Zoning as implied by the Oxford Advanced Learner Dictionary is an active word from the Noun “Zone” which means dividing an area into equal parts for use of any purpose either for war, geographical or official use. In the political context in Okunland it is the classification of an area into different parts to allow for equal spread of political representation which has helped in the reduction of political crisis and rivalry in most parts of Okunland. It is a fact that it helped to control unnecessary agitation for political offices which are limited in number to avoid territorial conflicts and major crisis which would have disintegrated the unity of the entire area.
The area referred to as Okunland in Kogi State of Nigeria span a large area covering five major Local Governments in the Western Senatorial District of Kogi State namely, Kabba-Bunu, Ijumu, Mopa-Moro, Yagba East and Yagba West and some parts of Lokoja Local Government sharing boundaries with the Bunu area of Kabba-Bunu Local Government referred to as Oworoland this area share the same cultural characteristics with every named Okun Community in the Kogi Western Senatorial District of Kogi State. The great Okunland is blessed with much human and mineral resources which could have been used to transform the economic and political status of the area but those things are either left untapped or not used judiciously to the advantage of the area due to undue politicising of issues in the area.
I as a young fortunate politician in Okunland have come to meet the much controversial phenomenon now referred to as political zoning in our area, in some cases circumstances of gruesome experience warranted some specific zoning characters to solve certain crisis of political agitation which resulted into mysterious killings and community clashes. In 1995 during the chairmanship election in Yagba west Local government there was a pathetic situation when zoning was not in place, Egbe as an equal divisible half of the local government due to ward delineation had a more firm grip of control over the other area communities of about thirteen villages with larger land mass but same numbers of wards. In that situation there was a scrambling agitation which already gave Egbe a higher chance to return another chairmanship which resulted into a mysterious death of an Egbe indigene who already got the nomination. At that point Elders of these communities in the Local Government sat to agree on zoning formula which effectively rotates the chairmanship slot of the local government till today. In that context other elective ones like house of assembly seat were been oscillated to the other areas of the chairmanship zoning to reflect an ideal representation of the total area called Yagba west in governance.
Zoning creates a greater opportunity of development for the area that produces the representation as most developments are mostly concentrated in the areas where the representatives are from ignoring the other areas and thereby limiting an even spread of development in the area which simply conforms with the saying that “if you give a hoe to a mad man he will easily rake advantages to his area” this adage also created the consciousness and agitation of other communities to stand up to the course of development in their own area. In Okunland there are two major zones in every Local Government, in Yagba west we have the Town Council which comprises of Egbe and the communities within it and the Area Council which also comprises of thirteen other communities with seven equal number of wards like the Town Council. In Yagba East we have Isanlu community with four wards and the South East communities with some other villages of six wards, in Mopa-Moro local government area we have Mopa township with four wards and the other Amuro communities of villages with Six wards in Ijumu we have the gbede Area and the other communities comprising of Ijumu Oke and the centre and in Kabba-Bunu just as the name implies like the Mopa-Moro we have a dichotomy of Kabba and the Bunu people. In line with this zones political positions are often rotated or shared to give room for adequate representation of the areas in governance which ensures a classic protection of interests of the zones in the distribution of government developmental programmes.
Siting the above situation one will realise that ward delineations are not done on equal proportions or according to the number of communities therein or according to population alone. There are so many parameters used to determine the exercise and as such critical arrangements were put in place to create more opportunities for some areas to present candidates or persons for political positions be it appointive or elective. This zoning arrangements have helped the Okunland to maintain total peace of the area and reduce territorial conflicts which would have complicated the existing land tussles within the area. That is not to say that crisis between communities does not influence alignments of interests against each other due to the fear of such communities using political opportunities to establish their interests if they ever have one, so other communities to aligns on that line of interest to plunder on the interest of these communities. This to me require so much attention to forestall the marginalization of the affected communities and in most cases ?ou see other communities perpetually aligning with other stronger ones to attain a permanent political advantage even if they have to be subservient.
