By Ismail Omipidan

There is the general belief among most Africans that the name a person bears, most times, says a lot about the person and his character. And that there is a way the meaning of such names, especially in Nigeria, becomes a factor in the life of the bearer.

This notion prompted me to consult the archives when I read that the Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Usman Ododo, who was sworn in on January 27, 2024, flagged off the distribution of palliatives to Kogi people on February 20, 2024, barely one month after being sworn in. What I found out about the name, Ododo, was for me reassuring.

First, in the Ebira Language, Ododo means flower. According to experts, flowers serve as “powerful symbols of love, faith, hope, purity, and growth, among other significant themes.” By the time I dug further, I realised that “Ododo,” in the Ebira calendar, means November. But the Kogi Governor did not wait till November to extend love and instil hope in the people of Kogi. Instead, in February, he promptly initiated the distribution of palliatives to the people of the state.

For me, that was laudable. It validated the popular Hausa saying that a good Friday is recognised from the Wednesday preceding it. As someone who canvassed support for the governor during the electioneering, I am impressed by his decision to flag off the palliatives distribution. This is so because I know of a governor, who got to office in 2022, received palliatives from the Federal Government in August, 2023 but only began the implementation in January, 2024.

Flagging off the distribution of bags of rice to vulnerable citizens of Kogi state to cushion the effects of current economic hardship, Ododo warned those saddled with the responsibility of distributing the palliative not to hoard or sell what the government has provided for the vulnerable persons in the State, just as he said he would personally oversee the distribution process to guarantee that the intended recipients, that is the most vulnerable, get the relief materials.

He equally noted that the palliatives would not be distributed along party, ethnic or religious lines, insisting that the targeted beneficiaries are the poorest of the poor in Kogi State.

Hear him “My administration will not allow any unpatriotic element to cheat the people. The government has put mechanisms in place to track and apprehend those who plan to hoard the distribution of these food items.

“The palliative is not for APC alone, there is no religious or ethnic agenda. It is for the people of Kogi State.

“I want to beg all of us to allow the poor breath. I am part of them. I was raised from them. I am committed to serve them, not as a leader but as their servant,” Ododo said.

He also has kind words for President Ahmed Bola Tinubu and thanked him for his quick intervention in reducing hardship in the country. He assured the President of his commitment to serve the people of Kogi State as their servant.

He also appealed to the people of the state to be vigilant and report any breach of the procedure for distribution of the palliatives to the state ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation for immediate intervention.

Ododo assured the people of Kogi State that the Intervention would not be a one-off exercise, but one that would be sustained and delivered to the people on a quarterly basis in line with his campaign promise to the people of Kogi State.

As this Kogi flower blossom, may Allah provide the Governor with the wisdom and courage required to live up to his other name, Usman, “the chosen one amongst a tribe of noble and brave people.”

When next you are giving your child a name, research the meaning well and teach them as they are growing up to live up to the meaning of the name. I say so because I know of a leader, who Christened himself “Imole (light)” but who has plunged the streets of his state into total darkness.