By Prince Friday Ogungbemi.
The human nature from the stone age till date has always been faced with the struggle for improved condition of life and generally, their well-being, hence the continuous agitations for changes in leadership and government from time to time, with the hope of having a better and improved welfare.
The situation in Kogi State is the same with the political development of any given society as it has always been in an ethnically inclined society like ours, where leadership is basically not established on the principles of statesmanship.
Kogi State for instance is a state that consist of three distinct groups of people in the three Senatorial Districts with a pocket of other tribes in those districts. The activities of the last ten years in the state is nothing to really write home about, hence the continuous agitations from one zone to the other seeking to take over the leadership of the state, with the hope to do better.
The State in the last two years looks promising but however the hope of the people have severally being shattered and lost. In this write up I will only limit myself to projects execution and centre it on road projects executions in the years 2024 and 2025 under the Ministry of Works as it is captured in the budget documents in these two years in focus.
There is lopsidedness in projects executed not in line with the principles of federal character and not in compliance with the principles of proportionate sharing
The Kogi State 2024 budget document under code 023400100100 Ministry of Works in Sub-Head code 17100123003900 CONSTRUCTION OF SELECTED ROAD FROM EASTERN SENATORIAL DISTRICTS (60 KM) in the year 2024 the projection was N300,000,000 there was no releases at all in 2024 for this project.
Equally in this same 2024 budget document under code 17100123004000 CONSTRUCTION OF SELECTED ROAD FROM WESTERN SENATORIAL DISTRICTS (60 KM) in the year 2024 the projection was N300,000,000, the actual released for this 60 KM road project stands at N496,428,469.27
In the same 2024 budget document under code 17100123004100 CONSTRUCTION OF SELECTED ROAD FROM CENTRAL SENATORIAL DISTRICTS (60KM) the estimated amount for the project was N8,495,974,288 but as at September, 2024 the actual released funds stood at N17,140,002,757.16
Other road projects under the Ministry of Works are the one under code 17100123004200 CONSTRUCTION/REHABILITATION OF LOKOJA TOWNSHIP ROADS/ GANAJA JUNCTION OVERHEAD BRIDGE (30KM) the estimated amount for this project was N1,245,004,540 the total amount said to have been actually released was N200,000,000.00.
Under code 17100123005100 CONSTRUCTION OF OZURI/ OGAMINANA/OBANGEDE/ OKAITO/KABBA JUNCTION ROAD (9.4KM) in the year 2024 N1,412,656,254.62 was actually said to have been released as at September 2024.
Similarly under code 17100123005900 ON GOING CONSTRUCTION OF ODENY! OGUMA/SHERIA ROAD (16KM) in 2024 the actual released was put at N 502,708,449 : 00
In the same year 2024 under code 17100123006400 CONSTRUCTION OF OKENE TOWNSHIP ROAD (10.7KM) N567,613,767.03 was said to have been released by September 2024 according to the official budget document
The road project under code 17100123008000 CONSTRUCTION OF ITAKPE JUNCTION- FCE -TOTAL FILLING STATION ROAD OKENE (14 KM) in the year 2024 as as September the total amount said to have been released was put at N 710,172,921.00 for the project .
Another road project which caught my attention is the road under code 17100123008700 and the other one under 17100123009300
This same road were provided for and allocated funds under two different Sub-heads 17100123009300 CONSTRUCTION OF ZONE 8 JUNCTION – BARRACK – GYB JUNCTION ROADS in the Year 2024 N2,167,131,014:00 was said to be the actual released to this road with the same description with the one in code sub-head 17100123008700 CONSTRUCTION OF ZONE 8 JUNCTION- BARRACK- GYB JUNCTION ROADS where in the 2024 the sum of N2,685,234,200.25 was been expended in the same year given a total of N4,852,365,214.25 in the year 2024
The road project under code 17100123008900 CONSTRUCTION OF ZONE 8 JUNCTION – CBN – CRUSHER JUNCTION ROADS in the year 2024 N3,160,166,227.75 was said to be the actual released for this project.
For the record few of the other road projects that appeared on the budget document with their various estimated figures are those under code 17100123006500 CONSTRUCTION OF OGORI /MAGONGO TOWNSHIP ROAD N100,000,000 was budgeted but no dime was released. Equally the road under code 17100123006000 ON GOING CONSTRUCTION OF PONYAN – IRELE ROAD (2 KM) in the year 2024 Budget N50,000,000:00 was projected but there was no releases.
It is important to note here that there were many other roads in the budget document that were not attended to in all the Senatorial Districts, among which are these few selected ones that were not captured in the releases of funds.
Sub-head 17100123006100 RECONSTRUCTION OF ANKPA – ABEJUKOLO ROAD (56 KM) the amount estimated was N26,900,091.00 but no releases of funds for it, also in sub- head number 17100123006300 CONSTRUCTION OF ODO- ERE/ OKUNRAN/ OKOLOKE/ ISANLU ESA ROAD 14 KM N 500,000,000 was estimated and in sub-head 17100123006600 CONSTRUCTION OF OBEHIRA OKENGWE/ IHIMA TOWNSHIP ROAD (21KM) in 2024 N254,000,908.00 was budgeted but there was no release. So also the road in sub-head 17100123006700 CONSTRUCTION OF IYARA TOWNSHIP ROAD 15 KM in 2024 N50,000,000 was budgeted but there was no releases too for this road project.