All these aforementioned situations are reflective in virtually all the political regions in Kogi State and Nigeria as a whole. That way you see some areas permanently designated to be makeup factors to other larger communities in other zones to protect their interests at the long run. So certainly communal clashes are greatly reduced with zoning and greater integration and unity guaranteed with the already established phenomenon.
CRISIS OF ZONING
Despite the advantages derived from the zoning and established formulas Okunland is presently undergoing a great challenge and a major crisis which requires an immediate review to stem the situation or else the total area becomes submerged into marginalised entity with very limited development.
Before now Okunland was the envy of other areas in Kogi State due to the advancement of the area as a result of missionary activities which brought services and established what the world classified as MDG today, hospitals, roads, schools, airstrips, dams e.t.c were constructed through those missionary assistance. The zoning arrangement was a gentleman arrangement that has limited so much advancement lately due to the continuity of the obsolete formula without review. The initial arrangements were done in the interest of the area due to the situations at those periods, an wholistic calculation was done in the context of Okunland and not in the consideration of the present situation in Kogi state.
When I was in the House of Assembly in Kogi State I sat with all concentration and became one of the voices on the floor of the assembly chambers as most decisions were taken in consideration of my political tantrum. The leadership realised that it either I was carried along or they face a much serious crisis of our ability to divide the house along our interest and as a result of this I was able to influence so many things and thus also was able to stabilise the leadership of the house also been an Okun man. There I realised the importance of LEGISLATURE in agitation and due representation of our total area. There was a situation that was not passed into law before we came in which was the “ranking formula” which classifies every member of the legislature from the other in the order of seniority. His Excellency, Chief Clarence Olafemi became a second timer against the popular zoning arrangement and in review it offered the Mopa Moro Local Government and opportunity of Governorship and also the house internal zoning which made the deputy governorship a possibility also for Mopa Moro Local government.
Zoning today in Okunland has limited the legislature and thus reduced the strength of every elected legislature in Okunland. They can not be a principal officers in the majority context except an addition from the minority and there is no strength a minority can wield to assist development in the area. Today there has to be an immediate review in the legislative representation of Okunland to enable a second time in the House of Assembly, because the Assembly been what it is, a centre of intrigue requires a ranking personality to enable factual increase, development and contribution in the art of governance in the state.
Finally, until there is a review in the zoning formula of Okunland to allow for continuous election in the legislative representation of Okunland the dream of rotational governorship to our advantage is a mirage. I also want to leave you with this quote in the book of Job 32:9 ” great men are not always wise and neither do the aged understand judgement”
Our elites have come to see politics as a means of economic integration, so many university lecturers who have failed in achieving any economic stability have seen politics as a means to achieve this end and thus have come to either continued on the obsolete zoning or have come to show that they more than other thing require the bit they make in the political offices they eventually got to make an equation with other personalities in the society. Most of them when they eventually get such opportunities play as sycophants or run away from converging a collective interest of our people. It is the contrary in the other senatorial districts of the East and the central region of Kogi state which also helps in the final stability of the state government.
We need a rethink “OKUN RONU”. Politicians must see every opportunity as a chance to serve the people and the state government. Other great men in Okunland today see politics as a means to destroy the younger ones who seem to grow also as they have grown. The youth are the future of our area and thus must be given leverage to succeed. The regarded common Okun Development Association has been politicised and thus have just been reduced to a social club of some sort or an adult play ground. What developmental indices can we assess from the composition other than extravagant display of academic excesses and Essay writing. Such forums should have sat to critically analyse the need to review the issue of zoning in Okunland. The traditional stools in Okunland has also been reduced to mere chieftaincy titles where rich men goes to show affluence without developmental contributions.
We need to return the respect to our traditional foundations and centralise our traditional rulers to be able to adjust our situations to meet the challenges of the present day in Kogi State.
Prince Philip Orebiyi
Was a member of Kogi State House of Assembly representing Yagba West.
