One year orbit is an evidence of 365 days of opportunities and failures. Depending on the tides of sail, a captain of any ship may head for the rocks or the fruits.
Lugard House is rich in history. It comes with colonial windows of various shades of nostalgia. His Excellency, Governor, Yahaya Adoza Bello, the 4th Governor of the State, created on August 28th, 1991, governs his people from the first capital of Nigeria, Lokoja, in Kogi State. According to historical relics, Mrs. Flora Shaw Lugard, wife of the Governor General of Nigeria, Frederick John Dealtry Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard GCMG, CB, DSO, PC (22 January 1858 – 11 April 1945), also known as Sir Frederick Lugard between 1901 and 1928, a British soldier, mercenary, explorer of Africa and colonial administrator (Wikipedia, 2017), gazed into the adjoining point of the Rivers: Niger and Benue and named this country, Nigeria, from Niger-Area. This is an important history to Nigeria, as to the people of Kogi State. Lugard himself administered (commercial and Administrative) Nigeria from Lokoja. His moderate office is situated on an Obudu standard mountain in Lokoja, referred to as Mount Patti.
Leadership.ng says, according to European historical records, Lokoja was said to have been founded by one William Balfour Baikie. Realistically, though, there were natives living in the area for thousands of years before the arrival of the Europeans. Atabor Julius was cited in Leadership report of October 3rd, 2014, saying, “the magnificent Niger and Benue rivers meet in Lokoja, forming the famous confluence from which Kogi derives its official sobriquet, ‘The Confluence State’. Kogi shares a common border with nine states in Nigeria and is essentially a transit route to 16 other states, including the FCT. Lokoja, on the other hand, also saddles some strategic roads to, at least, five geo-political zones out of the six geo-political zones in Nigeria”.
Don’t lose me, this introduction attempts to create an atmosphere of thorough understanding of how Kogi State is underreported and represented in Nigeria. With these facts to brainstorm, we see: History has it that, there the town (Lokoja) is a special place for many reasons. First, Lokoja was the first administrative and commercial capital of Nigeria when Lugard became governor-general of Nigeria after Mungo Park and Richard and John Landers explored the River Niger in the 1830s.
The state has 21 local government areas to manage with about 4.5million indigenes of Igala, Ebira, Yoruba-Okun, Bassa-Nge, Bassa-Komu, Oworo, kakanda and other ethnic extractions. Governor Yahaya Bello has a lot of challenges sitting on his 42 year old head. By far, a strong man. He emerged from a constitutional defining court case in 2016, after the unfortunate demise of Kogi State’s political colossus, Prince Abubakar Audu, who died on November 22, 2015, at the eve of his being declared as the substantive winner of the guber elections, which eventually brought in Mr. Adoza.
2016 couldn’t have been a rosy year for the young governor; an estate of trouble with electoral matters was heaped upon his head. Side-by-side with the giant expectations of Kogites who expected a de-javu of Audu landmark legacies of infrastructural and economic development. However, for the politically naïve, altruism of objectivity was lacking. Let me explain: Kogi State is not an uncomplex state like it appears. There’s a ceaseless occupation of tribal traffic that gridlocks into jams of ethnic hate and other familiar issues that characterises the Nigerian political scene; a complex-complicated-madhouse.
The prolonged court-case dragged hitherto consideration for concentration of governance. Many political pundits would disagree with this position, reason that a visionary leader prepares before vying for political positions. Not to disagree with their position, however, Nigeria is not a smooth sail. Every development comes with new chemical equations for balances to take place.
Here are my appraisals for his government in the following sectors:
Security:
When the governor took the wheels of power, Kogi state festered in kidnappings and other itinerant crimes, from road robbery to escalated cult-related-mayhem and social illegalities. From a leader who understands the importance of peace as it drives development, his administration took a major swipe at the criminals by providing security operatives with required apparatus such as vehicles and other ancillary gadgets for combating crimes. It is also a novel strategy that other states can learn from the kogi State government on how she harmonised various security agencies in the state into a single-goal fighting unit. The Local Policing strategy of Vigilantes were also adequately utilised to fish out local hoodlums who constituted nuisance and drove the nail of fear into harmless citizen.
