>
Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi state has renamed the Kogi State University, after the late Abubakar Audu, who was the first civilian governor of the state.
The university, located in Ayangba, was established by Audu in 2001. He named it after himself before leaving office but his successor, Ibrahim Idris, changed the name back to Kogi State University in 2004.
Current governor, Bello has now restored the name, Abubakar Audu University, explaining that Audu laid a solid foundation for the growth and development of the state
Bello also promised that a blueprint of his administration for the creation of one million jobs for the unemployed youths will be unveiled by next week.
Speaking during a statewide broadcast to mark his victory at the election tribunal, Bello said:
“Today, and as always, I celebrate the life and times of Prince Abubakar Audu, the first Executive Governor of Kogi state.
“It is our hope that those who want to lay claim to his legacy will at least develop the same heart for the growth and development of Kogi State that he demonstrated through his lifetime.”
According to the governor, an executive bill will soon be forwarded to the House of Assembly to formalise the change in the name of the university.
Audu was the candidate of the All Progressives Congress ( APC) in the November 21, 2015 governorship election in the state. He died suddenly a day after, before the result of the election was announced.
The leadership of the APC subsequently substituted Audu with Bello as the candidate in the supplementary governorship election held on December 5, 2015.