In Kogi East today, the conversation in markets, churches, motor parks, and village squares is no longer whispered. Ordinary people are talking openly about leadership, and what they are saying is both simple and urgent. They are not asking for miracles. They are asking to be seen, heard, and respected by those who claim to represent them. Across communities, a quiet consensus is forming that leadership must return to service, not self preservation.
Many residents say their greatest frustration is the widening distance between the elites vs elites and the people. Campaign seasons are loud, but governance seasons are silent. Once elections are over, access disappears, promises fade, and accountability becomes a stranger. People want leaders who will return home, sit with them, explain decisions, and answer hard questions. Representation, they argue, should not end at the ballot box.
Economic survival dominates daily life in Kogi East, and citizens want elites who understand this reality. Farmers worry about access roads and storage. Traders worry about insecurity and falling purchasing power. Young people worry about jobs and skills that can keep them rooted at home rather than migrating in desperation. The call is not for handouts but for policies that unlock productivity and dignity.
Education and healthcare remain emotional subjects. Parents speak of schools without teachers, kidnapping, bandits and clinics without drugs. They ask why budgets are announced with confidence while facilities decay in plain sight. What residents want is not rhetoric but visible investment in human capital. They believe that no region can rise when its children are under educated and its sick are neglected.
Another strong demand is unity among the elites themselves. Many residents believe internal rivalry has cost Kogi East influence and opportunities. They want leaders who can disagree without destroying one another and who can pursue collective interests above personal ambition. In their view, division at the top translates into suffering at the bottom.
Above all, the people of Kogi East want integrity restored to leadership. They want elites whose private lives do not contradict their public words and whose decisions are guided by conscience as much as convenience. The message from the grassroots is clear. Leadership must return to moral responsibility, public accountability, and genuine service. Until then, the people will keep speaking, and they expect to be listened to.
– Inah Boniface Ocholi writes from Ayah – Igalamela/Odolu LGA, Kogi state.
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