By A.O. Augustine
Kenneth Akoji’s article is not a defense of Senator Jibrin Isah Echocho—it is a desperate, over-polished exercise in political damage control. Strip away the grammar and grandstanding, and what remains is a familiar tactic: attack the critic, avoid the issues, and flood the public with inflated claims in the hope that repetition will pass for truth.
Let me begin by dismantling the first lie.
I am not faceless.
My name is Abel Ogwumadeji ki ma jene Augustine Salifu Ogohi Amana, a proud son of Dekina Local Government. My roots are known, my lineage is traceable, and my identity is not manufactured for convenience. I come from the royal lineage of Onu Gbologwu Emewe Efopa.
My late father, Augustine Baba Salifu, a Christian was among those who helped establish Christianity in Emewe Opada and all his seeds including my self today carried on the batton of Christianity.
So let us be clear:
I am not hiding.
What is actually “faceless” is the intellectual dishonesty that produced that article.
More importantly, Akoji’s entire write-up collapses under one glaring failure:
He did not disprove a single fact I raised.
Not one.
Instead of confronting the substance, he buried it under a mountain of claims—most of them exaggerated, some unverifiable, and others laughably insignificant when measured against the scale of Kogi East’s decay.
That is not a rebuttal.
That is intellectual cowardice.
The most ridiculous argument in his piece is the suggestion that Senator Echocho should somehow be excused because the problems of Kogi East existed before his tenure.
That is not just weak—it is insulting.
If leadership is not about changing a bad situation, then what exactly is the purpose of holding office?
Why was he elected?
To complain about history?
To manage poverty?
To supervise stagnation?
Kogi East did not vote for excuses.
It voted for results.
Now to the so-called “achievements” paraded in that article.
This is where the insult becomes unbearable. After years in office, we are told to celebrate:
Boreholes
Motorcycles
Tricycles
Solar lights
Painted classrooms
This is what has now been rebranded as “impact”?
This is not development.
This is poverty management packaged as leadership.
No serious region measures progress this way. These are routine constituency interventions—basic, expected, and in many cases inflated beyond recognition. Dressing them up as monumental achievements is not only dishonest, it is deeply disrespectful to the intelligence of the people.
Let us talk reality—not propaganda.
Across Kogi East today:
Roads remain largely impassable. Youth unemployment is alarming. Economic opportunities are scarce. Healthcare systems are weak. Poverty is visible and worsening
These are the real performance indicators—not press statements and sponsored articles.
And on these indicators, the record is clear:
Kogi East has not moved forward in any meaningful way.
Even more embarrassing is the heavy reliance on “projects captured in the budget.”
This is where the entire defense collapses into comedy.
Since when did proposals become achievements?
Since when did budget entries become evidence of performance?
After nearly a decade in power, governance cannot be defended with “we have planned.” That is not leadership—that is prolonged anticipation.
People do not eat budget proposals.
Communities do not develop on paper.
Then comes the claim of job facilitation.
Once again, I challenge this publicly:
Publish the names.
Publish the numbers.
Publish the evidence.
Public employment is not a personal favor from a politician—it is a right of citizens. If these claims are genuine, transparency will prove it. If not, then it is nothing more than another exaggerated talking point designed to impress the uninformed.
On Odu specifically, I will not retreat.
Many of the projects loudly mentioned exist only in reports, are poorly executed, or have been abandoned to decay. Communities are not blind. They see the difference between functional projects and political decoration.
And since the Echocho camp is so confident, let us remove the argument from paper and take it to reality:
I challenge them to an open, independent media inspection of all listed projects in Odu.
I will personally fund the exercise.
Let the cameras roll.
Let the people speak.
Let truth confront propaganda.
What this entire episode exposes is something far more dangerous than one article—it reveals a political culture that thrives on lowering standards.
A culture where:
Mediocrity is defended aggressively
Token projects are exaggerated into achievements
Criticism is attacked instead of answered
And citizens are expected to remain grateful for the bare minimum
That is the real problem.
Let me say this clearly, without diplomacy:
Kogi East is being shortchanged.
And no amount of carefully crafted articles will change that reality.
The people are not angry because of propaganda.
They are frustrated because of lived experience.
They are tired of:
Media-driven politics. Cosmetic projects. Empty legislative noise. And leadership without visible transformation
Criticism is not bitterness. Accountability is not propaganda. And refusing to accept failure is not political opposition—it is common sense.
History will not remember how many articles were written in defense of power. It will remember whether the people were lifted or left behind.
And today, the truth is uncomfortable but undeniable:
Kogi East is still waiting.
Waiting for real leadership.
Waiting for real development.
Waiting for representation that matches its potential.
Until that happens, no amount of spin, insult, or deflection will silence those who choose to speak the truth.
– A.O. Augustine writes from Dekina.
