What manner of ethnic agenda written by the Chief of Staff to the Kogi State Governor, Mr. Edward Onoja was nothing, but a face saving piece in the obvious crumbling of Yahaya Bello’s political empire as it were. There was never an ethnic agenda anywhere in Kogi among the dominant Igala people, but a figment of imagination of the purveyor.
The governor has enjoyed so much cooperation from the Igala people and all other tribes in the state in the last three years despite governance fatalities.
Kogi indegenes are the easiest people to govern and this fact could be attested even in the non reactive posture despite the untold hardships meted on them due to lack of salaries for months and the complete lack of infrastructural development in the last three years.
This is not withstanding the fact that Yahaya Bello’s government enjoyed the highest inflow of funds in three years compared to the period of Alhaji Ibrahim Idris and that of Idris Wada put together. Let me quickly add here that it was a spurious allegation and a distortion of historical facts against Bello’s predecessors that they did not perform in office.
The last time I checked, it was infrastructure which were put in place by the previous government that are still the pride of Kogi State today. Tragically, Bello fails to understand that activities of government is ‘continum’, but he would rather decimated and devalued those infrastructure.
Governor Yahaya Bello administration has completely destroyed the State University at Anyigba for the the simple reason that Igala people were more in the workforce.
Was that not an ethnic agenda?
Unfortunately, the Chief of Staff, who I can confidently say is Bello’s ‘Man Friday’ was instrumental to the rot pervading the fabrics of the state. The previous administration established tertiary institutions across the three Senatorial flanks; constructed hospitals and improve health care; paid WAEC school fees; tackled crime and criminalities; put road infrastructure in place; established cement factories (Obajana and Itobe) and other achievements not mentioned here. What has Yahaya Bello to his credit? His administration will clock three years on 27th January, 2019, could he point out any project even if it is of a cosmetic value anywhere? The answer is obviously no! Kogi, a highly heterogeneous society is more divided under this administration than any other previous administration due to policy absurdities.
With opium that Bello administration has brought to bear on state, of concern is a staggering debt overhang of the state. As at today the state has a total of N125.824 billion. Local debt stands at N114.332 billion, while foreign debt stands at $32.371 billion and regrettably there is nothing to show, but misery in the land.
Kogi State in one of the few states, if not the only state that the local government election was not conducted. This is not only condemnable, but an affront on democracy. Local government staff are crying hue and blue over non payment of salaries, State workers were not paid salaries and Onoja would want support of the people. What a tragedy of the century!
Until the present administration of governor Yahaya Bello, I didn’t know that inanities of governance borne out of wickedness could put the governed at the lowest rung of human indignity.
Ten months to governorship elections is late for this administration to make infinitesimal impact, hence, the governor has found himself in cul-de-sac situation and clearly, not brutality and intimidation that is going on in the state could return Yahaya Bello to office.
– Samson Atek’ojo Usman
