Prince Abubakar Audu was the first civilian to rule Kogi state in 1992. He contested, won and ruled under the platform of the defunct National Republican Congress (NRC). His tenure was cut-short by the military junta of General Sani Abacha. He returned again in 1999 under the platform of defunct All Peoples Party (APP) and won the tight governorship elections against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Arc Stephen Olorunfemi.
Kogi state witnessed her best season of infrastructural development under Prince Abubakar Audu’s regime.
Under Audu’s watch, Kogi got a state-owned University, a state-owned Polytechnic, a 5-star confluence beach hotel, Obajana cement company, durable housing estates that was structured to be acquired easily by civil servants, radio station, print media, modern state library, and many other laudable projects. Audu practically laid a good foundation for the state.
Audu was young, energetic and was not without his flaws – pride, sheer arrogance, perceived tribalism, suppression of subordinates. It is a widely acknowledged fact that those who dislike Audu disliked him for the aforementioned flaws, not for non-performance in office.
In 2003, Kogi political traders, with enormous and undue support from the Federal Government, muzzled Audu out of office. Audu’s loss was wildly celebrated by his traducers and the masses that were hoodwinked to support their ignoble cause but their joy was short-lived! Audu’s successor, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris a.k.a Ibro, was a disaster that ruled the state for almost nine years! Ibro’s successor, Captain Idris Wada has not done any better.
Most of the key laudable projects that Audu initiated has been abandoned since 2003. My recent visit to the once glorious Confluence Beach Hotel in Lokoja brought me to tears. The same hotel that hosted 109 Nigerian Senators, over 50 ambassadors, just to mention a few, cannot host even local government councillors as we speak!
At another time, I drove up to the zenith of Mount Patti – a sensitive national tourism asset, and I noticed that the road to the top is as it was when Audu left in 2003! Both Ibro and Wada failed to add value to this huge asset.
I challenge anyone to visit lokoja and drive around the Lokongoma House Estates, Phase 1 and Phase 2 and you will know that Lokoja residents do not enjoy the presence of the governments of Ibro and Wada.
Practically, if you remove Audu’s projects from the present day Lokoja, the state capital will just look like a densely populated village. These are projects executed before 2003!
The colossal failure of Ibrahim Idris and Idris Wada has made Audu, a 68year old grand father, a credible alternative. If Ibro and Wada had turned the fortunes of the state around in the last twelve good years, Kogites would have risen in unison to ask Audu, ‘What did you forget in Lugard House?’.
If Audu’s successors, ala Ibro and Wada, had sustained the tempo of infrastructural development or surpassed Audu’s performance, Audu would have been sent on political exile by now.
As it stands today, Kogi state is not one of the poorest states in Nigeria, in terms of allocation accruing to state on monthly basis from federation account, but Kogi is unarguably one of the least developed states in Nigeria.
As we approach the all-important 2015 governorship election in Kogi State, can we take another risk by voting Wada for a second term? Can we afford the greater risk of allowing the main opposition party APC bring up another unknown element who may take us backwards like these aforementioned mis-managers of our commonwealth? Kogi electorates will have to answer this great questions.
I know many will ask why I am backing a 68 year old grandpa, Audu, with well known flaws as I have mentioned earlier. My answer is simple; if General is strong enough to rule a bigger territory at 72, why can’t Audu lead a small territory at 68. We know Audu’s flaws when he was 56 years old: he was arrogant, proud, suppressive and tribalistic. At 68, with repeated electoral humiliations, Audu is born-again.
**Watch out for my next piece on ‘Unmasking the Anti-Audu Elements in Kogi APC: Fear, Falsehood and Fantasies’
Titi Balogun writes from Lokoja
