It is no longer news that Kogi state is warming up for the most unprecedented political evolution in history. It’s as well not new that entrants peopling the landscape are numerous. However, it’s apt to note one thing- the infrequent inclusiveness of ample heads elicited by economic and social squalors due to naïveté, ravenousness and lack of political will by the contemporary handlers. To this, everyone is taking the bull by the horn to head the number one position in the land and each with his own order and interpretation.
Nevertheless, the mandate of some aspirants is contrariwise to the clarion sequence of salvaging fatherland, it’s also not the technocratic perspective sin-qua-non to our socio-economic and political development. To some of them, it is all about the conveyor of the current woes that swiftly need to be detached. Some described him as an enemy of progress presiding the affairs. Others hypothesized he is the enfant terrible posing as civil servants night-mare. Therefore, everything that needed to be done to have him removed is what tailored their mandate – quite tremendous. But to the entire Kogites, it’s analytically beyond the squad at the Lugard house. This is because their advent has devoured the revolutionary change we yearned for and his exit will leave a negative posture. Hence, what is significant is not the initiator but what he has negatively affected.
So aptly to say, the resonation of the erudite Dr. Victor Adoji in the political sphere is obliged by the need to change the narrative. It’s neither recapitulation nor cynical, what he has envisioned is emblematic of the fact.
Unlike his co-aspirants, he has never for once talked about how to remove Yahaya Bello from office. In short, he has depicted interminably that Bello is the least of all anomalies. And most times, he has upheld that what is problematical is the extant interests notched in greed and self-conceit wielded by the unwillingness to look at the brighter days ahead.
Having said this, it would be rational to bring to fore that Dr. Victor Alewo Adoji has what it takes to transform Kogi state for good. He is young, vivacious and brainy. Economy is his DNA, you know and I know. Novelty is what he is known for, he has relentlessly demonstrated that in and around the world. However, what persuaded him majorly are the industrious but abandoned youths, the veracious but eschewed route of an enterprise approach to leadership and most especially, that infrastructure should be money-spinning and not just for its primary objectives.
For example, Dr. Victor Adoji believes in drilling commercialize boreholes (pure water) and not just for domestic consumption which is sometimes treated in order to suit such purposes. Adoji advocates a road construction that engenders income via toll tariffs and not just clearing of bushes, destroying economic trees to curb highway robbers as carried out by the present administration. He believes in the Educational system whereby, cost of learning of every child is indirectly championed by the state government through processes that engage such child after graduation. Apparently, with Adoji, Education is made easy for every Kogites. I won’t talk about the holistic and transparent approach, inclusiveness and accountable governance he tends to bring to the table. Kogi state is a hub of commercial activities just like Lagos state if well managed. This Adoji has noted without prejudice that Kogi’s seaport is possible if given the mandate.
As my learned and most respected reader, I know question like how does he intend to fund those projects will be begging for answers in your mind. Don’t worry, Adoji has prospected all round means. But first, do you know that Kogi’s debt (both internal and external) is currently standing at N94.8 billion? I know you do but may not be precise of the figure. Consequently, sourcing of funds through external means is almost impossible considering the state’s debt profiles and by implication, the incoming government would either leverage an improve IGR through diversified revenue base or watch while the state sinks. But to abate this, Adoji has prompted a capital/recurrence projects structured through FAAC allocations that succor the former while we have viable IGR that does justice to the latter.
A diversified revenue base of a state boosts its IGR, and as I earlier quoted, Kogi is a natural resources endowed state. Hence, unlike the foot-dragging system where payment of salaries is determined by the availability of FAAC, Adoji would not rely on the state allocations to pay salaries going by the assertions above.
My take;
If our political decision is not birthed by individual curiosity, and if our collective goal is Kogi that favors all, Adoji is the most qualified candidate of the 12 disciples queuing to serve Kogi state. Please conduct self-assessment and prove me wrong.
God Bless My Kogi State.
– John Paul