RE: Is Kogi State The Political Empire of ‘King’ Ibrahim Idris and ‘Prince’ Abubakar Idris?

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After going through this piece, I see so many erroneous positions portrayed by the writer, whose description of the 9 years leadership of Alhaji Ibrahim Idris between 2003-2012, as woeful and totally a failed tenure is way out of line.

I wanted to discountenance the self seeking write up which plots to intimate the Kogi public not to concede to the old era of slavery of 9 years allegedly inflicted on them by former Governor Ibrahim Idris by supporting the ambition of his son, Abubakar Ibrahim to become Kogi governor. The piece was a misrepresentation of facts.

To say the least, the ivory tower were the writer currently work as a lecturer was in 2003 tagged by the National Universities Commission (NUC) a glorified secondary school with all the programs de-accredited. It was the intervention of Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, through the dissolution of the old management and reconstitution of a new one headed by a renowned late international scholar, Professor Francis Idachaba OFR.

Aside ensuring the accreditation of all the programs through the injection of over 2 billion naira to the new management of the then KSU, the university was ranked as the second best among the state universities and the sixth among all the Nigerians universities. This feat paved way for the writer’s employmemt into the institution in 2008 or so.

Not done with the three R’s of Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Renovation of the University, the Faculty of Law of the institution was ranked the best at about the same time that of the first generation University of Nigeria Nsukka was denied accreditation.

I thought a good turn begets another until I saw this piece of slavery and continuous slavery over the ambition of the son of the former governor who left the leadership position in the last 8 years.

Apart from accreditation of all the programs of the institution during Ibrahim Idris administration, all the on going projects in the institution abandoned by the previous administration were re-awarded and completed in addition to proliferation of many theatres and hostels to accommodate staffers and students of the growing University, particularly the famous ‘Professors quarters’.

Accreditation of programs brought about attraction of good senior academics in the rank of PHD holders, Professors and senior lecturers from all the federal and state universities, with juicy offers as well as employment of staffers that was thrice the previous staff strength of the State University.

It was the period of Ibrahim Idris that the state university profile was published on the website of the NUC as one of the best and well funded institution in the country, with good and qualified hands both in academic, administrative and other areas.

Not providing funds alone, he gave free hand to the new management of the institution in the area of employement, running of the institutions as well as other requirements. Ibrahim Idris was the only governor in Kogi state that did not interfere into the internal policies of the University.

Similar gesture was extended to the State College of Education, Ankpa, Kogi State Polytechnic Lokoja and the State College of Education Technical, Kabba, in terms of funding and structural development.

In fact, for 9 years, Ibrahim Idris efforts in both human capital, infrastructural and political development of the state is incommensurable with the present order, especially the primary, secondary and tertiary institutions in the state.

I narrowed down to the academic environment since that is where the writer belongs, as dwelling on all his achievements will be boring to read, so I can’t deduce the enslavement the former governor Ibrahim Idris had inflicted on the people.

If the achievements of the former governor in all facets is worth replicating, why not allow the offspring do more in his wisdom and exposure.

Abubakar Ibrahim is coincidentally an offspring of former governor Ibrahim Idris, and will transform the state beyond the imagination of naysayers who sees his entrance into the race as a threat instead of blessings to the Igala race and by extension the entire Kogi state.

All hands must be on deck to prove the antagonists wrong by attracting delegates in September as well as Kogites in November for the election of Alhaji Abubakar Ibrahim Idris to attract purposeful leadership in Kogi state

– Abubakar Yusuf writes from Lokoja.


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