Residents were awoken by trepidations from an explosion near the palace of the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland in Okene Local Government Area, where Mr Buhari had been billed to commission. No fewer than four persons died in the early morning blast.
The project commissioning however went on as planned.
Among the projects inaugurated by Mr Buhari are a world class Reference Hospital; Agassa-Upogoro-Benin road and the newly built Palace of Ohinoyi of Ebiraland.
Speaking at Ohinoyi’s palace in Okene, Mr Buhari said the commissioning of the projects was in realisation of the campaign promises to the people of Kogi.
“I have been briefed by Gov. Yahaya Bello for the numerous projects he has executed for the people.
”The Confluence University of Science and Technology at Asara, Rice mill in Ejiba, hospitals in Idah, Kabba and Okene, construction of roads in the three senatorial districts, GYB Model Secondary Schools among others.
“In Lokoja, there is a flyover project, the first of its kind in Kogi state,” Mr Buhari said.
The president noted that Kogi played host to AKK Gas Pipeline projects that would be completed in 2023, saying it will boost the economic activities of the country and have a multiplying effect on the people of the state.
“Our administration is working to reposition Kogi State as an investment hub through the activation of solid minerals in the state.
“No project that is dare in our heart like the Ajaokuta Steel Company located in Kogi, which we inherited in moribund condition from previous administrations.
“The steel company has dispute both locally and internationally. I am glad to say that through our concerted effort we are able to settle the dispute by paying some money and the company is now ready for concessioning to competent private investors that will operationalize it for the people of Kogi State and Nigerians at large.
We are proud of him and we urged him to do more for the people.
”I am appealing to you to support the governor so that he can achieve and deliver more dividends of democracy and achieve peace and development of the state,” Mr Buhari said.
Governor Yahaya Bello, in his speech described the day as a historic moment in the lives of Kogi people and indeed in the lives of entire Ebira people and other tribes in the central senatorial district of the state.
“We are happy the very day you granted approval to come to Kogi State for the commissioning of few out of many projects this administration has executed for the people of Kogi state.
“When I was sworn in on the 27th of January, 2016, we were determined to serve our people and we quickly commissioned a multidimensional sector to form what we call New Direction Blueprint.
“From that period till date, this particular document has served as a guide for accelerated development in Kogi State.
We took our time to move around the state to determine what the people are lacking and what they really want that could improve the standard of living.
“Every year we zero down such need to our budgetary provision and we ensured that we follow it to the latter,” Mr Bello said
Mr Bello stressed that his administration had fulfilled all its promises within the available resources.