I have traveled round the country and I have never seen a place like Ajaokuta Local Government Area that lacks proper management despite his numerous resources.
The Local Government is blessed with iron and steel, fertile land for agriculture, tourist attraction areas etc but the people of the area remain the most suffering set of people in the state as poverty has taking over the land.
Every four years, the people of the area elect self centered politicians who usually divert the allocations meant for the people into their private account. The reason for the election of these wrong representatives is not far-fetched. It is understandable that a place where poverty is the order of the day, the people lack sense of belonging as all their discretion is focused towards stomach infrastructure. Politicians can easily buy their votes with peanuts as low as N300.
What a pity!
Politicians usually save towards election as they knew it is easy to buy votes in the area than any other part of the state.
Since the creation of the state, the area lacks tangible social amenities and infrastructures. The only government hospital in the area is the Cottage Hospital situated at Ogigiri. Late Prince Abubakar Audu brought the hospital and christened it cottage. Cottage means hut, bungalow, chalet or small house. Is that a hospital?
The Headquarter of the local government (Adogo) is nothing to write home about as it lacks drinkable water, good road, electricity, good infrastructure and standard schools. No single higher institution being public or private in the area. No single bank in the area. No MTN service in the area. How will such an area compete with other local governments in the state? At the time of writing this article, there is no electricity in the area for the past seven months now. And the people have been sleeping in darkness. Although the state government is presently working to bring electricity back to the area, but the people didn’t know when it will be restored.
The university and HND graduates in the area end up doing Okada for survival as there is no hope of employment for them. Politicians have little or no concern for the unemployed youths. All they do is to use them for elections and dump them.
I therefore urge the state and local government to come to the aid of the people of Ajaokuta local government. Ajaokuta – Ebiya road should be revitalized. Pipe-borne waters should be dug across the fourteen wards of the local government. Specialize hospital should be built in the area. Youths should be engaged in meaningful development. Employment opportunity should be provided for the unemployed through agriculture. Higher institutions should be brought to the area to boost its economy and made it a commercial rather than residential area. The airstrip in the area should be expanded as Kogi state airport. This will boost the state economy and create employment for the suffering youths in the area. Tourist centres can also be built to aid the government and the people of the area.
Government should liaise with Banks and MTN management to bring their services to the area. All these could be achieved with the help of the state and local government, the elected representatives of the area and the people of the area.
– Mohammed James writes from Ajaokuta
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