His Excellency, I wish to join millions of your well-wishers including over 4 million people of Kogi State to rejoice with you on the auspicious occasion of your birthday. This open letter is coming from the heart of a patriot and senior citizen of the state in a bid to encourage you to continue on the good job you are doing since your assumption of office in 2016.
I am not a sycophant or a praise singer. I have lived my life as a journalist and social critic. Those who know me and my background can testify that I speak truth to people in leadership position with all candour devoid of sentiments. Against this backdrop therefore, it has become imperative to give an objective assessment of your performance so far and also draw your attention to other low points of your administration, which I think you would have to focus as your areas of priority in the remaining months of your administration and beyond.
First, I want to commend you on your uncommon ability in stabilizing the volatile polity when you came on-board. You have also been able to sanitize the rotten and corrupt civil service which you were able to achieve at the end of your prolonged, but painstaking civil service screening exercise. Your ability to secure the entire crime-ridden state through a well thought-out security measures is also commendable. I will not fail to mention your ability to instill the culture of hard work and diligence among hitherto indolent and unproductive work force that have been a cog in our match to greatness.
Your Excellency, I salute your conviction and determination to make many Kogites to embrace agriculture as additional source of wealth creation. Another high point of your administration is your successful efforts to restore our lost cultural values in virtually all the three senatorial districts of the state. Your ability to create a master stroke situation that sent our corrupt and satanic old politicians on self-exiles, when they could not find a space to inject their virus on your administrative and political architecture, is also commendable.
To those of us who are privy to the havoc done to the destiny of Kogi State by these unpatriotic elements under this democratic dispensation, it is indeed good riddance that you have been able to keep them from being relevant in the new political evolution. They would have wished to continue to sustain the old order that have kept Kogi State down for so many years on our match to social economic prosperity.
It is common knowledge that all the billions that accrued to the state since 1999 were either frittered away or brazenly stolen by those who were not fit in the first place to lead this state in a saner political environment.
I wish to commend you on your efforts to provide sustainable employment for our unemployed youth. The recent employment of over 500 graduates drawn from the three senatorial districts into the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service and the employment of several vibrant lawyers into the judiciary, readily comes to mind. Also worthy of note is your success in curbing brazen corruption in local government administration hitherto prevalent and thriving before your assumption of office. Your on-going efforts in the area of infrastructure development in virtually all the local governments in the state is worthy of note. It is indeed very glaring that you are laying a foundation to change the landscape of Kogi State.
On the flip side, I want to re-emphasize that, there are genuine complaints that your government should have done more to address the payment of salaries, which is the only sore point of your government so far. However, patriots like us who knows the intricacies of the general economic situation faced by virtually all the states in the country, appreciates your honest efforts in the face of obvious challenges on the vexed issue of salary payment. However, i am convinced that you would be able to sort it out in good time before the next election so that those who strongly believe in Kogi project and your new direction vision, can lead the campaign for your re-election come 2019.
If you can successfully tackle the issue of salary payment, I can assure you that you have enough convincing and compelling reason to demand for a second term.
You are on course.
Happy birthday my Governor.
– Otori Ozigi is a retired public servant and journalist.
