Let’s be clear on this. My commentaries or views on political developments in Kogi state are essentially my own modest contributions to efforts geared towards putting our dear state on the path of genuine development. So, it’s going to be an exercise in futility for anyone to either try to dictate or suggest what and how I should express my thoughts.
My submissions are never about anybody or group of people. They are about the future and interest of Kogites, and the need for our current elected and appointed representatives to wake up and smell the coffee. We all have equal rights and stakes as far as the state is concerned. No one is inferior to the other.
For the record, I wrote my first published political article on Kogi state as far back as 2003. The said piece titled, “Kogi State in the hands of a carpenter” was published in the Daily Independent newspaper. So, it is not about the person who seats as Governor of the state today, but the need to ensure good governance.
Expectedly, the official response to the said article was quite scathing, hot and brutal in tone, but also very insightful. Mr. Richard Kayode Elesho, the Chief Press Secretary to former governor Ibrahim Idris wrote a detailed rejoinder to counter what he termed “jaundiced thoughts of a distant contributor”. He didn’t spare anything in his effort to present his boss in good light because that was the right and appropriate thing to do.
I’ve lost count of the number of critical articles I wrote lampooning former governor Ibrahim Idris throughout the nine years he spent in office. Like other genuine stakeholders who voiced out, my pieces were for the good of the state and not because I didn’t like the former governor’s face. Far from it. Our articles and opinions were seen as nuggets for policy formulation and implementation. We weren’t branded as “enemies of government”, but were seen as stakeholders very much interested in the development of the state.
We didn’t also spare former governor Idris Ichalla Wada throughout his reign in office. Sahara Reporters was one of the platforms I relied on to hold his government to account. I was very consistent in my criticisms and was never called unprintable names as we now experience today.
Captain Wada retained Richard Kayode Elesho as his CPS, but brought in former Abuja NUJ Chairman, Mr. Jacob Edi and veteran female journalist, Hajiya Zainab Okino as Special Adviser, Media and Publicity and Commissioner of Information respectively. As fortified and intimidating as Wada’s media team was, some of us weren’t scared of engaging it. We wrote and kept them busy throughout their years in office. We demanded for genuine explanations and clarifications on certain policies and programmes of government, thankfully enough, we got them.
Truth is, the moment a government refuses to keep the masses abreast of its engagements or fails to offer clarifications on serious issues of governance, it has automatically placed its neck on the slaughter slab.
It is common knowledge that dearth of information fuels misinformation and misrepresentation of facts. As you read through these lines, no one has deemed it necessary to offer official information on the status and whereabouts of the Deputy Govenor of Kogi state, Simon Achuba, thereby validating the rumour that he’s been sent packing. It is really worrisome that Kogites hardly get first hand information from the government of the day, but rely mostly on social media rumours and gossips to stay “informed”.
I was flabbergasted to discover that Kogi state has no substantive Commissioner of Information! Who then briefs the public on government’s plans for the people? Who then educates the masses through public enlightenment? The huge money they spend “empowering” social media enthusiasts to keep attacking and insulting people won’t get them the desired results. It’s all about strategic engagements, and nothing more.
In all, my views are in the interest of the state and its people, for I am a key stakeholder in the Kogi project.
– Abdullahi Yunusa ProfWills writes from Abuja.
