In an outlandish style, former Governor Idris Ibrahim (Ibro) ruled Kogi state for 9 years. When he was Constitutionally blocked, he brought his inlaw, former Governor Idris Wada to rule for another 4 years, making his empire a 13 years uninterrupted Ajipu harvest. His dynasty was cut short by God when Governor Bello was sworn into power, but 3 and half years into that, he regrouped with his colony to produce his eldest son, Abubakar Idris whom he has openly endorsed for the 2019 guber polls.
This is a family political story. When Ibro was there, it was Ibro, when Wada was there, it was Ibro and now that Abubakar Ibrahim has been endorsed, Ibro continuity is under propeller.
This travesty happened under an ethnic wickedness which they called “Igala agenda”, even though in reality it is an “Ajipu agenda” (pocket agenda). Under the nefarious Igala Agenda, all forms of social and political crimes were tolerated in Kogi state without questioning. They ran the state like their family boardroom.
In the indices of misgovernance was a chorus that no one could interject. Infrastructure was in total and miserable decay, however, like slaves who enjoy crumbs, our people were kept busy with “he paid WAEC fees”. Our youths were conspicuously recruited as thugs, blood letting their fellow youths to earn crumbs for survival through violence and strife. Our roads were an erosion site. Our lands were in perpetual darkness, with Kogi East, home to their birth being the highest hit – 90% of the land in near darkness.
In dark town, witches reigned unabated. Development is a far cry. Depression is a daily meal. Death is what people relaxed with at dusk. Sadly, funerals kept them perpetually happy because rice and stew is served as village boys and girls wore their Christmas clothes to celebrate on graves.
This was how Kogi has been for the past 13 years of PDPs rule.
In earnest, let me scratch your memory to 2015. The blade of history is not expensive when the soul cries. Kogi became the bedlam of kidnappings. Many of their kingpins found a home here. In Okene, Bokoharam made berth. They slept and grew. Recall that in the same Okene, during elections, the same power brokers set the town’s and villages into wars. Throats are slit open. Chests are used to displace reason. They fight until the ballot is over, amounting the entire central region to nothing.
In the West, horror is the wake. Poverty dances naked, but the Okuns, some of them cover it with grammar. All forms of underdevelopment was a raggae tune.
In Kogi East, they kidnapped for ransom until poverty broke into homes and carted away even the brains of the kidnappers that they requested for “goats” as ransom.
Development was under siege. The road to Igala’s traditional stool was a death trap, more so, for Igalas, the same people whose brains have been condeined by the “Igala agenda” mantra. Are you aware that motorcycles make faster trips than SUVs when you drive from Ejule to Idah? This is reality.
In Lokoja, the state capital, it was a Capitol of ghosts and ghost workers. Life was only seen at the parlour of immorality called the NUJ. It was a place men went to kill their sexual urges after enduring poverty life from a stipend of salaries for a less than 2% population from an over 4.3m people with whores and women went to provide services with their vaginal to stay alive. The poverty was an entire story of the People of Lokoja, this mirrors other parts of Kogi state. Poverty stood so tall that every 419ner claimed they have been stranded in “Lokoja”.
Are you also aware, until 2016 that this dynasty’s rule was cut short, Lokoja had no Traffic Light? At Ganaja junction, bikes rammed into each other. Cars kissed without humans holding hands. In fact, it was a quarrel joint for travellers. The traffic wardens got tired and left everyone to their fate.
From the zone 8 axis, everyone living in the other outskirts were forgotten. No light. No people. Just criminals living with people, taking ransoms from them to protect them as security agents.
In their time, names like Abu tubeless, Ogu Aranka and other high density thugs were poster boys. In fact, they granted one amnesty until he became a state Assembly member. If I mention his name now, they would send thugs to kill me, that is only what they understand. They sent fear and shiver in the minds of the locals but they went unarrested because they were “boys” to the “bigger boys in power”. In Ejule, scores of heads are recorded, dismembered from their neck sockets. Blood was like warm water wanting to burn skins.
The land was in disarray.
In the news, you hear “Prince Abubakar Audu has just been shot, behold the bullet pierce on his car”. This headline besieged the ears of Kogians in diaspora.
They heard. They couldn’t come home. They left everything for God.
Today, for God so loved the world but humans fail, they want to bring back the days of violence running riot through the same family who understands only deaths, poverty and poverty?
Let me remind you before I cry today, when they left power, the only Constituency project which is also a CSR from their loot they gave to Anyigba community was to build a gigantic Mosque in a town bedevilled by high rate of crimes and badly eaten erosion of development. For what you ask? Go to the Mosque, pray..leave.. it.. for.. God!
Ibro and Sons limited are here to leave their regular trade mark “Poverty and mediocrity”.
– Promise Emmanuel (Kogi Rebel) writes from Lokoja.
