* Links youth empowerment to security strategy, says Kogi’s mineral wealth will create jobs
Sunday Aborisade in Abuja
Governor Usman Ododo of Kogi State has declared that his administration will never negotiate with criminals, unveiling a strategy that combines aggressive security measures with youth empowerment to end illegal mining and unlock the state’s vast solid mineral resources for economic development.
Speaking with journalists on the sidelines of the Kogi State Security and Mining Summit for Youths in Abuja, Ododo said the state had adopted a dual approach of strengthening security while equipping young people with practical mining and jewellery craftsmanship skills to create sustainable jobs and deny criminal elements access to the state’s mineral wealth.
The governor stressed that Kogi’s strategic location, sharing boundaries with 10 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), made security in the state critical to the safety of Abuja and the country.
