#KogiGovRace: Kogi Ready to Elect Good Leader as Governor, Not Moneybag – Jiya

Yes, we are going to provide robust leadership to the people of the state. We will ensure their fundamental basic needs are met, we will ensure we create jobs; we will harness the abundant human and material resources that abound in the state to the benefit of the people. We would ensure that Kogi State becomes a centre of excellence and tourism destination.

We will also ensure an indigene of Kogi State will have a pride to be called a Kogite where peace and harmony is guaranteed within the length and breadth of the state. We will ensure we deliver maximum dividend of democracy to the people not quite long because they have suffered too long. They need to come out of the wood.

What seems certain today is that money politics has come to stay, as the 16 years old PDP administration in the state has succeeded in monetising the electoral system. How will you come into the stormy political leadership?

Yes, Nigerians and indeed the people of Kogi State are ready for change and if you see what happened and how President Muhammadu Buhari climbed to power, you will realise the commitment of the average Nigerian and Kogi to an inevitable change from poverty and 16 years of misrule imposed on Nigerians by the Peoples Democratic Party that was ousted and rejected at the last general election.

Even at every campaign fora, President Muhammadu Buhari told the people he has no money and even if he has he is not ready to give you, but he is ready to sacrifice his life for Nigeria.

Little surprise that Nigerians who are in need of change went ahead and voted for him who has no money to give to people and I believe the people of Kogi State too are ready for change and will vote a good leader as their governor, not a money bag.

It is not clear that it is that same money politics that bring us to where we are today because a lot of people came in, brought lots of money, bought the conscience of the people, then got into the office and began to loot their commonwealth, their common resources and that is what has been happening in Kogi State which we must change. We should go for character, integrity, good antecedent and capability to perform and achieve success.

Godfatherism has ruled the national politics which Kogi is not insulated as anyone one that wants to get to power, gets aligned to a particular rich and powerful as godfather. Who is your own god father?

My godfather is the Almighty in heaven, he is my godfather and I am relying on him to succeed in this project.      So, any other person that would support me in this task must have been directed by God Almighty and that is how I look at it.

For quite a time, Kogi State has been the theatre of political thuggery, especially during elections except the recent intervention by ‘card reader’ in the last general elections. How do you intend to change the minds, the psyche of our youth turned thugs to go with your dream and vision for the state?

We can change the minds of these youth. To change them holistically, we need to provide the jobs to do. This would change their thinking, their bad orientation, their psyche, because no responsible youth wants to commit crime. So, if he can become gainfully employed, to take care of his basic needs, he would change.

However, I am not giving exceptions to other youths going into crime, but I’m sure if they are given options, they would prefer gainful employment instead of going for thuggery as to live a peaceful and decent life instead of living a horrible life.

So, we will give them jobs, we will educate them and let them understand that social vices is not the ideal way to live because it is an established fact that ‘he who kill by sword will die by sword’. They need to change for better, develop themselves and assist Kogi State to grow and develop.

Incumbency factor has been critical in governorship and other elective offices in Nigeria and in Kogi State too, except in the case of emergence of Governor Ibrahim Idris as former governor of the state. Don’t you see the seating governor, Capt. Idris Wada as threat to your ambition?

History has a way of repeating itself. Because when in 2003, Ibrahim Idris contested against Governor Abubakar Audu as a sitting governor, he defeated him and also in 2007 he again defeated him. Recently too, President Muhammadu Buhari contested against the sitting President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan and defeated him. In Kaduna State too, Nasir El-Rufai contested against a sitting Governor Ramalan Yero and defeated him and today he is the governor of Kaduna State so, if we defeat Governor Idris Wada in the forthcoming general election, it is no news and we are going to do it.

Currently, there is a sharp division and factions in APC in Kogi State, even after a successful presidential and Assembly elections, now threatening victory for the party. Do you have the capacity to bring together, especially the two main factions of APC in the state?

It’s unfortunate that the two sharp factions in Kogi APC were triggered by those who want to be in power forever. They have sown a seed of discord and it has generated hatred and mutual distrusts even among ethnic tribes in the state. As I always say, this act impedes development of the state.

We have multiple ethnic tribes in the state, so we intend to unite the people of the state, but not on the bases of tribes, religion or sectional line.

Women always play dominant role in electing leaders in the state, including governors, but subsequent governors on getting to office fails to adequately empower them so that lots of them are impoverished, unemployed and lack empowerment, especially in rural areas. What difference can you make in the lives of women?

Yes, our women always play important role in state politics. They are our mothers, our sisters and our wives and lots of them are in perpetual poverty. Our women goes to the farm, stream to fetch water, they take care of babies, take care of home front, they go to market only to come back home to cook, beside other matrimonial duties.

In fact, women generally are relegated to the background. So, what we intend to do is to bring them up. We are going to make sure their quota in government is given to them.

Secondly, we will assist them in area of businesses because women are better manager. we will make sure they have access to soft loans because what they need to do businesses in most cases is not more than five to ten thousand naira so, by the time you give them fifty thousand naira, they can do something tangible to support their families. We believe in capacity building in women and we will ensure we promote them to the level beyond where they are now.

Most often our leaders and contestants descend to the lowest level to solicit votes from poor, average electorates only to get detached from them after winning governorship or other elective offices. How available would you be to mobilise talented men and resources to better their welfare?

The task of every leader is to assemble the right team and resources to achieve target. If you assemble the right calibre of people at the right rime the job would be well done. Like I have said, most of the governors that had being there or are there are accidental leaders. If you ask them to show you their blue print before getting to that seat, many of them don’t have one to show you.

So, we should look out for persons with character, who is beyond ordinary, person with strategic skill, sound mind and experience to do the job and this we will assemble them but not as an accidental leader.

Kogi State is a resourceful state, but subsequent leaders who cannot pay salaries of teachers, civil servants when leaving office, cart away billions of naira from government coffers through corrupt means. How differently can you handle financial management, resource management as state governor?

That is why I told you that those past governors are accidental leaders. We need to critically assess their antecedents, their capability and their character which is very important. Character is what brought President Muhammadu Buhari to office, not money.

You also talk of corrupt minded people who come to lead people. That is why we should be careful not to elect persons that will become our leader only to start looting our treasury or mismanaging our state resources because they lack credibility, they are only desperate to lead the people.

President Buhari has come as agent of change along with other leaders, yet we have other past leaders. Who among them is your role model?

My role model is Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). He covers everything in life, how you run business, how you run your life affairs and everything. I am sure even President Muhammadu Buhari practices the sayings of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). This is because in line with the teachings of the Prophet (pbuh), it is unpardonable to loot peoples’ wealth, their resources.

We need to follow the virtues of the Prophet (pbuh) as any other worldly virtue can fail you and you will not achieve the desired success.

Yes, I admire President Muhammadu Buhari for his principle and honesty. I admire Sen. Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his doggedness. As a leader, he has produced senators, House of Representatives members, ministers and governors just count them. Working with such persons adds value to ones capability.

Also, Sir Ahmadu Bello of blessed memory properly defined value orientation. Nelson Mandela did same and exhibited one of the highest moral even though not a Nigerian, Sheikh Muhammad Ibn Alkatum, Governor of Dubai, deputy Prime minister of United Arab Emirate who turned Dubai, a desert into a world class nation and few others.

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