On the surface, the atmosphere at the 95 Degrees Event Centre in Kabba was one of celebration and relief. Banners bearing the image of Nigeria and Kogi State’s First Lady, Her Excellencies Sen. Oluremi Tinubu and Hajiya Sefinat Usman Ahmed Ododo, fluttered in the breeze. Inside, are arranged food items and empowerment materials intended for the aged and vulnerable petty traders of Okunland.
By all standard metrics of governance, the initiative was laudable. In an economic climate biting hard across Nigeria, direct intervention for the most vulnerable is a necessity. Yet, as the dust settles on the event, the distribution has sparked a fierce controversy, transforming a showcase of unwavering commitment to women’s welfare into a lightning rod for tribal grievances and allegations of political subjugation.
Beneath the choreography of charity, a stark demographic reality left local observers appalled: in the heart of Okunland, the very people the event was meant to uplift found themselves marginalized on their own soil.
The core of the brewing anger lies in the lopsided selection of beneficiaries, a discrepancy that critics argue defies both logic and geographical justice.
Take, for instance, a specific ward within the Kabba/Bunu local government area. An analysis of the beneficiary list revealed a startling ratio: out of ten slots allocated to the ward, seven beneficiaries were of Ebira extraction (from the Governor’s native Kogi Central), while a miserly three were indigenous Okun people.
While cross-cultural inclusivity in state-wide programming is generally welcomed, allocating 70% of localized empowerment slots to non-indigenes in an Okun stronghold has been widely condemned as an insult to the host community. It begs a glaring, uncomfortable question currently echoing across Kogi West: The First Lady, who may think that the program is reaching out to the vulnerable groups in Okunland, not knowing it is her people — the Ebira — who are benefiting, using the slots of the Okun people. Let us give it to the First Lady, who insisted that she will be the one to present the fifty thousand naira to each of the beneficiaries in the hall. Some of the local government officials, who don’t want their names in print, confessed that they were surprised the majority of the beneficiaries are of Ebira extraction, who don’t usually vote in Okunland but rather return home during elections to vote for their candidates of choice.
“How many Okun people benefited when a similar programme was held in Okene?”
Remarkably, the blame for this administrative insensitivity is not being laid at the feet of the First Lady herself. Insiders acknowledge that Hajiya Sefinat Usman Ahmed Ododo relies on local structures to execute these initiatives. Instead, the ire is directed squarely at the indigenous compilers—actors from Okunland who allegedly compromised the interests of their own people for political alignment.
This raises a troubling dynamic regarding the lengths to which local actors will go to please the powers that be. Observers view this not merely as an oversight, but as evidence of deep-seated sycophancy, where local leaders systematically shortchange their constituents to curry favor with the current administration.
There is a growing concern that the names of the Governor and the First Lady are being aggressively dropped by local actors to achieve narrow political gains, creating an artificial atmosphere of repression.
The controversy at the 95 Degrees Event Centre does not exist in a vacuum; it is unfolding against a backdrop of perceived political overreach in the zone.
Whispers of the First Lady’s name being weaponized extend far beyond food distribution. In a nearby State Constituency, local political actors have claimed that the First Lady is personally insisting on a second-term ticket for an incumbent lawmaker. If true, this directive flagrantly disregards the age-long, delicate zoning arrangements that maintain peace and equity within the local government area.
Once again, local commentators are pointing out the double standard, asking why such rigid external directives are not being imposed on political structures in Kogi Central, where both the Governor and the First Lady hail from.
As the fallout threatens to overshadow the administration’s welfare achievements in Kogi West, stakeholders are urgently calling on Her Excellency, Hajiya Sefinat Usman Ahmed Ododo, to look into the compilation of these lists and rectify the imbalance.
The First Lady is being urged to insulate her office from local political hijackers who use her benevolent platform to settle domestic political scores and enforce demographic domination. For the people of Okunland, the event was a stark reminder of their current political vulnerability. The question that remains on the lips of many is as heavy as it is urgent: For how long will this quiet repression continue?
Only time, and the subsequent actions of the government, will tell.
– Ponle Adeniyi
ponleadeniyi457@gmail.com
