogi State anti-graft agency was not being contemplated to rival federal anti-graft agencies, such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission; and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission, but to complement them.

The Kogi State anti-graft agency is coming at a time when the EFCC is after the immediate-past governor, Yahaya Bello, over alleged N82.2bn fraud.