Kogi State, perched at the confluence of the Niger and Benue, is a battlefield of ambition and betrayal. Today, its stage is dominated by two men, two pot-bellied titans: the former governor and the men from Kogi East. Their struggle for supremacy has turned governance into an Arena of greed, ego, and ruthless calculation. Their rivalry is not about the people’s welfare. It is about legacy, loyalty, and the spoils of office. In a land where the proverb says, “He who wants to climb a tree must not mind getting scratched,” the citizens watch, wounded by empty promises, as political gluttony devours principle.
The Yahaya Bello, once hailed as a unifier, once promised that power would rotate to the Igala people. That promise, sacred in expectation, was shattered. Igala leaders, who waited patiently, investing influence and trust, felt betrayed. Politics, they learned, is not a game for the patient. It is a jungle where the cunning devour the naive. The frustration is immortalized in an Igala saying: “A child may wait for the harvest, but the river does not bend to his will.” Waiting for justice, the Igala elite discovered, without accountability, is a perilous gamble.
The roots of Kogi’s political decay lie in decades of personalistic rule. Both titans exemplify the cancer of patronage, hoarding power in their inner sanctums while the electorate becomes spectators at a masquerade. Scholars of Nigerian politics, including Richard Joseph, insist that this concentration of authority stifles innovation, breeds corruption, and corrodes democracy. In Kogi, elections are high-stakes chess matches. Moves are measured in wealth, influence, and the obedience of local chiefs rather than the collective good of the people.
Yet, ambition is not the only poison. It is the theatre of perception. Each titan brands himself indispensable, claiming to guard Kogi’s destiny while eroding the other. Politics becomes a narrative war, not a service to society. As the African proverb warns, “When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.” The grass is the citizenry, crushed under the weight of personal rivalry and empty campaigns. The broken promise to the Igala people has deepened cynicism, painting leadership as reserved for those with stomachs for power, not hearts for service.
The consequences are brutal. Economic stagnation strangles the state. Investors hesitate. Bureaucrats grow cynical. Ordinary Kogites endure daily indignities: delayed projects, crumbling schools, and dwindling trust in governance. Christian thinkers like Pastor Chris Oyakhilome warn that leadership divorced from morality corrupts not only offices but the soul of a people. Nigeria’s history is a cautionary tale. Regional strongmen and centralised powers have left scars where personal battles masqueraded as public service.
Yet Kogi need not remain a casualty of ego and ambition. Citizens, civil society, and reform-minded politicians can reclaim the narrative. Strategic alliances must transcend personal loyalty, prioritizing competence over charisma. Transparency and grassroots engagement are not ideals; they are survival imperatives. Scholars propose independent monitoring boards and community councils to dilute concentrated authority and enforce policy continuity, even amid rivalry. Power wrestled over by titans must be checked by the collective wisdom of the people.
In the final analysis, Kogi’s theatre of power is a mirror of Nigeria’s broader struggle, a microcosm where pride, ambition, and hunger for legacy clash with governance, justice, and development. The two pot-bellied men may dominate headlines, but the destiny of the state rests in the hands of its citizens. As the Igala proverb warns, “No matter how tall the elephant, the ant knows how to survive beneath its shadow.” Survival, progress, and genuine leadership in Kogi demand vigilance, courage, and an unshakable commitment to the people over personalities. For the Igala people, patience without action has proved lethal, and the time for strategic awakening has arrived.
– Inah Boniface Ocholi writes from Ayah – Igalamela/Odolu LGA, Kogi state.
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