Good day Kogites.
I am thrilled at the quality of comments received from Kogi indigenes both within and outside the country, as well as friends of Kogites in respect to the press statement I issued and published by a number of Nigerian media houses including Guardian, The Nation, The Sun and Leadership. It looks to me that the commendation on the performance of Alhaji Yahya Bello regime in Kogi State since inception todate and other developmental issues which I canvassed in the said press statement strongly represents the best wishes of the majority of the people of Kogi State. As at the time of writing this response, I have received over 50,000 comments sent to my personal email (chrisonalo@yahoo.com, LinkedIn – ejimaonalochris@gmail.com) and many more are still coming. Many other social medias also quickly hit their platforms by pulling the newspaper’ report, the biggest of which is www.kogireports.com (kogireports@yahoo.com). This overwhelming reactions clearly show that majority of the people of Kogi State are looking up for two things in their state – peace and good governance. It gives me pleasure therefore to respond to some questions raised by the readers. Some of the questions from the readers were:
- Prof, Do you want us to believe in the performance capability of Alhaji Yahya Bello and his team?
My Answer: I have absolute confidence in this man. He is young and he would go a long way in achieving credible record as a truly public servant and politician. When someone is talking, one should be able to connect word to word and follow through to picture the future. I know that, man by nature, is slippery, but at the same time, one must not lose sight of the perceive zeal noted in the determination content of an aspirant. I have learnt to believe in people until they proved me wrong; I have learnt to support people until I realized that they have abandoned their early part of objectivity, integrity, and forthrightness. So, I believe that this young man (Bello and his team) would like to perform to the amazement of both high and low, rich and poor in Kogi State. And more importantly, he would like to win future election in the state and the only way to achieving that is “good governance characterized with peace”.
- Prof, Do you believe and have you seen the development plan roadmap of his government?
My Answer: Oh! No! I have not seen economic policy document of his government. Nevertheless, I believe strongly that he has something concrete and focused on the table. I believe that different faces of development needed in Kogi State are urgent, and strategies to achieving those needs must have been put in place.
- Don’t you think Kogi State is gradually becoming noted for evil where people take joy in killing themselves and going against themselves?
My Answer: We must pray to God to help us. We must appeal to our individual conscience to forsake personal vendetta and positively embrace issues of life as they come. No one is God and no one has right to take the life of his fellow human being no matter what or inflicting pains on fellow human being. In the journey of life, what will be, will be. It’s a divine truth that one can only influence what you can control, and let go what you cannot influence. It’s a show of wisdom for one to have a state of mind to accept the outcome of what you cannot influence. These are issues we find as we go on in the journey of life.
- Prof, are you not thinking of coming to assist in the leadership of Kogi State?
My Answer: There is no doubt that we have brilliant people in every part of Kogi state, we cannot all be leaders. Some like to be civil service officers, some like to be politicians, but there are some who would like to engage in supporting and throwing up encouragement needed to develop Kogi state. I think this is the part I represent. I do not need to become a governor. My aspiration is to encourage economic growth, industrial and infrastructural developments of Kogi state. Yes, my career seems to have spotted me out almost everywhere in different important countries in the world today, I certainly feel that I have seen opportunities that can support strongly the development of Kogi state. I would like to deploy, for example, there is a high profile UK-Nigeria Investment Summit, coming up here in London on the 22-23 February, 2017 where British investors of high renowned (private and institutional) and Nigerian business and infrastructural development partners would gather together to talk investment collaboration and partnership. I consider it as an obligation on my part to inform Kogi state government about such an important event in case the government would see it as an opportunity to showcase various investment needs of Kogi state to British and European investors.
- Sir, it’s seen that you are involved in so many things of life. How are you able to cope?
My Answer: One of the things I am involved in a very profound fashion is giving attention to the service of the Almighty God. He is the one strengthening me and the capacity that’s He has put in me. I take things easy, yet very serious with firm politeness. What’s important is to have your strategies worked out and implement them in their phases, not being slothful at them, but full of focus. Then you will not only succeed in all that you do, but will be at peace with yourself.
Finally, there are many more questions but I have appropriately fitted those questions to mean the samething as itemized above. I would like to conclude by thanking thousands of people that reacted to the media report with their strong commendation, and I look forward to their supports for the government of Kogi state today.
Thank you all.
Professor Chris Onalo
