Kogi State Governor, Ahmed  Ododo,  says he supports the Kogi Unity Accord, urging stakeholders to unite and establish a lasting template for peace, equity and sustainable development in the state.

Mr Ododo made the call on Thursday in Lokoja, when he received report of the Kogi Unity Accord Committee, chaired by Bode Adeyemi, following its consultations and two-day summit on power and resource allocation.

The governor described the initiative as an opportunity to resolve longstanding issues affecting the unity and development of the state.

He recalled that he initially declined calls to accept political responsibility in 2023 because of concerns over divisions in the state.

According to him, his upbringing taught him to bring people together as one family.

Mr Ododo said the responsibility for building peace and unity should not be left to politicians, warning that failure to resolve longstanding grievances could affect the entire state.

He urged the committee to make its documents available to former governors, political leaders, members of the national and state assemblies, traditional rulers, retired public servants and other stakeholders for further scrutiny and contributions.

He stressed that any consensus reached must be properly documented to prevent future crises.

“I will not be party to something that will solve a problem now and create a major problem for the future generation,” he said.

Mr Ododo also urged Kogi people to regard the state’s natural resources as common assets rather than associating them with particular geographical areas or ethnic groups.

He cited coal, lithium and gold among the resources that should be harnessed for the benefit of all Kogi people.

“This is not about politics. Whether APC, whether PDP, it is about Kogi,” the governor said.

He commended the committee for demonstrating that the younger generation could rise above inherited divisions and provide leadership on issues affecting the future of the state.

Earlier, Mr Adeyemi said the initiative was conceived to promote unity, equity and inclusive governance in Kogi, which had experienced ethnic suspicion and political divisions over leadership recruitment.

He said the committee conducted senatorial summits in Kogi West and Kogi East before embarking on consultations across the 21 Local Government Areas of the state.

According to him, the committee engaged traditional rulers, religious leaders, community associations, professional bodies, civil society organisations and other stakeholders.

Mr Adeyemi said the consultations showed that ordinary Kogi people were largely united, while political competition had often created divisions among them.

He disclosed that the two-day summit, held on September 30 and October 1, produced three documents — the summit report, communique and October 1 Accord, which he described as the “Charter of Equity and Inclusive Governance for Kogi State.”

He said the documents would be transmitted to the State House of Assembly, State Council of Traditional Rulers and other stakeholders for further consideration and implementation.

Mr Adeyemi said the committee would continue consultations with critical stakeholders, with the aim of establishing a framework for equitable development across the state irrespective of who occupied the governorship.

He described the initiative as a “new dawn” for Kogi and expressed optimism that it would help address recurring political tensions in the state.

(NAN).