The good people of Ajaokuta are peace-loving people who have contributed immensely to the development of Kogi state over the years. The APC supporters in the state voted massively for Governor Yahaya Bello during his primary and supplementary elections that brought him to power.
After Bello’s inauguration on the 27th of January this year, both the APC and PDP supporters in the area took to the street to celebrate their own brother and son, Governor Yahaya Bello for what they termed as “Victory for all”.
Since his emergence as the governor of Kogi state, the people of the area have suffered a lot of setback as if they are no longer indigenes of Kogi state. Apart from the two persons, Hon. Abdulkareem Onyekehi and Dr. Saka who were nominated as members of Bello’s cabinet, there is nothing else the people have enjoyed up till date.
It is no longer gainsaid that there is rapid infrastructural development which include rehabilitation of roads across the state but Ajaokuta people were sidelined from this development as no single road was contracted out for rehabilitation.
The civil servants in the area are always the last to get paid for the services rendered to the state and local government. This has relegated them to the background as if they are no longer indigenes of the state.
In one of my articles, I called on the state government under the watch of Governor Yahaya Bello to look into the high potentials in the area and harness them for the betterment of the local government and the state in general, but the governor and his cabinets paid deaf year to it and walk away freely as if all is well in the area.
While we appreciate the state governor’s effort in bringing dividends of democracy to the people in the state, we implore him to come to the aid of Ajaokuta local government as they are yet to feel the new direction mantra of the present administration. The place has been in total blackout for the past 8 months and as a result, the economic activities in the area have been crumbling. This is an area that is blessed with potentials, equipped with both human and material resources.
I therefore once again urge the governor to rehabilitate the dilapidated roads in the area, provide drinkable water and change the so called Cottage hospital to specialist hospital. The airstrip in the area can be revitalized and expanded into one of the best airport in Nigeria. This will generate employment to the unemployed graduates in the area and the state at large.
The area did not forbid progress, so high school should be built within that metropolis in order to bring education closer to the people of the area. Primary and secondary schools in the area should be revisited as all the building and equipment are already archaic and nothing to write home about. Workers in the area should be given utmost attention for maximum productivity.
– James Mohammed is a writer and a journalist.
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