Till the end of time, failing to re-elect captain Idris Ichalla Wada is and shall be the most unfortunate thing kogites did to themselves and the state. Whether or not Wada was sellable as at the time of the election, the backdrop of the election cum activities which surround the emergence of Alhaji Yahaya Bello as governor of kogi state has made Wada a lost messiah.
On his part, Captain Wada remains the most unfortunate governor going by the circumstances of his emergence and the many fallacies about his administration. It is important to note that as meager as the state allocation is plus the increasing pressure for developments, payment of salaries remained a top priority in his government from day one till departure and that’s why kogites can only accuse his government of percentage salaries as his highest lack of empathy.
However, because he was not paying full percentages and without recourse for a full depth knowledge of why and possible considerations of the possible reasons for this percentage payments, kogites rejected him in totality and vowed his re-election as at that time will only be a reality in the land of the dead. Alas the revolt was successful as it came to pass and Wada lost to Prince Abubakar Audu in a keenly contested election but like the words of Allah where he said-“it may be that you like a thing which is bad for you and dislike a thing which is good for you, Allah knows but you does not know”, the ousting of Wada later turned to a disaster.
In the process of removing Wada, just like Sen Dino Melaye said-“Kogi people all voted for Prince Abubakar Audu and God voted for Yahaya Bello”. Thus, a justification of the verse highlighted earlier above. Yahaya Bello on inception of office branded his government a new direction and in all truth and absolute reality, everything has been new direction from the good old ways.
Been a new direction government, the first major activity of the government was demolition of roundabouts and monuments in Lokoja, the state capital. As if it was not enough, permanent were sent on compulsory leaves and this gave birth to the unending staff verification exercise. Unarguably, the exercise is responsible for the hardship and many abnormalities happening in the state as majority of these activities can be likened to the consequences of hunger. Don’t forget, Kogi is a majorly civil servant’s state and nothing can work normally if the civil servants are not paid.
Many pensioners and civil servants have reportedly lost their lives to the hard condition and modalities of the one year old screening exercise and more are still counting. As worrisome as it is to say, “many staff working and duly employed by previous governments have been retrenched by screening” on a cheap propaganda that their employments were politically motivated. And I can only wonder what justification can be given to such incidences when the government did not come out plain to say it is embarking on a downsizing exercise.
In conclusion, I will like to cite the dogged words of Dr Usman Ogbo where he said-“anyone that brings untold hardship and sufferings to my people and my land without paying them their salaries, pensions and gratuities for more than one year in the name of endless screening is not my brother.” As few as these words, the meanings are enormous because been that governor Yahaya Bello is not an Igala man, bearing in mind that Kogi is a haven of Igala, Okun and Ebira. He must as a governor of all be brother to the three ethnics and the condition of been a brother to the Igala people is clear enough as it is here above. I hope he makes hey while the sun shine.
God Bless Kogi State.
By Comrade A M Nasiru
naadejohs@gmail.com
07068416768
You can follow me on twitter via @amnasiru
