Kogi State, We Are Stranded By John Paul

 
Fellow kogites, we are in trouble! Our dear state is left behind in the comity of developing states, and its handlers have all gone asleep while the media tell unrestrained lies to shield manifesting quiescence. But in reality, kogi is stagnant. Even the labour of our past heroes which queued us amongst viable states of Africa’s most populous black nation is nothing to write home about- those in existence are either abandoned or sold out. This is the salient truth, Kogi is on an exit threshold. Thank God for some of us in a particular section of the media, although we have tolerated their iniquities in the past, but not anymore. Kogi is a democratic society and dictatorialism is sacrilegious.
Let me, beforehand register my disapproval with Buhari, APC and INEC. They are culpable of the burgeon malfeasance plaguing Kogi state. If not, a governor who slept on the soft bed of luxury on his way to power failed woefully. Yet, Buhari in cahoots with APC funded his account with over N10 billion and Bello with his usual style of employing violence to achieved his aim rigged his way to retain the number one seat without recourse for democratic electoral value. To my greatest dismay, they are not men of ideas and they are not ready to accept any. Rather, constructive criticism which restrains democratic leader from tyranny is ridiculously tagged HATE SPEECH. Consequently, our dear Kogi is plunged abyss.
Look, the government in power have done the worst. They are so mean, bored and deaf. Nigeria before 2015 was a rising Nation. Somehow, our position as Africa’s giant was intact and the challenges then was not indifferent from a striving society. But these men saw the high patriotic spirit in us, disguised as progressive minds with eloquently articulated transformation agenda. Little did we know it was just a mere power jostle. Today, Nigeria is dethroned as Africa’s giant and she is unarguably the world’s poverty capital, still, with ever depleting Economy. I can’t phantom if they would emulate their predecessor and relinquish power in the interest of peace and stability considering how power-drunk they are. Anyway, he who has ear let him hear, Buhari and APC are the biggest conjecture to democracy and its agenda.
Over time, I had wanted to ex-ray Yahaya Bello’s five years in the saddle. But guess what? My effort was always encumbered by emotional trauma. In fact, the last attempt cost me food and drink for days. Reason, each time the media alleges government’s plan, my hope is revived, my nerves tickle for something meaningful and my ever inquisitive mind lures my consciousness to take a flip. Alas! Government’s policy is no longer about what the people want, but cunning drafts that end public patrimony in private pockets. Again, Yahaya Bello’s government is not about what the people want. It is evidential, take it or leave it, nothing good functions if it devoid the consent of the new direction gangs. If not, how has cattle colony benefit Kogites in the last five years if not a resurge of criminals that has abated migration of some blood sucking vampires into our land? What about the ludicrous dynamies of non-impactful policies? That is even a tip of iceberg. Has anyone seen the impending plagues, the lethal styles of borrowing for nothing? Soon, I repeat, very soon Kogi may cease from accessing external funds as whatever is accrued may be expended on state debts. And in case you don’t know, the current state government has borrowed up to 150% above what is obtainable in the last twenty years and still counting. This is the gospel truth, and my Thomas can as well ask the state government to publish in sincerity, the monies it has borrowed so far. Meanwhile, I implore everyone not to ponder for a second on how we got here, because, the gangs in Kogi state are no different from those in Aso Rock. As a matter of fact, Nigeria is enmeshed in an almost irrecoverable debts. Few days ago, it was reported in the media that, over N1.58 trillion was realized as revenue between February to May this year and Nigeria serviced her debts with N1.6 trillion within these periods. Can you see the big issue now? So, we all should weep for this country instead, because going by the current threshold Buhari and his APC gangs are the emergent threats to National continuity, Kogi state is just an impotent enabler.
I don’t need to write in Spanish or Swahili for Yahaya Bello and his gangs to understand what economic development or social welfare stand for. This is because, a genuine leader knows he is appraised of his strides through security and social welfare of the people. But to my greatest dismay, they now digitalizes economy that is already in shamble and creating welfare in the air. As if that is not enough, their illusionary e-servant are back on duty constricting peace with anything Yahaya Bello. I swear, it is no longer funny with folks of brainless climes warping government’s ineptitudes.
Have you seen the raging shenanigans in operation light Kogi East project, the breathtaking hypocrisy? Whoever feel this government has something to offer is obviously under illusion. Oh yes! It is not possible to give what you don’t have.
