Upon the declaration of the new state carved out of Kwara and Benue states on August 27, 1991, the tripartite kingdoms of Igala, Okun, Ebira cum other minorities became citizens of Kogi State. Myriad of dancing steps announced the new nomenclature that binds different ethnic groups together, masquerades in their numerous colours and entertaining display beautified the atmosphere of joy permeating the land.
Dreams were high up, ambitious were thrown up for strategizing, the struggle for survival of the wittiest, the smartest, and the best workable political philosophy reigned supreme.
Let us talk about the Kogi of today in comparison to the one we celebrated, the one we so trumpeted, the very one we cherished and loved upon inception; let us quickly fetch from the river of our expectations of then and see if it can match with the existential issues in our state today.
Is this really the Kogi of our dreams? Is this supposed to be the state we planned for, the state we fought for, prayed and bargained for?
Our patrons could not have given us a state that plays the role of a melting pot to corruption. Our heroes past could not have fought for a state that is a refuse dump, where hotels and filling stations have become the business of the day, where certified and well educated civil servants who are not connected to the source of power are relegated to the background and the privileged-fake-certificate-holders and political rogues are made to occupy high offices and to receive undeserved robust salaries.
We have become citizens of a state where education is not considered worthy of attention. As a result, children are condemned to remain at home due to protracted strike action. Faced with the detestable wrath of abandonment, pensioners die of delay of payment; retirees have their gratuity shattered into pieces upon the rock of administrative mismanagement. Promotion in service is earned by those who know who and not by merit.
What can be said of a state that is richly endowed with geographical sites but at the same time renowned for being a colossal betrayal and a caricature of tourism?
Ours have become a tragic story of fools in paradise. Blessed with abundance but languishing in emptiness, rich in quality personnel but ruled by a group of untrained and selfish fellows, surrounded with myriad resources but trapped in the maze of maladministration and mismanagement, privileged with multilingual convergence but tormented by division and ethnic discrimination. It is indeed a saga of travail, a mixture of joy and pain for that matter.
I am confident that we shall get to the Promised Land. But how can this be as we constantly witness degeneration in governance? How can we ever have laughter in our mouths when the ugly stories of previous regimes suddenly become beautiful stories to tell in the face of the present decay in our state?
We stand in dire need of a turn around. We need to pray and work for a better Kogi State where we shall judiciously maximize our natural gifts/resources to become an enviable tourist centre. We have to carry the broom of transparency, honesty and accountability in our hands so as to sweep away the debris of embezzlement, corruption, insensitivity, sectionalism and segregation.
Let us learn from our neigbouring state, Edo. We can definitely borrow a leaf from Lagos. We’ve got to turn and learn wisdom from those states where things are working out well. We can go forward, we can be clean as a state, we can make progress, we can be selfless, we can be disciplined, and we can surely unlearn the culture of retrogression so as to relearn the habit of unity of purpose, which will go a long way to enhance socio-economic development.
– Rev. Peter Adeiza Ariko,
Lokoja, Kogi State
