Fellow electorates, one thing we must consider as a rationale for voting any candidate into political offices come 2019 is empowerment projects of individual contestants long before now. The contributions of individual aspirants to community development from time immemorial to this present time calls for greater attention.
My piece is driven by the love I have for community development which should be the main reason behind our support for any candidate of our choice. We have lots of contestants in the forth coming election. I have for example in my own Local Government here in Igalamela/Odolu;
Hon. Friday Sani Paul (Makama).
Hon Adana Babakeke
Hon Attabo H.Cosmos
Hon Patrick Ebiloma
Hon Adaji.
These persons are all vying to represent us at the Kogi State House of Assembly. Some of them have more advantage of winning over the rest. Following my criterion for voting any candidate in 2019 for any elective position, HON FRIDAY SANI MAKAMA, as a teenager started his community development service by mobilizing the youths of Odolu axis in repair of bad roads and control of erosion every Saturday as far back in the 80s, he hates oppression, intimidation and injustice.
Hon. Friday Sani’s love for community development drove him into emancipation struggle for his people even as a young man, Take the Odolu forest reserve for instance, was taken away from the sole owner Odolu people by the son of the then Attah of Igala whose company is popularly known as HIPPO NIG LTD, and they barred Odolu people from coming closer to the forest reserve. Hon Makama saw this as an act of wickedness and oppression on Odolu people swung into action fought tooth and nail with HIPPO NIG LTD and reclaimed the Forest Reserve for Odolu people. This endeared the heart of the people to Makama on any issue related to Community Development. This singular behaviour facilitated his appointment as Special Adviser on Youth Empowerment to the then Kogi Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris and he did marvelously well there.
As an emancipator and liberator of the oppressed, he opted to represent his people the great Igalamela/Odolu in Kogi State House of Assembly in 2011. Because the antecedent and account of stewardship of those who have represented us where not yielding positive impact or result in the lives of the that mandated them to be there.
However, the kind of belief and trust people have so much trust on Elder Friday won greatly. He brought development to our land one among so many was provision of Clinic at Egbolo with adequate facilities and five nurses directly under his payroll. Hon Makama empowered the people with endless list of functional borehole projects with standby power plants to keep it alive up till now. He empowered an avalanche of youth with cash gifts for small scale businesses and farming. He established free education beginning from the elementary level christened Ibro Nursery Primary School Odolu. He is still determined to take this kind gesture and vision to the next level up the ladder of Secondary and Tertiary education. An attempt to rebrand Ajaka Market was later truncated by enemies of development in Ajaka.
Makama is the only leader that does not impose ideas, or projects in the people. He strongly believed in participatory democracy where people come together to decide what the want from his leadership before meeting their demands or needs. He is the only leader who receives calls from anyone in his constituency even in the middle of the night at a single dial.
In 2015 Igalamela/Odolu people saw the good work Hon. Friday Sani Makama did and asked him to continue. And again he won because he has his peoples support. Till today he still stands tall among his major contenders in Igalamela/Odolu. This is because of Friday Sani’s plethora of achievements is unmatchable among contemporary political leaders home and abroad.
Hon Babakeke has also contributed his own quota to the development of the community when he was appointed as the education secretary. A Lot of testimonies were given during his reign. Majority he helped in securing teaching job are still waxing stronger in the job if not for paralyzed method in salary payments in Kogi today.
May I enjoined each and every citizen of Igalamela/Odolu LG to choose wisely between this two persons, Makama and Babakeke. As for Cosmos Patrick and Adaji, I want anyone reading my post to come up with meaningful contribution about their services to community development from time immemorial to date.
– Idachaba Reuben Ogohi wrote from Igalamela/Odolu LG.
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