There is something fundamentally wrong and outrageously awkward in Kogi State today and must be corrected with neutrinos speed. And that is the disaster under the guise of governance. Yahaya Bello has gone on to become a political tragedy to the state. But there is good news. God has always given mankind a bouncing back ability.
From creation, the formed man and not the created man lost leadership of the garden after they were deceived into eating the forbidden fruit. But man bounced back with the coming of Jesus Christ who was tempted severally by the same serpent but never fell. Today, humanity is better off for it. At a different time in creation, might was right. The size of a person was a function of power and influence he wielded within the society. Hefty men married more beautiful women than slim or tiny men. If per adventure, fate falls on a tiny man with a beautiful damsel, he looses her to a more muscular man especially on her way to the market. Fast forward to late 70’s through 90’s, military rule was in vogue. Democracy was suspended. Today, for the first time in Nigeria history, we are witnessing twenty years of unbroken civilian rule.
I raised these issues to dwell on the fact of history and let us know the God-given bouncing back ability. We can also look back to history with dignified joy that no tyrant ever ruled forever. Adolf Hitler, Stalin et al. This era will also pass and Kogi will be better for it.
The beauty of constitutional democracy is the provision of periodic election. No matter how good or cruel you are, no matter how many progressive and upwardly mobile lives you cut short as a governor, you have maximum of eight years. How then will one be heartless to kill for an eight year ‘enjoyment’. Such thoughts can only come from a fable and unintelligent mind. A mind not fed with proper books and leaders who do not have role models.
I see a change in KogiState come November, 2019. I mean a change in the right direction. It was Winston Churchill who once quipped: “There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction.” The change I clamour for is not one borne out of fears. No amount of intimidation can silence the people this time round. I heard of stockpiling of arms and recruiting of thugs for the exercise. Thank God, it is an isolated election, the world will be watching.
I wish to urge every eligible Kogite not to be scared because even the deaf and the blind are very much aware of the gross incompetence of the current administration. No government has ever been this clueless any where in the world. No one should be deceived by the recent purported victory of the All progressives Congress in the state, it was never a true reflection of the people’s will. The people were not particularly opposed to the said candidates, the grouse is with the governor. And I stand to be proved wrong, within the next six months, the governor will have issues with over 90% of the elected legislators in the State and National Assembly.
Let us not wait for who will kick start #BelloMustGo. Everyone Kogite of voting age must speak out until the leadership at the national level realizes that fielding Yahaya Bello as a governorship candidate of the party is a fait accompli for the opposition party to govern the state which will be a terribly bad beginning for 2023. And my appeal to pessimists is never to discourage the optimists.
George Bernard Shaw said “People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.” While our own very Barack Obama cautioned thus; “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”
They did it in Bauchi state. We will do it in Kogi State, beginning from the loss of the primary election. For those who want to be on the right side of history, make yourself available to various gubernatorial options now.
Bello’s candidacy must be seen as a political Ebola, a killer disease that is capable of sending anyone identified with him to political oblivion. We must conquer our fears now so as to permanently address our future in a dignified and glorified manner so that our children and children’s children will be proud of.
– Sylvester Ojogbane writes from Bayelsa.
