With the recently released message by Usman Okai Austin titled “who is conspiring against the Igalas” via Facebook; it has finally dawned on me that Usman Okai is not actually channeling his sweet savouring epistles towards good governance in Kogi state, but rather playing political ethnic cards in favor of the Igalas.
So many a times my brothers from Kogi central have told me that Okai was only playing ethnicity and all out for the interests of the Igala nation, but I paid deaf ears to their assertion all the time, making them know that there are lots of sense in what he was saying; little did I know that he was indeed playing political cum ethnic game.
Looking at the political history of the state, you will see that the Igalas from the Eastern flank of Kogi state has spent 16 years in governance without handing over power to any other senatorial district; this continued until nature took its course in 2015 when Prince Abubakar Audu died while coasting to victory and miraculously, power was handed over to the Central senatorial district in which Yahaya Bello was the beneficiary.
It is worthy of note that Yahaya Bello may not have done too well in all areas as expected, but we cannot also write off some area that he has done well.
In as much as the welfare of the civil servant is concerned in Kogi state, to me he performed below expectations, but in the area of security and infrastructure, to a reasonable extent, he has done well.
In as much as the political history of Kogi state is concerned, Igalas should not be the one clamoring for power shift to their area by this time; it’s the people from the western senatorial district of Kogi that suppose to be clamoring for power shift.
But it’s quite unfortunate that many of my brothers from the eastern part of Kogi state are clamoring again for power and so angry that Yahaya Bello decided to field someone from the central; I am not saying APC’s choice is right or wrong because only time will tell; but left for me, in as much as equity, fairness and political inclusion is concerned, I would have loved it if APC had chosen their candidate from the west.
But for some Igalas, including Usman Okai whom I respected so much due to his continuous call for justice, to come out and begin to make statements that has no iota of regard for fairness and justice (shifting power to western district) but only that power should return to the east breaks my heart and weakened my spirit; just too unfortunate.
I want to use this medium to call on my good brothers and sisters from the Eastern part of Kogi state to calm down, just keep calming down because this power was in the east for good 16years, excluding the military era.
I, therefore, implore all Kogites to unite together for good governance, equity, fairness and justice rather than focusing on ethnicity, tribalism, and sectionalism that brings nothing but backwardness, hatred, and maladministration.
God bless Kogi state.
– Onimisi Joseph wrote from Abuja.