On security, the Governor has 9/10. As a suggestion, the various vigilante units should further be strengthened as they know the real criminals.
Economy:
Kogi State is touted a civil service state due to almost an absence of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises, SMEs. The mono-economy which is powered by the salaries of civil servants is in coma, due to the bullets fired from the general recession in the Nigerian economy and the inconsistent payment of civil servant salaries. Many arguments have taken room to why the economy should be in such a despotic state with the array of potentials of human and natural resources abounding the state. A serious administration would have technocrats manning the economic sector of the state without the inclusion of regular “politicians”. To support this view, the Special Adviser on SMEs in the state, is a young man without any track record of public or private sector experience as concerns the economy. This is happening in a state in dire need from an extreme thirst of economic diversification. The economic plans for the state as contained in the NewDirection Blueprint is taking forever to surface, the monolect-media team has also done a very bad job in responding to questions from the indigenes in that regard.
On the Economy, the Governor scored 2/10. As a recommendation, the economic team should be rejigged as soon as possible to prevent the burial of Kogi State as a whole. Technocrats should be saturated into the system as politicians are only relevant during campaigns. There’s also a loud call for an “Investment and Economic Conference” to pitch the state and its rich resources to prospective internal, external and international investors. Kogi state with its many mineral resources and human capacity for skilled and unskilled labour is a fertile ground for both new and expanding businesses. As a virgin economy, most introductory businesses have 70% trajectory of succeeding if the central location of the state is marketed adequately.
Agricultural Sector:
The mainstay of Kogi State’s economy is agriculture. The people of Kogi state are industrious farmers while the state boasts of the most fertile lands across the North Central. Staple farm produce such as: Yam, Cassava, Millet, Bambarra-nuts, Maize, Beans, Rice, Cashew-nuts, Oil Palm, Melon, Beni-seed, etc, are farmed in commercial quantities in the state. Supports to farmers to improve yields of their seedlings has been a challenge. Farmers have been largely left to their fate without any governmental assistance. The agricultural sector is probably the most viable sector for subsistence and commercial farming. Keen attention, when given to this sector can generate inter-state agro-income and internally generated revenue, (IGR) for the state to aid the statutory allocation from the federal purse to fund the budget.
On Agricultural Sector, the Governor scored 3/10. As a recommendation Provision of tractors for cooperative rentals should be of immediate execution. Provision of manures and irrigation services and mechanized farming approaches should be
Tourism:
The ancient city of Lokoja, Kogi state, comes with history that all lovers and history-hungry citizens can feed from. From the heights of Mount Patti, which was the first administrative headquarters of Nigeria after the 1914 amalgamation, to the Confluence of Rivers: Niger and Benue, to the ancient city of Idah which housed the sovereign Ata Igala, to the land of happenings of Okene and the agrarian rural-metropolis of the Okun lands provides a soothing and rich experience for tourists.
The tourism sector is the most viable sector in Kogi state with the rich history that defines the people of Kogi. The Confluence beach hotel and creation of beach fronts for holidays are what a serious government would take seriously.
Kogi as a melting pot from other states also afford travellers to take connecting travel joints from all parts of Nigeria before journeying forth. Mount Patti should be transformed into a wonder resort like the Obudu ranch.
On Tourism, the Government takes home 4/10.
Financial Management:
This is a very sensitive area for both government and her citizens as public accountability is inimical to the political clime in Nigeria. Government seldom see it as a duty to be accountable to how public funds are generated and utilized. They’ve been countless accusations from all quarters as to what happened to the 20Billion naira bailouts funds, released in 2016 for the payment of civil servant salaries. The payment have been epileptic due to an unending civil service reforms that attempts to fish out ghost workers. According to media sources, other funds released are Ecological funds (15BN), Paris Refund (unknown amount) and consistent monthly allocation which fluctuates between 2.5Bn – 3.5BN. The Government also announced last year that the state’ IGR has been improved to about 1BN to compliment federal allocation. However, the question that streams goes thus: What is the financial state of the state? Why are salaries not being paid in the abundance of these funds?
