Leadership is not a throne to be rented, yet in Kogi East, it appears power must first be knelt for before it is given. Painfully, after I published From Kings to Beggars, some Igala social media voices insulted me, choosing pride over truth. Today, credible sources confirm that prominent Igala figures seeking favours from the current administration must first pay homage to former Governor Yahaya Bello. What was whispered as gossip is now humming across corridors of power as confirmed political culture—one rooted not in service, but in submission.
This troubling trend reveals a deeper problem: the entrenchment of godfatherism and the weakening of Igala’s collective dignity. When access to government opportunities is mediated through a former governor who no longer holds office, the implication is not just political—it is spiritual, cultural, and generational. It implies a people who have lost their grip on the steering wheel of their own destiny, dragging behind the excess baggage of past compromises and current cowardice.
The recent acquisition of a ₦1.2 billion Rezvani Vengeance SUV by Yahaya Bello in the middle of corruption allegations paints a sobering contrast. At a time when ordinary Kogi citizens struggle with poverty, unemployment, and basic infrastructure failures, such extravagance sends the wrong message. It makes a mockery of accountability, and even worse, it reveals how public office has become a gateway to unchecked opulence. More painful is the eerie silence from Igala leaders—many of whom once grumbled in private about such excesses but now queue quietly for crumbs.
Constructive patriotism demands we call this out—not to destroy, but to rebuild. We must ask why a man under multiple corruption investigations is still treated as the political oracle of the state. Why are our brightest sons and daughters reduced to mere spectators in a political game they could be refereeing? Is this the legacy our ancestors prayed for when they fought for territory, justice, and truth? Unity is not pretending everything is well while collecting handouts. Unity is saying, “Enough,” even when it is inconvenient. Well, Igala for Igala Agenda will normal betray each other.
If the Igala nation must rise again, we must purge ourselves of hypocrisy. Stop faking unity on social media while kneeling in political bedrooms. Stop singing praises in public and murmuring betrayal in private. Leadership does not start from the top; it begins in the conscience of every man who refuses to sell his voice for a plate of rice. We cannot build the future while romancing the very system that broke our past.
This is not a call to rebellion but to reawakening. Igala sons and daughters, the time has come to stand not behind personalities, but principles. Let the world see us not as a people of grumbling pride but as a community of courageous patriots. Because no matter how fancy the vehicle, when the people lose their path, no SUV—bulletproof or not—can shield the truth.
– Inah Boniface Ocholi writes from Ayah – Igalamela/Odolu LGA, Kogi state.
08152094428 (SMS Only)
