Friday, 24 May 2013
My State Has No Governor By Odih Daniel N.
By Odih Daniel N.
Before the unfortunate auto crash involving Governor Idris Wada of Kogi State, it was a naked reality that the state was swimming in the sea of poverty. It is still swimming in poverty and even much worse. The poverty started shortly after the removal of erstwhile Governor Abubakar Audu by the PDP government, in which Governor Ibrahim Idris was a representative. Idris' government held sway for almost nine years, amidst election tribunal cases that Idris Ibro was removed and installed shortly after the PDP's rigged election.
From my observation of the PDP government and its working, there seems to be an oath running through the veins of all the PDP states which says: "thou shalt not do anything for anyone, for thou didn't come to power through their support. Thou shalt be answerable only to your Abuja and local godfathers". That is why things remain unchaged, especially in almost all the PDP-led states.
In Kogi State, with the billions of Naira allocated to the state every month, Ibrahim Idris achieved but minimal success when he built the Specialist Hospital, rehabilitated Lokoja-Ajaokuta Road, and started and completed the Greater Lokoja Water Project only.
Ever since the handing over of power to Governor Idris Ichalla Wada, the state seems to have moved from glory to story. Things stand still, and there seems to be no leader. People are dying everyday as a result of high cost of transportation, housing and feeding. The prices of things are higher in Lokoja than in Abuja. A careful observer can come to Lokoja to see things for himself.
The presence of hotels almost everywhere in Lokoja is an indication that only the politicians benefit from the state. The poor masses have nothing to gain other than the trouble the excessiveness of the politicians caused.
The money given to the state by government and private organisations to take care of the flood victims has no record of what it was used for in the state. Some of the flood victims died as a result of frustration from the government's lackadaisical attitute towards their plight and the destruction of their life-saving items of property and farm produce.
The one and only main road in the capital city of Lokoja, Murtala Muhammed Way, has its most disgraceful status when it was made bad by constant usage and by flood, and there is no man, in the name of the governor who comes forward to see, let alone work on the road.
Kogi State has the highest number of youth restiveness as a result of unemployment. Youths move on the street everyday with haggard faces as if they were ugly or sick. They are frustrated. There is nothing in Kogi State, apart from Obajana Cement Factory that supports the lives of youths of the state. Private schools employ teachers, but because they know there is no hope from the government, people are used as if they had no value amidst threats of being laid-off. All these are as a result of having no choices in the face of poverty and the need to survive at all costs.
The state governor has never made any attempt to sustain, let alone create a new job. "Low jobs" like teaching can be created to add to the existing number, reducing unemployment and boosting education. But nothing is done by my government to improve upon education, housing, transportation, health and health system of the state.
The greater Lokoja water work is functional, but it is limited to the Murtala Muhammed Way alone, abandoning other streets and roads. Since I have no governor, there is nobody to help spread the water to the places where it is needed by the people. Where the water is available aside from the MMW, the people do it themselves.
When the people talk of local government autonomy, I support the autonomy of local governments because of what happens in Kogi State. Many Liason officers are answerable to the governor, and they have their allocations shared between their offices and the state government. Local government workers have their salaries either paid half, quarters or not paid at all for months, even years.
The city of Lokoja, like a village, has no touch of government, and there is no way we can talk of other local government headquarters and villages. Even the Government House has no touch of a living being. Villagers only know Wada is the governor. They do not know what a governor is supposed to do for the people. After all, have they not been coping without 'government'?
Unless jobs are created for the teaming youths, roads are constructed not patched, new roads are opened, new housing estates are built, not the one built by Audu between 1999 and 2003, water is made available to all the people of Lokoja - from Zango to Ganaja Village and from Adankolo to Phase II, businesses are encouraged, high cost of living as a result of high demand with limited supply in Lokoja is reduced, Lokoja town, and other towns and villages are beautified and given a touch of human presence, I will continue to say that Kogi State has no governor, and I stand by my words!
Odih Daniel N.
Lokoja,
Kogi State.
(odih4sure@yahoo.com)
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of SaharaReporters
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Kogi Elders
Submitted by Husseini (not verified) on February 20, 2013 - 09:46.
"It is rather unfortunate that our beloved state has acquired notoriety for unwholesome political practices, arrested development, deepening poverty and primitive state of infrastructure -all due largely to chronic mis-governance and endemic corruption of the last decade.
"It is now very clear to all that Captain Idris Wada - the man who was not even a card-carrying member of our party when he was imposed on us as governorship candidate in 2011- has absolutely no clue how to run a modern state. In nearly one year on the saddle, Wada cannot point to one tangible project executed by his administration besides a whitewashed roundabout in front of Government House, Lokoja. Yet, Billions of Naira had accrued to the state in the past 11 months of his stewardship," -Kogi Elders
Ibrahim Idris was a thief!
Submitted by Mrs Onemisi (not verified) on February 20, 2013 - 09:42.
As at the time Ibrahim Idris was shamed out of office, he had refused to pay six months arrears and two years leave bonus to over 2,000 reinstated civil servants he wrongly and brutally laid off during the Sally Tibot Screening. He never reinstated nor even said anything about the fate of the over 4,000 sacked civil servants he claimed he never mandated their employment in 2004. That was Ibro for us all – a man who never had a single friend among the nation’s governors.
