I find it utterly disturbing anytime I read online and offline newspapers, and I see politicians – local or national – attributing importance to themselves and singing their own praises even when it is apparent that they are failures in every way. I ask myself if these people have conscience or are devoid of one. I feel they are made inhuman by the spirit associated with politics or by their own personal callousness.
In Kogi State, it is ridiculous how any politician in this present dispensation under the tepid administration of Captain Idris Wada will attribute any success to this seemingly non-existent government. I challenge this politicians to unashamedly come forward and tell the people what this government has achieved in its third year in power.
On job creation for mere 500 teachers, the state government has yet to say when and how the job will be offered to young men and women who had long been interviewed even when the processes for this employment had been on course for one and a half years now.
I am however forced to write this piece of article as a response to the statement attributed to the Chief Press Secretary to the Kogi State Deputy Governor, Abu Michael, as published by Kogireports.com, an online newspaper, on August 19th, 2014 which quoted Mr Abu Michael as reacting to article written by Bala Nayashi and published by the Nigerian Tribune on 19 August, 2014 on the state of roads in Lokoja.
In the article, Mr Nayashi questioned the need for the Lokoja Metro bus services supported by the state government to add to the countless number of motorcle and taxi services in Lokoja city when Lokoja has no road other than Murtala Mohammed Way in the first place. Mr Nayashi said “with the condition of roads (Murtala Mohammed Road, covering Lokongoma to Army Barrack Roads, Olusegun Obasanjo Round-about) in the capital, the buses would simply get old quick” and called on the state government to “do something quick”.
Kogireports.com quoted Mr Abu Michael as reacting to the article by saying that “the present administration aside inheriting and completing 36 roads which were under construction from its predecessor, also began the construction of new ones”.
It would be worthwhile if Mr Michael could explain where all the 36 roads so said are found in Lokoja or in Kogi State. It is a shame on this government if it celebrates the mere ‘patching’ of some bad portions of minor roads in the state capital, the roads constructed by the first Executive Governor of the state, Prince Abubakar Audu even when the resources and allocations to the state were small and inadequate. It is ridiculous if this government praises itself as if it had done something lofty. If Lokoja had 36 roads repaired with “a large chunk of resources by the present and past administration of the State” as stated by Mr Michael, I presume Lokoja would have been an unequalled centre of attraction to all and sundry.
I challenge this government and its retinue of sycophants to convince me and I know many others, and make us see the need to listen to their songs of road construction if the one and only Murtala Muhammed Way is still laced with many depressions; I call on the government to go to Ganaja village and pass through the popular Nyama-Nyama Road and see if it needs a full construction or not; I invite the government team to also come with me and pass through Gadumo – through Gadumo Central Mosque to Confluence International Academy, the only secondary school in that area made of redbricks – and see if the road needs any touch.
Odih Daniel N.
Lokoja, Kogi State.
odih4sure@gmail.com
