The Kogi governorship aspirant and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Sunday Umoru, has described the state of infrastructure development in Kogi State as disheartening.
In a press statement released by Umoru’s spokesman, COllins Onogu, the governorship hopeful debunked claims made recently by Governor Yahaya Bello while featuring on Politics Today program of Channels Television.
He said claims by Bello that Kogi State is now more developed than it was with the past administration are false as infrastructures continue to deteriorate under his administration.
“Infrastructure is the basic essential services that should be put in place to enable development to occur. Economic development of Kogi state can be facilitated and accelerated by the presence of infrastructure. If these facilities and services are not in place, development will be very difficult and in fact can be likened to a very scarce commodity that can only be secured at a very high price and cost.
“It’s so sad that, even with the quantum natural resources and the various revenue potentials of the state to generate sufficient income to smoothly run the state. Governor Yahaya Bello’s administration has woefully failed the state and has no bragging rights to say he has done so much in terms of infrastructure development. For crying out loud, where are the infrastructure development he was talking about? Obviously there are no mind blowing infrastructure development to make reference to.
“It will interest the public to know that even the popular Ganaja road in Lokoja the state capital is begging for maintenance, with untrimmed grasses both in the middle and on the shoulder of the road. It will also interest the general public to know that 90 percent of the rural areas in Kogi State are in perpetual darkness and with roads that are unmotorable. The citizens living in these rural areas suffer endlessly to survive.
“The one that will beat your imagination is the Ogugu to Ete road in Olamaboro Local Government Area which was constructed by the Late Prince Abubarkar Audu when he was the governor is in a very bad shape now. The bottom line here is that the Chief of Staff to the governor, Mr. Edward Onoja hails from Ogugu, yet Ogugu has no light and has been in total darkness for years and with bad roads. As the Chief of Staff to Governor Yahaya Bello it is expected that with his influence Ogugu town should have light and the major road leading into Ogugu town is fixed, at least they say Charity begins at home.
“The majority of the school buildings in Kogi state are in their dilapidation state with no attention given by Governor Yahaya Bello’s administration, and the standard of education in the state is nothing to write home about. The situation has gone from worse to worst since pupils whose parents are civil servants have not been paid their salaries for many months finds it cumbersome to take care of school bills of their children, which often times result in some pupils dropping out of school. As it is right now, there has not been any major project in the education sector in Kogi State so far.
“Governor Yahaya Bello should know that, if the real sector which is the engine of growth is to propel Kogi state growth and development, infrastructure should be given qualitative and adequate attention and that construction of essential public infrastructure is an important ingredient for recovery, sustained economic growth and poverty reduction.
“This is just to inform the general public that the governor’s claims on infrastructure development in the state are misleading and not consistent with the real situation in Kogi State right now. Chief Sunday Umoru challenge Governor yahaya Bello to reference to the general public the specific mind blowing infrastructure development he was talking about,” he said.
Chief Sunday Umoru reiterated his pledge to rescue Kogi state from its state of economic and infrastructural deterioration if given the mandate in 2019.
