The Igala/Bassa race in the present dispensation at the current political development in the state and the country at large in view of the unrepentant and open victimization and maladministration on the part of both Kogi state and federal government all geared towards the extermination of the once revered and respected race too numerous to mention just within the last three and half years under the careful watch of APC led administration in Kogi and Nigeria.
Under a well choreographed and cooked political arrangement, the APC at the national level under President Mohmammed Buhari in connivance with the Ebira race destroyed the well built political and economic value of the Igala /Bassa deliberately the once respected entity built overtime of over two and half decades in Kogi state was eroded within a twinkle of an eye in just three and half years.
It all started like a day old drama, when a well arranged and sane political contrivance and marriage between our late political icon was within a twinkle of an eye destroyed by the power that be, as a result of a natural phenomenon that saw the bastardization of the entire fabrics of the Igala/Bassa race under the current political dispensation of APC Yahaya Bello with a determination to continue in the same trend in the next four years by force by fire or rather hook or crook.
In the ensued drama in Kogi, under governor Yahaya Bello’s APC watch and targeted at the Igala race from Kogi East, the legacy of regular salary payment and pension as well as the socio-economic and infrastructural development of the area was frugally altered under the guise of restructuring and redirecting the new administration as it was then, that resulted in total breakdown of the entire fabrics of active economic and political development of our people, a situation that had worsened the entire system in the last three and half years.
It all started with the civil service, with Kogi East blessed with numerical advantage, the chunk of bad policies and awkward governance of Alhaji Yahaya Bello is visible everywhere in the area with his refusal to pay workers entitlements and pensions after assessing an initial approved 50 billion naira bailout fund requested by the previous administration if Capt Idris Wada.
What was just two to three months salary arrears exposure of Capt Idris Wada, with allocation for November, December and January left for the new administration, had graduated to over 30,25,18,10, and 5 months salary arrears of the civil service with no efforts in sight to offset the hapless civil servants and denied pensioners.
The end products and decisions of the APC led government in Kogi state under Yahaya Bello, after two and half years screening and controversial staff verification, that led to the death of so many civil servants and pensioners through accidents, armed robbery attacks, suicide, sickness and diseases as a result of hardship imposed by the exercise, many of the civil servants at the state and local government levels were retrenched, declared ghost by the screening reports and denied their statutory entitlements. Even those cleared by the ghost committee, are in the category of been owed 10 to 18 months salaries till now.
This pains and hardship is the current slogan of Kogi workers at the state and local government levels as well as pensioners after accessing billions of the first,second and third Paris club by the state government, and exposed the state to numerous banks under the guise of salary payment in billions without any direction towards the end of the present administration tenure.
Aside this sad development, the governor under APC has abandoned developmental projects inherited from the immediate past administration meant to ameliorate the sufferings of the masses which include roads, hospitals, tourist centres, erosion projects, including revenue generating outlets to mitigate federal allocation spread across the state.
The abandoned Kogi State University Teaching Hospital, Anyigba and closure newly built ultra modern hospital in Odu, for sheer political exigency, was targeted at ensuring the gradual elimination of the Igala race. The fear of prosecution by the incoming administration after using the award of Ankpa township roads as conduit pipe to siphon public funds, led to the 11th hour and politically motivated ad well as haphazard rehabilitation of the road.
The ongoing decadence in the system and the values of the Igala race under the APC government at the state and federal level, was publicly endorsed by the candidates of ADC and APC in different forms and action to the detriment our land, yet seeking to represent the people of the area at the red chamber, with a carefully planned template to continue in that trend,a situation the Igala race must rise now to resist by tomorrow, Saturday.
It is in the public knowledge that the APC candidate in the Saturday election, Alhaji Jibrin isah Echocho publicly endorsed the governor’s actions against the Igala race, saying he will do worst that what is been witnessed by our people of Kogi East and Kogi state in general, yet seeking to represent the area. This is a day light arrangement against the people of Kogi East.
Victor Alewo Adoji of ADC’s offence and onslaught against the Igala race he is seeking to represent are too numerous to mention, as the anti Igala race testament are adored all around his actions and ideas.
He started with Yahaya Bello’s administration by securing appointment for his brother as a commissioner and planting some board members, along with the protagonist of the government assessing unapproved advances and loans ranging into billions of naira to the state that remain unserviceable and now a liability to the state from Zenith Bank.
This connivance has led to the non payment of workers salaries and pensions by corrupt enrichment of the top government officials of the Yahaya Bello led administration in Kogi state.
Also in the current political arrangements, the national woman leader of APC is reported to be in a yet-to-be defined relationship with the ADC senatorial candidate for Kogi East. Up till the last moment, ocassions and events been attended by ADC candidate or APC woman leader is been represented either way, a clear indication that they are on the same page to advance the poverty, difficulties and hardship deliberately imposed on the Igala/Bassa race.
For people in the category of Echocho of the APC and Victor Adoji of ADC, with a carefully stereotyped alliance with the lords of Lugard house in Lokoja voted into represent the area at the upper chamber, is a clear endorsements of continuous hunger, starvation, disease and all other forms of vices in the next four years.
In the three and half years’ political game to wipe out the Igala/Bassa, it is only Kogi East senator, Atai Aidoko Ali’s PDP that stand out against all this anomaly they subjected the Igala race into, by the shylock political office holders and seekers from Kogi East powered by governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi state.
Not deterred by myriads of distractions, the political, social and economic destiny had been his goal both at the red chamber and at the home front to liberate the Igala race from the pre-planned onslaught and total eradication from the political history of Kogi state.
Let us resolve to vote Aidoko of PDP in the tomorrow’s National Assembly election, as a vote for APC or ADC will be a vote for the continuation of governor Yahaya Bello’s satanic leadership in Kogi state by November this year.
We must resolve to hold our destiny in our hands now or never. A stitch in time saves nine. For God’s sake, vote senator Atai Aidoko Ali of PDP as senator representing Kogi East, Atiku Abubakar for President and all other candidates of PDP; so that together we can change the tide of our underdevelopment in the last three years and will not allow it to continue.
A word is enough for the wise.
– Abubakar Yusuf writes from Abuja