Accountability is linked to integrity. The Government of Yahaya Bello, promised on 27th January, 2016, on her swearing in that she’ll be accountable to Kogites. The time is 365 days overdue.
On Financial Management, the government goes home with 3/10.
Civil Service Reforms:
The civil service reform(s) is sensitive area only courageous leaders thread. The Kogi state Civil Service Reform is not left out. The corrupt hands and cronies who have led the state in the past saturated Government payroll with their prebendal beneficiaries and ghost workers to milk the state of robust resources that can be used to transform other sectors of the economy. Wicked and soul-less beneficiaries draw salaries they’ve not worked for while the state also rewards Heads of Local Governments, Pension, and other ministries with octopal payments. The stench oozes to high heavens. The administration of Yahaya Bello has shown courage to weed out ghost workers. However, the Government has taken the wrong approach towards the various and endless screening(s) which Kogites have been subjected to without any form of incentive. There’ve been issues of deaths, unfortunately, to those who have been subjected to the administrative malfeasance of the screening committee.
With this foundation still, the Governor cannot take the sole blame as those conducting the screening have used it as premise to witch-hunt their colleagues. Issues of insensitivity and gross inefficiency by the screening agents contributed to the lacklustre outcome of the findings. It is an established fact that Governor Bello has not been conducting the screening by himself, as such, the various government officials used as resource persons for the processes are also routinely complicit in the state of things.
As a matter of urgency, the yardstick used for determining ghost workers should be made open for the general public. Paltry reasons such as non-constant withdrawals from a particular location in the state is a jejune reason to declare a legitimate worker ghost. It is on record that most rural areas in kogi state seldom have banks to withdraw their salaries until they travel out to major towns which may be outside their local government.
Infrastructural Development:
Some infrastructural development strides have been achieved, while some are ongoing. With the renovation of Government house, erection of new structures to accommodate the relevant workforce needed by this administration, goes a long way into the right steps to be taken. The flag-off of major roads in the three senatorial districts in the state is also commendable, as when those roads are completed, would link rural-communities to the relevant mobility of persons and farm produce required to feed the state and generate IGR. However, more can be done this year. Kogi State is too big for such plaques, compared to other states in terms infrastructural development.
On infrastructure, the government has 7/10.
Media:
The media team of the present government needs to up her game. It is either they don’t have access to government officials, documents or some stringent administrative bottle-necks have been created that impinges on the effectiveness of the media unit.
Many round holes in square pegs cannot work in a state like kogi that is in labyrinth of information-deficiency. Most media representatives of the government only make use of social media, which has a limit of 5000 thousand friends and followers (Facebook), who may not have full authority to inform a large population of about 4.5 million people who barely have access to social media. In-depth explanations and exposition of government plans is never in the attention of the media team. Many communication scholars are of the position that No=information is better off Half-information which may lead to conflict-over-information.
Gross incompetence and media insensitivity have been noticed with the media handlers of this administration such as: Engagement in online wars with government critics that leads to naming tagging and calling. Personalisation of Government Communication into denigration. Display of wealth, cars and other accessories while open fraternisation and praise-singing of political appointees is their currency of operation. The media team can be passed for online-campaign-team. With immediate effect, media capacity trainings should be organised for the media unit or outright relief of their duties for better hands to come aboard.
Conclusively, in my opinion, the Office of Social Investment Programs and Ministry of Rural development are the shinning brides of this administration for the year 2016. It is also my belief that the administration of Yahaya Bello has good intentions to transform the state, however, intention(s) is not enough, and action is the catalyst needed. With a budget of about 110 BN, with capital expenditure taking north, we expect to see rapid implementation of proposed projects. 3 years cannot be wasted grovelling with “good intentions”.
– Promise Emmanuel, a social critic and media psychologist, writes from Lokoja, Kogi State.
He can be reached on: prodigypromise.emmanuel@gmail.com
