I am a regular reader on news on Kogireports.com and I have read so many write-ups against the immediate and former governors of Kogi State who are all Igalas. I have read the write-ups from antagonists and from sycophants as well and I noticed that there seems to be a plan to tag Igalas as bad in order to hang us.
Most of the damaging write-ups are largely from central and western districts in Kogi State. The few ones from our Igala brothers and sisters are from people we know who are doing so for selfish and political reasons for instance, someone who was close to a politician before and feel abandoned will wake up one day and become a publisher of news. We know ourselves so well.
It is important to set the records straight at least for the sake of younger Igala men and women who have been bombarded with insults and abuses especially on social media.
Starting with Audu
It is very important we note that as at 1999, only two states in the whole northern Nigeria have a state university namely; Benue State University and Kaduna State University. January 1999, His Excellency, Prince Abubakar Audu established Kogi State University in Ayingba. It took Kwara State 10 good years to copy Kogi example.
Audu noticed that civil servants have accommodation problems and also noticed that work on Fridays was skeletal because almost all workers travel to their villages where they have more conducive accommodation on fridays and return on Sunday or monday. Audu built hundreds of housing units solely for Kogi civil servants. A caring Igalaman, he saw that housing allowance deducted from the total salary package of civil servants who were staying in these government quarters will only benefit government, he converted these deductions into mortgage. This is the first of its kind in Nigeria. Today, most of these houses are 100% owned by civil servants and retirees who had served the state meritoriously.
It is common to hear Kogites shout about Kogi having abundant resources and yet poor. I once asked a friend who said Igala leaders don’t have vision for the state what he knew about solid minerals development in Nigeria. I asked how many state governments in Nigeria had invested heavily on the solid mineral deposits in their states. The oil-rich states owe the development to Federal Government. Osun has large deposits of solid mineral like gold, Kwara has numerous solid mineral deposits, Ondo has bitumen, almost all the state has, can anyone tell me how much has these state governments invested into these solid minerals? But Audu took the bull by the horn, invested heavily in Limestone and today we are proud to have the biggest cement factory in Africa situated in Kogi state with about 10,000 jobs created. How many governors in Nigeria can boast of this feat?
On retrenchment of civil servants in 1993, I make bold to say that If Fashola or Oshiomole were to be governor of Kogi state then, he will do the same because Babangida’s Federal government increased minimum wage and failed to increase allocation. Almost all the states in Nigeria retrenched then. Igalas were also retrenched but the difference in Igalaland was that the exercise was not politicised like it was in central and west where the leaders of then NRC in Okun and Ebiraland shortlisted names of political opponents in SDP for retrenchment. Please blame your leaders and not Igalas.
On Ibro
Alhaji Ibrahim Idris (alias Ibro) came when the cries of Kogites were loud that ousted Audu was an emperor that treated civil servants badly. People also complained that Audu’s political appointment does not have enough spread. Also, there were complains that Audu’s projects were white elephant projects. They said he built an empty university and neglected Kogi poly in Lokoja, Kogi West. Kogites also complained badly that aside university and hand-pump boreholes, Audu did not touch other critical sectors of the economy. They summed Audu’s achievements to be personal-ego driven and concluded that Audu’s main achievements were Kogi state university (only visible achievement in education area), Confluence Beach Hotel, and the then on-going Obajana cement company. All others were seen as mere media hype. Oliver twists syndrome.
Ibro listened to Kogites and collated all these complaints and started work immediately. He cleared all backlogs or salaries and leave bonuses inherited from Audu. A caring Igalaman, Ibro set up mechanisms for regular and prompt payment of salaries, leave bonuses and pension in the state.
Lokoja the host of river niger and river benue had never enjoyed pipe-borne water in their homes until a caring Igalaman, Ibro came up with greater lokoja water works.
Ibro built 500 units of houses for civil servants but they complained that they don’t have enough offices, a typical Igalaman who is not tired of doing good, Ibro commenced construction of 2nd phase of state secretariat.
Listening to complains and scorns that the state university is a glorified secondary school, Ibro invested heavily in infrastructural development and human development and got 29 courses offered in the university accredited within 29 months. This is another uncelebrated feat by noble Igalamen, Ibro and Prof Idachaba.
Kabba people complained bitterly that Audu promised to locate the state university in Kabba and later took it to Ayingba. Ibro cannot relocate the university to Kabba so he established an higher institution College of Education (Technical) in Kabba. There were complains that Audu focused only on Kogi state university but abandoned Kogi Poly, Ibro came and corrected this superbly.
