Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo of Kogi State on Monday flagged off the access to care of fresh health insurance enrollees totalling over seventy six thousand which cut across the Local Government Area staff, pensioners and tertiary institutions students in the state .
While flagging off the access to care for the health insurance enrollees, the governor also ordered his political enrollees to ensure that the enroll members of their community into the health insurance scheme.
Governor Ododo noted that the health insurance access to care will enable the vulnerable to access medical care without stress noting that the health insurance plan in the state has come to stay.
In a bid to ensure that the people of the state enjoy the benefits of the health insurance, the governor announced a monthly allowance package for medical officers in the state in public service to the tune of three hundred thousand naira.
He said the essence is to encourage the medical officers in carrying out their hazardous job in the state.
Earlier the Commissioner of Health, Dr Abdulazeez Adams Adeiza thanked the governor for providing the enabling environment for the state ministry of health.
He said the ministry would continue to work with the advanced new direction administration of the governor to promote healthcare services for the people of the state.
In his speech, the Executive Secretary of Kogi State Health insurance Agency, Dr Adekunle Aledare thanked the governor for his political and financial will in his persistent support for the agency’s growth.
He said the agency has so far enrolled over two hundred and fifty five thousand enrollees in its programme, adding that with the new flag off fresh enrollees the agency will be adding over seventy six thousand enrollees for the Local Government Area staff, Pensioners and tertiary institutions students.
Dr. Aledare also thanked former Governor Yahaya Adoza Bello for establishing Kogi State Health insurance Agency noting that the programme is maturing gradually and saving the people of the state from catastrophic health care expenses.
Highlight of the flag off was the donation of two Toyota Hillux vans by the governor to the agency for the supervision of the health insurance programme in the state
SPEECH BY HIS EXCELLENCY, ALHAJI AHMED USMAN ODODO,
THE CHIEF SERVANT OF KOGI STATE,
ON THE OCCASION OF THE FLAG-OFF/LAUNCH OF LANDMARK INITIATIVES IN THE HEALTH SECTOR, PARTICULARLY IN HEALTH INSURANCE AND PRIMARY HEALTHCARE IN KOGI STATE
PROTOCOLS
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen,
I stand before you today with gratitude and a deep sense of purpose on this historic occasion of the flag-off of major initiatives in the health sector of our dear state. Today, we are not just launching programmes, we are laying stronger foundations for the well-being of our people.
Specifically, we are here to:
1. Flag off access to care for over 76,000 beneficiaries under the Local Government Formal Sector Plan, the Pensioners Contributory Health Insurance Plan, and the Tertiary Institutions Social Health Insurance Programme.
2. Flag off the distribution of medical equipment to our primary healthcare centres across the state.
3. Commence the distribution of over 8,000 delivery packs to pregnant women across our PHCs.
4. Flag off the distribution of over 60 Solar Direct Drive refrigerators as part of strengthening our cold chain system for safe vaccine storage.
5. Commission the revitalized and equipped Government House Clinic.
Your Excellencies, distinguished ladies and gentlemen,
Let me first express my profound appreciation to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, whose economic reforms and bold policies have translated into improved allocations to states. These policies are yielding visible dividends in Kogi State, and we remain grateful to Mr. President for his Renewed Hope Agenda, which guides our own interventions in the health sector.
I must also commend my predecessor and my leader, His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, for the foresight in establishing the Kogi State Health Insurance Agency. The foundation you laid continues to guide our steps as we expand access, reduce out-of-pocket spending, and promote health equity for our people.
Health is one of the top priorities of this administration, and we are determined to ensure that no Kogite is left behind. Through our Health Insurance Agency, more than 255,000 of our people have already enjoyed access to quality healthcare in just three years. From Odeke in Ibaji to Takete Ide Amuro in Mopamuro Local Government Area, and Upogoro in Okene, this impact is real and verifiable.
Kogi is proud to have joined the global embrace of health insurance as a means of guaranteeing the healthcare and well-being of the vulnerable members of the society. It is our own way of defending and protecting the health of the poor. And I make bold to promise that we will continue to expand access until all indigent Kogites are covered.
Today, we are taking bold steps to save the lives of our pregnant women through safe motherhood initiatives. We are securing the future of our children by reducing under-five mortality through timely and quality care. And we are protecting families from catastrophic medical bills that often push them into poverty.
