Sandwiched in between the Northern and Western boarders of the Benue and the Niger River, Bassa Local government is situated in the Eastern Part of Kogi state. It has an area of 1,925km and a population of 139,993 at the last census count conducted, by the National Population Commission in 2006. It is expected that after thirteen years of the last census, Bassa local government must have increased marginally in its population owing to the ethnic and religious nature of the local government.
Its headquarters are in the town of Oguma which is centrally located in the local Government. Bassa has three major tribes namely the Bassa – Komu, Bassa Nge and the Egbria Koto amongst others. The three major tribes are populated in the three districts of the local government with the Bassa – Nge as the dominant tribe and district.
Bassa can be geographically accessed using two routes. One is from the Lokoja Shintaku inland water ways by ferry and the other is by the dilapidated road from Dekina to Oguma and other areas of Bassa. When I visit Bassa, I personally prefer to use the lokoja – shintaku inland water ways not only because it is a faster route to bassa but that it exposes my mind to the hidden treasures and untapped potentials of Bassa Local Government. I enjoy in particular the reflective waters and the beautiful landscape that greets my eyes when I gaze towards Bassa when ferried.
If you have ever been to Bassa, One Stricken thing you must have noticed is the hospitable culture of the people. The Bassa people are very hospitable. You hardly would visit a family without receiving an arousing welcome irrespective of whether you are known or not; when leaving, there must be something good for you handy or hearty to take home. I have discovered that in the heart of an average Bassa Man lays Resilience. Notwithstanding their mostly poor situations, they are determined to be productive and rightly successful. It is typical of the bassa people to be strong at heart irrespective of their physical size as most of them are not on the big size in body.
Most people I have encountered in Bassa Local Government are honest and straightforward speaking people. If they like you they have their reasons and if they hate you neither, they also have their reasons that cannot be disputed. They are the quick to hear and the slow to speak kind of people. Bassa to me, is like a beautiful Virgin Bride in whose breast lies Sincerity and Commitments which are the true soil for political growth and development. Please note that they exit also some bad elements in Bassa but a few.
Youths in Bassa Local Government are mostly enlightened. They are able to discern easily what is right or wrong. Little wonder, why they cannot fall prey to the vices of desperate politicians who operate in the eastern part of the state. Owing to their political enlightenment; they are able to resist steadfastly the antics of strange politicians as they are hardly used as thugs and political escorts which is obtainable in other Local Governments of Kogi East
Bassa Local Government to me, is the most politically exposed Local Government in the whole of Kogi East. It is only in bassa you can find candidates for election emerge winners irrespective of the political party they belong. The Bassa people are mostly interested in the credibility of the candidate rather than the political party . This political attribute of the Bassa people was expressed in the last elections in 2015 where the APC governorship Candidate, late Prince Abubakar Audu won the votes out rightly in Bassa while the House of Representatives and that of the House of Assembly were won by the contesting PDP Candidates Respectively. This can only happen in Bassa . Such attribute should be emulated in the other local governments of Kogi East. Candidates should be voted on their honor and credibility rather than the political party they belong.
I salute the indomitable, amiable and politically maturity of the people of Bassa Local Government for this. I am very optimistic that Bassa Local Government would repeat the 2015 scenario in 2019.
It is my believe that this might be one of the reasons why Bassa Local Government is the most Peaceful and Crisis Free Local Government during and after elections in Kogi East. They are not given to political party sentiments or nonchalant attitudes of politicians.
Bassa Local Government is indeed the Candle Light of the Eastern Dark. Bassa is better experienced than expressed in writing.
Despite this great attributes of the people ; Bassa is greatly undeveloped. Successive Government in Kogi State have shown little or no respect to this local government with great potentials. There are no functional Public Health Care Facility in Bassa Local Government; the Primary Educational system in Bassa Local Government are in comatose, the roads are unimaginable bad and have turned to be death traps, The sherria Bridge remains a mystery till today even as the raining season approaches. The youths in Bassa are largely unemployed as they are no industries or factories sizeable enough to employ them. Despite the great Agricultural Potentials in the areas of Rice and Cassava Production, Bassa has remains a pigment of mere imaginations. Sometimes I wonder how they became so enlighten. For this reason my heart bleeds profusely for Bassa.
Bassa is a local Government yearning for development. It is mostly used and dumped after every elections. The case of Bassa worsened with the death of the Late Prince Abubakar Audu in whom Bassa so much believed owing to his antecedent in the their local government and the State generally. I strongly believe that someday God will raise someone to come to the aid of the Amiable and Resilient People of Bassa Local Government.
Before I end this piece here is an advice for the people of Bassa from the holy book
“Do not be weary in your good works for in due season you shall reap if you faint not”.
My heart will continuously be with the good people of Bassa.
I love you ALL !!!
– Sanni Idakwo Philips
The “Father of Teachers”; a Name the people of Bassa humbly gave to me.