Ibrahim Idris was occultic
Submitted by Ojochenemi (not verified) on February 20, 2013 - 09:36.
At a time the rot in Kogi took on spiritual dimension in 2010. At Dekina 53 souls were crushed to death by a trailer that ran into a hugely crowded market. It soon became the turn of Okene, barely three weeks after. Eight people were slain by a fuel-carrying tanker on the very busy Total junction. Yet, barely two weeks after the blood-sucking demons moved to Felele, Lokoja. About 35 people were roasted to death as another tanker ran into the crowded market. So the three Senatorial District were covered. It might have continued if one pastor had not gone on air to warn the occult practitioners. It had never been the bad in Kogi
The Carpenter started it all
Submitted by Paul (not verified) on February 20, 2013 - 09:31.
The first sign of decadence in state started with the risible character of its politics. The combustible PDP primaries, prior to the 2003 governorship elections saw money politics dramatized to a fault. The broiling contest was between Ibrahim Idris and the late Senator A.T. Ahmed. While Idris was, politically, an unknown quantity, Ahmed was an old horse. Since Kogites valued money more than aptitude, the more opulent Sokoto-based business man cum-carpenter had a field day.A man who had no robust political pedigree, Ibrahim Idris dwarfed A.T. Ahmed in the primaries. It was said that after the run-off between the two contestants, intense lobby, underpinned by mount-watering doles to the delegates, saw a yawning disparity between what both could offer. While the Omala-born furniture icon reportedly doled out N250,000 to each delegate, A.T. Ahmed gave a teeny-weeny N50,000. From then Kogites signed a pact with forlorn hope.
The knows nothing!
Submitted by IDRINANA (not verified) on February 20, 2013 - 09:21.
Mr Idris Wada doesn’t have the slightest inkling of what the responsibility of the office of the Governor is all about. It is evident that Wada lacks the requisite capacity to pilot the affairs of Kogi State. One doesn’t need the services of a clairvoyant to understand this.
Kogi is rotten
Submitted by Ozigi James (not verified) on February 20, 2013 - 09:03.
You don’t talk of Kogi State unless you want to see human suffering or a collection of miscreants on the pay roll of the state government waiting for executive directives to do odd jobs against perceived opponents
I don’t need to tell you that the last 1year of this administration is a step towards more confusion, naivety, indecision and gross inefficiency in handling state affairs
Wada needs fluphenazine
Submitted by Abdul Wada-Ejiga (not verified) on February 20, 2013 - 08:59.
My dear. Odih Daniel, may God bless you real good!
While the former Governor Ibrahim Idris was very slow and intellectually bankrupt, Wada is an illegal 'treadmill’ Governor who appears to be perpetually in motion but still at the same point.
This first 1year is characterized by cluelessness, lawlessness, disregard for the rule of law and apparent lack of direction. We have only seen palpable flashes of profligacy as seen in the N900million Naira wedding of his God-father, Ibrahim Idris, which he (Wada) hosted at the Government House, Lokoja on the 6th of April,2012.There is no action seen in any sector of the economy in the last 1year. we expect the real government voted in by our people to do more but nothing has been done and there is no clear cut thinking on the part of this illegal government and mandate bandits! What we have seen is simply 1year of Fluphenazine-induced rigmarole!
LIKE KOGI LIKE OSUN STATE.
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on February 19, 2013 - 19:36.
OSUN state governor Agbero Aregbesola has not paid workers salary since December. Families are in distress financially. The so called progressive and the only omoluabi, ogberan Raufu is holding the state to ransom. Workers are finding it difficult to pay wards school fees. This fellow is the champion of a fake regional integration. Ondo people should forever thank their stars for being smart to see through Tinubu's army. My heart bleeds because OSUN people walked in to bondage of 'muwonleru of Lagos'. OSUN typically plays bandwagon politics of fake Awoist. Having quickly forgot what Akande did to workers they believed a lie and took the state backward. Until the investment of Tinubu is fully paid with interest that state should forget about any development. They should brace up for tougher times ahead.
Will you for once give credit to whom it is due?
Submitted by akpos1 (not verified) on February 19, 2013 - 18:28.
Hear the writer, "...In Kogi State, with the billions of Naira allocated to the state every month, Ibrahim Idris achieved ...."
The above statement should have been, "...In Kogi State, with the billions of Naira allocated to the state every month,FROM THE OIL & GAS WEALTH OF THE SS&SE, Ibrahim Idris achieved ..." Be corrected & do take this as ur last warning!
From whence cometh the Billions of Naira? Is there a tree in Abuja wherein the money cometh? Beloveth, learn to give honour to whom it is due - the people of the SS&SE without whom continent Nigeria will nt be able to pay salary of junior govt staff for a month...anyway, small palm oil to ur elbow for shouting. Otherwise SR will not remember you bcos all their reporters are in d SS&SE states looking for interestin News of coruption,kidnapin,photos of property of indigenes in govt, etc This where their interest lies, not your Kogi.
Long live the United Rep of SS&SE
My people are naived
Submitted by Agada (not verified) on February 19, 2013 - 17:05.
Mr. Odih, I share your views and pains about the non existence of govt in Kogi State since 2003 when our visionary and amiable governor, Prince Abubakar Audu left office. Our people are so naive that they keep on supporting the rigging of the PDP. We all face the consequences of our illitracy and ignorant. If not God, who can deliver us? Qué séra, séra.