In my inaugural speech, I promised you my dear people of Kogi State to ensure that mothers don’t get to die in the process of giving birth. We are gearing our efforts to achieving this for the well-being of mothers and infants.
We are also broadening our coverage to include local government civil servants and their families, our senior citizens, the pensioners who have served this state diligently and students of our state-owned tertiary institutions. Healthy students will become better learners, and a healthy workforce will build a prosperous state.
In this regard, let me emphasize:
Pensioners earning below ₦50,000 monthly will enjoy free health insurance coverage.
Those earning between ₦50,000 and ₦100,000 will pay only ₦625 monthly, subsidized by the state government.
Pensioners earning above ₦100,000 will contribute only ₦1,250 monthly.
This government is committed to cost-sharing strategies that ease the burden on our people.
To improve efficiency, we are also providing two new Toyota Hilux vehicles to the Agency for monitoring and supervision. And in furtherance of our philosophy of shared responsibility, I am directing as follows:
All members of the State Executive Council shall adopt 50 persons each for enrolment.
All Special Advisers, Director Generals, Executive Directors, Executive Secretaries, and Managing Directors shall adopt 20 persons each.
All Senior Special Assistants shall adopt 5 persons each.
The Executive Secretary of the Agency is hereby directed to compile and forward the list of compliance to the Secretary to the State Government within three months.
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen,
An African proverb says: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Today, I call on well-meaning Kogites, philanthropists, and development partners to key into this vision. Our informal sector plan costs just ₦15,000 per year. That modest amount can save a life.
Our primary healthcare system is receiving a new lease of life. The distribution of delivery packs, cold-chain refrigerators, and modern equipment will strengthen care at the grassroots. With the involvement of skilled birth attendants, better community education, and immunization of children under five, we are determined to drastically reduce maternal and child mortality.
We are also revitalizing 70 primary healthcare centres, addressing human resource challenges, and ensuring our health workers are supported with the right policies, tools, and environment. Working with our development partners, our ambition is to revitalize and upgrade over 200 Primary Healthcare Centres across the State.
Let me at this point appreciate our development partners—WHO, UNICEF, CIHP, AHF, Malaria Consortium, Marie Stopes International, and many others—for their unwavering support.
In the same spirit of safeguarding lives, I must also address another urgent matter. Recent intelligence has shown that the trailer parks at Zariagi and Osara have become hideouts for criminal elements, masquerading as truck drivers. This poses a grave security risk to our people. To this end, I am giving the operators of these trailer parks a one-month grace period to vacate. After the expiration of this period, no trailer will be allowed to park at these locations or in any unauthorized place within Kogi State, particularly during hours when movement is prohibited by law. Security agencies have been directed to enforce this order fully and without compromise. This decisive action is necessary to deny criminals any refuge and to further strengthen security operations across our state.
Fellow Kogites,
I am abundantly aware of the challenge posed by the relocation of medical doctors from our country, including from our state service. I have seen firsthand the dedication of our doctors and healthcare workers, even under pressure. This ugly scenario has left a huge gap in medical service delivery in our dear state. To encourage them and stem the tide, I hereby declare a special monthly intervention allowance of ₦300,000 for every medical doctor in the Kogi State civil service. This will be implemented immediately.
Furthermore, in preparation for the commencement of the MBBS programme at Prince Abubakar Audu University and the Confluence University of Science and Technology, I have approved the construction of a Resident Doctors’ Lounge and House Officers’ Quarters at the Kogi State Specialist Hospital, Lokoja. This is to prepare for housemanship training in our own facilities.
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen,
In recognition of selfless service, I am today appointing Dr. Ajodoh Ojone Monday as the Executive Secretary of the Kogi State Agency for the Control of AIDS. His dedication during disease outbreaks, including COVID-19 and Lassa fever, represents the spirit of service we must all emulate.
Together, we can go far.
Together, we can save lives.
Together, we can build a healthier and safer Kogi State.
At this juncture, I hereby flag off the Kogi State Health Insurance Access to Care Programme for over 76,000 beneficiaries, as well as the other health sector initiatives we have outlined today.
God bless Kogi State.
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
HE Alh. Ahmed Usman Ododo
29/09/2025