It is pertinent, to say here that there are so many roads in the 2024 budget document that are not mentioned in this write up because of space.
Equally on road project the code 023400300100 ROAD MAINTENANCE AGENCY 17100123011700 KOGI STATE ROAD MAINTENANCE AGENCY’S PROJECTS (REHABILITATION OF DILAPIDATED ROADS) in the year 2024 the State Government invested N5,901,729,879.70 as actual expenditures as at September, 2024. Though the specific road that were worked on were also not stated.
The other Ministry that similarly worked on road projects is under code 026200100100 MINISTRY OF RURAL AND ENERGY DEVELOPMENT under Code & Description 17100123012400 RURAL ACCESS AND AGRICULTURAL MARKETING PROJECT what was given as actual expenditures was N678,709,278.43
as at September, 2024 too.
The year 2025 came and the government similarly attended to some road projects in the budget document under sub-head 17100123002400 ASPHALT OVERLAY OF GYB JUNCTION/ MURTALA MUHAMMED/BARRACK/KABBA JUNCTION ROAD (20.75KM) the actual released for this road project was N35,651,010 as at September, 2025.
On road code and description 17100123003600 REHABILITATION OF KABBA TOWNSHIP ROADS 10 KM the government released a total of N51,031,555.71for the project in 2025
This road project has enjoyed the attention of the State Government adequately is in Sub-heads.
17100123004100 SELECTED ROAD FROM CENTRAL SENATORIAL DISTRICTS 60 KM the actual releases as at September, 2025 was N11,000,000,000 on this same road project in 2024 a whooping sum of N17,140,002,757.16 was released on the same road project according to the 2025 Draft Budget Estimates on page 100. By the information in these two budget documents a total of N28, 140,002,757.16 have been spent on this road project while similar selected 60km roads in both Kogi East and West Senatorial Districts have not been adequately attended to.
The road under Sub-head 17100123003900 SELECTED ROAD FROM EASTERN SENATORIAL DISTRICTS (60 KM) the amount that was estimated for this road project was N300,000,000 but there was no single release for this project
The road under Sub-head 17100123004700 CONSTRUCTION OF HASSAN KATSINA ROAD (HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY) (11.2KM) the actual released was put at N2,000,000,000 as at September, 2025
The road under Sub-head 17100123005100 CONSTRUCTION OF OZURI/ OGAMINANA/ OBAGEDE/ OKAITO /KABBA JUNCTION ROAD (9.4KM) a total of N3,551,312,392.38 was said to have been released as at September, 2025
While the road in Sub-head code 17100123006600 CONSTRUCTION OF OBEHIRA OKENGWE/IHIMA TOWNSHIP ROAD (21KM) there was a release of N200,000,000 as at September, 2025
The road under code 17100123011300 CONSTRUCTION OF JAMATA-BUDAN KUPA ROAD 30 KM according to government budget document a total of N800,000,000 was said to be released for the project.
It is note worthy to say that there are still some other road projects under code 023400300100 ROAD MAINTENANCE AGENCY under Sub-head 17100123011700 KOGI STATE ROAD MAINTENANCE AGENCY’S PROJECTS (REHABILITATION OF DILAPIDATED ROADS) where a whooping of N7,562,479,815.70 was actually released as at September, 2025.
Under code 026200100100 MINISTRY OF RURAL AND ENERGY DEVELOPMENT under Sub-head
17100123012400 CONSTRUCTION OF RURAL ACCESS ROADS FOR AGRICULTURAL MARKETING (WORLD BANK PROJECT) on this road projects the State Government released a total of N3,773,004,954.50 as at September, 2025 for the various road projects not specified to the members of the public.
These are few of the other many roads inside the budget document that were never considered in the year under reviewed codes 17100123005000 CONSTRUCTION OF ACCESS ROAD TO SCHOOL OF DISABLE IYALE (2.5KM) with the estimate of N100,000,000, code number 17100123005200 CONSTRUCTION OF LION CLUB- GEREGU ROAD (4.974KM) with an estimated sum of N100,000,000 The others are code
17100123006700 CONSTRUCTION OF IYARA TOWNSHIP ROAD 15KM with the estimation of N50,000,000 code 17100123011200 CONSTRUCTION OF OGODU-OLA-EMEKWUTU ROADS 16KM also estimated for
N100,000,000 and that of code 17100123003500 ONGOING CONSTRUCTION OF IDIORO AYEDE-OGALE ROAD (13KM). No release for this project and code 17100123011400 CONSTRUCTION OF OBABARA-UHUOUGUG-UKPAKE 37KM also estimated for N100,000,000 without any releases.
Finally, I have this to say about leadership. Ideas of leadership in management roles range from ‘ideal’ approaches. There are models as in scientific management, those of the human relations and social psychological schools ideas on principle-centred leadership. Where leadership is ethnic-centred agitations will increase.
– Prince Friday Ogungbemi, a journalist, writes from Lokoja.
