An X-ray of Abubakar Idris Quest for Kogi State Governorship.
It is no longer news in the entire Kogi state and North central, that the name of former Governor Ibrahim Idris, popularly known as “IBRO” is synonymous to competence, performance, development, welfare, generosity and a lot of other good traits we can think of, even before his foray into the political waters of Kogi state and to a large extent, Nigeria.
It is not out of place for good things to continue to beget good things, provided it is geared towards the positive development of Kogi state and the entire country at large.
So, it is sane and more decent, when the name IBRO is been personified, basically for good governance, people oriented policies and human capital development.
It is on record, without exaggeration, that for nine years, former governor Ibrahim Idris left an unparalleled political record that subsequent leaders in Kogi will battle to equate, talk less of surpassing it.
Heaven knows both the public service and private entity, cum personal welfare of the populace, were his first priorities throughout his stint in public service. Before then and even after, he kept maintaining the feat till date. No wonder some circles nicknamed him “IBRO na Allah”.
A significant achievement of former governor Ibrahim Idris was the record of making Kogi state public servants and pensioners the highest paid in the north central and a robust harmonised pension remuneration.
Iam not eulogising him, rather, just that I like to identify with a man of success who has done so much for the people of the state, it may not be out of place for his extraction, to sought to continue on that trend either by gratitude for a job welldone, and or sanely desiring good governance in Kogi, that had been eroded in a single term by current managers of the state.
Conversely, even before Ibrahim Idris’s foray and unrivaled contributions to the political development of Kogi state, he had contributed in no small measure to make leaders from Kogi East from the old Benue state as a leader that has the love of his people at heart.
It is legendary and unarguably in the public domain that the ascension of two deputy governors in Benue, was part of his good heart to the people of Igala kingdom far back then.
Posterity also know the making of two civilian governors in the new Kogi, as it was then, and his decisions to contribute his own quota, was not devoid of his political calculations and contributions both financially and otherwise. So, the lame insinuations that IBRO is trying to install a dynasty in political leadership of Kogi is not sellabe as it is politically motivated by those who have little to offer.
Further to this, aside his siblings, the governorship hopeful and son of the former governor, Abubakar Ibrahim, was never in the public before now. As a reserved person, he was largely unseen in public when his father was serving as governor in the state.
But in the case of Abubakar Ibrahim, the issue of political dynasty is far from reality. To me, his only offence is because he is the son of the former governor, even as two sons of another former governor are subtly and publicly in the race to Lugard house.
Just like I said earlier, this piece is not an eulogy of Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, but I find it difficult to divorce his legacies scattered round the entire nooks and crannies of the state as a complete disservice to his humanitarian tendencies.
From the spiritual to human, structural and physical development, the former governor Ibrahim Idris is the hub for our politics and at the same time a household name in the state.
The public perception of governance in Kogi today is poor performance and if this tide must be exterminated, we need a seamless collaboration to move the state from the shackles of imposed bad leadership across the state.
Alhaji Abubakar Idris is a perfect fit for the paradigm shift needed in Kogi State. He shied away from the public glare during the life span of his father’s administration in Kogi while running a quiet private life devoid of controversies and insinuations. In fact, at a point in the life of his father’s government, whenever he decided to appear in public, people asked if he actually belonged to the family of the former first citizen of the state.
Alhaji Abubakar Idris, humble, approachable with urbane candour, is a match to the desire of Kogi populace at this critical stage of political downturns in the state.
It is on record,that successive Kogi governors who achieved greatly for the betterment of the state were mainly from the private sector, so the entrance of Alhaji Abubakar Idris is a norm we are already used to.
We must play down the primitive insinuation on dynasty politics. At 50, Abubakar Idris an adult, detrabilsed, matured, firm, accessible and result oriented in all ramifications. Having ran private businesses, spanning two decades with high level success, breakthrough and achievements, it is no wonder the endorsements that has trailed his declaration to contest for the state’s top job.
Lugard House is already saturated by leadership without human face and the alternative staring us in the face is Alhaji Abubakar Idris. An untainted politician, it is only in Abubakar Idris that the pains of infrastructural decay, social decadence and public apathy towards governance in Kogi state can be redressed.
Let us join hands together, resolve our differences that is achievable in the face of unaccountable leadership, and toe the line of history by breaking the jinx of bad governance in Kogi state through the readily available leadership qualities of Alhaji Abubakar Idris.
Having learnt our bitter lessons overtime, let us resort to our own PDP and its top aspirant, Abubakar Idris, whose intention to move Kogi beyond being a glorified county, is not limited to pages of newspapers and the social media.
Let us continue in our orientation, sensitization and awareness towards August to make a reality out of the candidacy of Abubakar Idris. A word is enough for the wise.
– Ekundayo Adigun, a public analyst, wrote from Lokoja.
