Indigenes of Kogi State from Kogi West Senatorial District, yesterday cried out to the State Government to stop enslaving them as it has been the case for the past 16 years through denial of appointments into government services and allocation of resources to that part of the state by successive governments since 1999.
As a result of the alleged marginalization, the aggrieved Kogi West indigenes threatened to slam civil disobedience action against the state government if after 30 days, process of redressing marginalization against them is not put on ground.
Briefing the press on the alleged marginalization, Senator Dino Melaye ( APC Kogi West) in a six page presentation on behalf of the Kogi west people said the oppression his people has been facing from successive Kogi state government since 1999 , have been very satanic to the point that the state government since 2013, has not employed a single person from Kogi west into the State Civil Service.
Dino in the press statement titled: ‘Marginalization of Kogi West by the Eastern Part of the State”, said the motive of the press conference was to show all Nigerians, through statistical facts and data, the brutal and wicked lopsided ness and deliberate oppression of Kogi West people and by extension, ‘Okun’ people in the state over the years ”
Using the Kogi State University as a case study, Melaye said employment at the University as of 2013, shows that while Kogi East ( Igala people) where the state governor, Idris Wada comes from, has 94% of junior staff and 76.60% of senior staff, Kogi west has 1.5% and 16.60% of Junior and senior staff respectively , even far lower than percentages Kogi Central ( Ebira People) and even non indigenes, have in the state owned institution.
He added by saying that out of the seven internal members of the University Council, four are Igala ( Kogi East), one Ebira ( Kogi Central ), one Okun ( ( Kogi West) and one non indigenes.
He went further by running down the list of the 37 Principal officers of the state University which has 27 Igalas from the Vice – Chancellor down to the Dean of Natural Sciences, while Ebira has six and Okun just two with the remaining two going to the non indigenes.
He said the lopsidedness of appointments in favour of Igala people at the Kogi State University to the detriment of Okun people in particular and by extension, the Ebiras as well, is numerically reflective in the entire civil service structure of the state with 25, 000 of them from Kogi East ( the Igalas) while the remaining 9, 000 comprises of Ebiras, Okuns and non indigenes.
Aside appointments, according to Dino, successive governor of the state since 1999 from Abubakar Audu to the incumbent, Idris Wada ( all Igala) , have been focusing on Kogi East alone in the distribution of resources in terms of establishment of Industries , Tertiary Institutions, government agencies and even road constructions.
He therefore declared that the people of Kogi west have resolved that henceforth, they will no longer continue to fold their arms and allow a single senatorial district to continue cornering the greatest percentage of the resources of the state.
He said: ‘ In conclusion, we give the Kogi state government 30 days from today to invite us and correct all these anomalies or we will carry out massive civil disobedience and do all within the law to liberate our people.
‘A stitch in time saves nine. The battle to fight for our right even with the last drop of our blood , is a battle of No Retreat , No Surrender. Igala people, Enough is Enough!”.
