In most capital cities of states in Nigeria on entry, your eyes would be greeted with courtesy inscriptions like “welcome to Jos”, “welcome to Lagos, enjoy your stay” etc. On arrival to Lokoja the capital of Kogi State from Abuja your eyes would be greeted with the picture of the governor of the state alongside a lion, white in color.
This picture banner at the entrance of the state portrays the governor of Kogi state as a lion. A lion as described in the book titled the wild cats written by Joel Stench is a “Ferocious Predator” that preys on the very lives of others. Lion be it black, white or brown is an Animal; a less human.
Those who hanged this banner at the entrance of the state, I suspect, may be aides of the Governor. They have not only insulted their principal but the entire people of Kogi state. As politically apt as this banner may seem to them it is has grave consequences and is a huge embarrassment to some of us educated and enlightened people in Kogi State let alone our visitors.
The picture banner suggest that we are all being governed or rather ruled by a lion. It portrays the state as a jungle and as you rightly know the lion is the king of the jungle. Kogi State is not a jungle and our governor is human not an animal. It further goes to insinuates that we indigenes of kogi state are animals because only animals can rule over animals. Animals can’t rule over human beings for God’s sake!
I would like to make an appeal to those who portray the Governor of Kogi State as as a lion to please desist from such act. Failure of which; I will not hesitate to approach a competent court of jurisdiction to obtain an order restraining them from portraying the Governor of my dear State, Kogi State as a lion which is invariably an Animal and I am very serious oh! What an insult to the office of the Governor of my dear state.
However if the Governor enjoys seeing himself alongside the picture of a lion which is an animal, I would like to suggest to him that he changes the picture of the lion and replaces it with a lamb or a sheep which I suppose should be a better figurative analysis of who the Governor of Kogi State should be owing to the multi cultural and bi lingual nature of the state.
The question now is, Are you an Animal? Do you live in a Jungle? Is your Governor a lion?
Well I am a human and I am proud to be one because, I am fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God.
What about you?
God bless you all.
– Sani Idakwo Philips.
