GOVERNOR Idris Wada of Kogi State has promised to immortalise the first Executive Governor of the state, late Prince Abubakar Audu, for his immense contribution to the foundation and subsequent development of the state ahead of his exit from office next week’s Wednesday.

Wada, who gave the indication during an address on his stewardship yesterday at the Government House in Lokoja, said he would name edifice after Audu, before handing over to the newly elected governor on January 27.

Wada also scored his administration high, saying that it put in its best in the midst of limited resources that was available to it in the last four years.

He listed some of his achievements to include elimination of thuggery in the state, free medical care, improvement in the provision of portable water and rural electrification.

He attributed the non-payment of four months’ workers salaries to “recent downturn of the economy”, asserting that Kogi workers are the best paid in the Northcentral states. “Not many of you knew that we had to take bank overdraft and other measures to meet up with our obligation to the workers”, he stated.

Wada said about 85 per cent of the monthly allocation to the state went to salary payment, including between N2.5 billion and N2.6 billion to workers and about N600 million for payment of pensions and gratuity to retiring and retired state workers.