In Kogi media space, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum has always enjoyed generous mention when it comes to excellent governance, infrastructural development and policies that have direct bearing on the masses. Inasmuch as these are correct of the Governor despite many indices that enabled such, we must acknowledge the fact that more often than not, those mentions by people with hidden agendas were meant to deride and scorn some Kogi State leaders especially the Governor.
Borno and Kogi States have some similarities. First, Borno State was ravaged by destruction occasioned by the heinous activities of Boko-Haram sect angling to establish their government while Kogi State was also ravaged by organized tribal heist who have held up the state to its jugular for close to two decades before divine intervention in 2016. These partly account for how citizens in both states react and appraise the activities of government in each of the states. In Borno State, the foundation for true process of rebuilding and development of the state began with the then Governor Kashim Shettima who is the present Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Shettima shopped for a successor in the person of Babagana Umara Zulum to build on his legacies and he was applauded but in Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello who dealt a heavy and brutal blow on a ‘tribal sect’ that sought to establish hegemonic stronghold on the state like the Boko-Haram of Borno has been receiving criticisms. The administration of Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello built and equipped a world-class Reference Hospital Okene which the then President Muhammadu Buhari came and commissioned on 29th December 2022 but the feat irked the Kogi sect the more.
As a lover of education, Alhaji Yahaya Bello judiciously added two more state universities of Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH) Osara and Kogi State University Kabba (KSUK), the traducers became more annoyed since the projects are not Zulum projects! The New Direction administration of Alhaji Yahaya Bello built the first-ever flyover in the state capital, and jesters, having plied the road for their fruitless political voyage in the last governorship election shamelessly described the project as a ‘centre table.’ Why? The project must be condemned because of the hatred they have for the person that initiated and completed it.
Now, let’s check the emergence of Governor Babagana Umara Zulum and Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, the compassionate Governor of Kogi State,and assess how deep-seated and incurable hatred has been the bane of many self-styled good governance crusaders of the state. Governor Zulum was previously the Commissioner of Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement under Governor Kashim Shettima from 2015 to 2018. Before entering politics, Zulum worked as an Assistant Technical Officer in the Borno State Ministry of Agriculture and later became a professor at the University of Maiduguri. The ovation was high when Zulum was picked by his predecessor to become the next Governor.
In Kogi State, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo is a well-refined gentleman who has every right to contest for political positions like Zulum that we love to reference. Unlike some people whose academic qualifications continue to generate controversies in public space, Alhaji Ododo is a certified Accountant who has cut his teeth in private practice before dabbling into politics. He was Auditor-General for Local Government in the New Direction of Alhaji Yahaya Bello until he resigned to contest for governorship. Favoured by the system, accepted by the good people of Kogi State and sealed by God, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo contested and fairly won the governorship election conducted on 11th November 2023. Now, the hegemonic tribal heist and the latter-day advocates of good governance are in severe pains.
Despite all hindrances, Alhaji Ododo has lived above board since he was inaugurated on 27th January 2024. Like Shettima who laid a good foundation for his successor Zulum, Alhaji Yahaya Bello has also laid a good foundation which Governor Ododo has used as a springboard for excellent performance. All ongoing projects that could not be finished before the end of New Direction administration like Kogi State University Kabba and several others have continued to enjoy progressive works in the new government. The state government has partnered with the federal government in distributing palliatives to the people of Kogi State. Salary payment has become prompt and full but the tribal heist are in anger because the news is not coming from Zulum that they love to reference.
As you celebrate Zulum in faraway Borno State for impactful governance, celebrate your Zulum in Kogi State for charity begins at home. Don’t be consumed by hatred against leaders who have come to right the wrongs of the state since creation.
– Fancy Media Team (FMT)