Ibro inherited a glorified state capital in Lokoja, the one major road in Lokoja was a single lane but Ibro came and dualised the major road and even the Ganaja road as well.
Ibro’s appointment in state executive cuts across all LGAs in Kogi state.
Kogites complained then that Audu empowered only himself and a few friends when he was in government. Ibro ensured even empowerment among women and youth across the length and breadth of Kogi state.
Again, non-igalas complained that Audu did not grade their royal kings properly, Ibro corrected this.
On Wada
A nationally recognised first-class Pilot, Captain Idris Wada came on board in 2012 and once again, there were cries that his predecessor, Ibro, made political thuggery popular, abandoned inherited projects, and did little to diversify Kogi economy.
First, Wada sacrificed him name, ego and future elections by embarking on completion of inherited projects. He spent billions to complete greater lokoja water project, world-class confluence stadium, state secretariat phase 2, over 30 rural roads, new hotel structure inside confluence beach hotel, and many more.
Secondly, Wada practically discouraged political thuggery and peace returned to the once troubled state. To keep these youth busy, he introduced YAD4Kogi to empower thousands of youths. The imprints of YAD4Kogi can be seen in all 21 LGAs in Kogi state. While some will readily commend similar efforts in other states, they deride this noble initiative that got kudos from Worldbank.
Sport people cried that sport has never been given attention in the state but Wada took time to invest in sport and today Kogi United and the other female team are good sport teams today. They even have foreign partnerships from US and other countries.
To diversify Kogi economy, Wada called for analysis of solid mineral deposits and agricultural potentials of the state and has been promoting these potentials all over the world in the last three years. Like Audu, Wada is building a cement factory currently around Itobe and it is at advanced stage of construction. Wada has attracted over 30 investors to Kogi state and have signed MOUs with these investors. One friend asked why we have not seen physical manifestation of these 30 great investment agreements which cuts across solid minerals and agriculture, I simply told him that the same question was asked by same people in 2003 when Audu was seeking 2nd term election that nothing is happening on the Big cement project he promised Kogites, but today all of them are seeing the fruits of the cement company at Obajana. Truth is, a caring Igalaman, Wada is diversifying Kogi economy like no one has ever done.
I know, I will be attacked that despite all my claims that Audu, Ibro and Wada are good the roads in Lokoja are not good. Yes, the roads have been constructed over and over again by previous civillian and military leaders but keeps getting bad and no one is asking why. All they are concerned about is government spending biilions to fix the roads anytime they go bad. But a caring Igalama, Wada came and invited UN-Habitat to properly structure Lokoja and three other cities in Kogi state. Also, it was discovered that the major road that was constructed by Audu, dualised by Ibro and re-constructed by Ibro is a drain-pipe without proper drainages. Today, there’s physical activity going on with this project. When it is fully re-constructed with proper and standard drainages, it will last longer and save government more money to construct new roads outside Lokoja. The same Wada is opening up a new Lokoja with a totally new multi-lane road from otokiti to ganaja. With these two roads, a newly improved city will emerge. I know many will ask for fly-overs, with time and improved resources, that will come as well.
Some argued that Wada is owing salaries. I asked, if Wada is bad, how will you describe richer states that are owing salaries more than Kogi? Simply put, allocations dwindled and states started having problems with salary. If Wada and other governors had actually stolen these money Buhari will not approve Bail-out for them. That is the gospel truth. Thank God, the bail-out will soon get to Kogi, before or after election and all salary arrears will be paid to all worker wether you are Igala, ebira or okun.
End notes
Time and space will not permit me to itemise and list all achievements of these Igalamen in office. If these achievements were to be recorded in other states, most of our brothers would have celebrated them to high heavens.
With all sincerity, only a few governors in Nigeria from 1992 till date has practically surpassed these three caring Igalamen. They are not bad boys as traducers will want outsiders to believe. These caring Igalamen are victims of blackmail.
It is very easy for someone staying in Abuja or Lagos to come home and rubbish everybody just to prove that he/she is living a better life in diaspora.
Ask most of them, they know little or nothing about the state. They will even swear that the non-exhaustive projects and achievements I mentioned above are lies. Why do they derive much pleasure in condemning Kogi state? Just to prove they are better than we that are resident in Kogi? Even when we never read about them achieving big things in the big cities they live?
These manufacturers of blackmail are the real enemies of Kogi state.
– Ignatius Ameh writes from Ajaka