In 2019, Operation light up Kogi East was given a special budgetary package of over N2 billion. This huge sum ended up in some bank accounts with no trace of a single electric poll in all the nine local governments. In 2020, the popular budget of prosperity was, but another sham move. As usual, it also entail packages for operation light up Kogi East. But what Kogites never know was that, the PROSPERITY ideology has contrary meaning to what it seems. And it might sound interesting to say that the prosperity term is not about Kogi state, it is about government officials and how fatten their pockets would be at the end of the year. If not, how can a sincere government house allocate 57% above other sub-sectoral allocations such as health, education, job creation and youth empowerment in a yearly budget? Well, for those who might find this as a rude shock, the cost of governance is much higher in Kogi state at the moment, and I won’t be far from the truth if I say the so called 2020 budget of prosperity was just a hoax. This is the story for another day.
Fellow Kogites, contractors of operation light up Kogi East had commenced work and what’s being done so far is a meagre number of exorbitantly purchased high tensioned cable that only God would decide when it would be fixed. However, my worries rally behind the e-servants of new direction government. They have devised lie in greater proportion, telling Kogites what Bello never did in the state’s power sector. For those who have seen pictures, you can see the large font banner hung around those cables with a hypocritical inscription; “Project light up Kogi East”. The concocted documentary from one self-styled social media page- Kogi in focus as well as publications from sycophants aimed at rebranding an outdated product is appalling. But this is how we roll in Kogi state; just what the emperor want to hear and not what he should know, as long as the crumbs keep coming. Anyway, I have expected nothing less of a society where corruption is almost legalized. Moreover, the least to be mentioned is, hardship is more apparent, Kogi tops the list of poverty ridden states in Nigeria with citizens living below N100 a day. Consequently, our struggles for a saner society is truncated in perpetuity, except, miracle comes in hasty.
Our traducer-sycophants deliberately ignored question on the whereabout N2 billion budgetary allocation for operation light up Kogi East in 2019? Instead, they have towed the path of chaos staring moral trauma in the lineage of sanity not minding the overall implications of their actions. Project light up Kogi East was preconceived in 2017. In the following year, a committee was inaugurated to evaluate feasible areas of immediate attention on the day Igala Unity house was commissioned. And until now, that was all we heard. Anyway, to an ardent follower, government’s abrupt actions on the project apparently raised some dusts. For instance, Operation Light up Kogi East was revived almost at the time the bill for establishment of Confluence University of science and technology Osara was passed, and not only that, it was at the brim of our expectations that the budget of prosperity would hit the ground running. Wow! It is much easier to conclude that emperor Yahaya Bello now champions project en-masse, right? I don’t think so. In short, Yahaya Bello and his new direction gangs had shot themselves on the anus with their acclaimed proclivity against ethnic and religious barbarism. How did I know? Underlying are innumerable projects that could have alleviated citizens of the prevailing hardship, the emperor could have done better looking into one. I don’t want to mention Lokoja-Ajaokuta road they connived with Dangote to make it miserable for travelers or how he siphoned over N10 billion to do some repairs in the air. But, Fact finding revealed that, contrary to industrial revolution cited as reasons for establishing Confluence University, the institution would be established to cushion purported Audu’s failed campaign promises of situating the faculty of medicine, Prince Abubakar Audu University Anyiba to the central part of the state. The Western extractions had also supported the move on a polarized belief that the three senatorial districts should have university each- what a myopic way of reasoning. In a sane environment where leaders know their ounce, creating more institutions amidst impaired ones amount to efforts in futility. So in essence, the so called confluence university is another misplaced priority by Bello’s government in his insatiable quests to satisfy his kinsmen. In short, what baffles me mostly is how derailed the concept of governance as a continuity system is. Everyone with his own rules. Unfortunately, none of these rules cushion the yearnings of the generality.
Do I need a prophet to tell new direction gangs that kogi lacks the capacity to fund two universities? Why can’t Yahaya Bello and co see exit plans on craving needs such as the worsening security architecture? Well, going by the extant trends, we would only remember them for deepening violence in the polity. Their continuous grip of power would also illuminate guns and matchet violence as prerequisites for accessing public offices.
As expected, the ill-conceived project already pasted those to bear the brunt; that is the local government, I mean our local governments from where governance should include grassroots. The Emperor has declared 5% deductions from local government to fund Confluence University of science and technology. The same tiers of government that has ceased functioning for over five years. No wonder, he made a grand entry when federal government asked that Local government be given financial autonomy. But how long shall this last? When will Kogi be free of one man’s messianic grip that is suffocating everyone? And when shall we again, look at our confluence land of origin and proclaim inexhaustible pride and love for fatherland? Between the land and the people lies a vacuum created by custodians without political will and socioeconomic charisma to chat inventive course on societal renaissance; even though this devoid collective yearnings and aspiration, they are undaunted by their (in)actions while Kogi is stranded.
Buhari, APC, INEC in cahoots with our slanderous judiciary finally stole the people’s mandate and hand it over to their own (Yahaya Bello). And in defiance of truth and honesty, justice was kidnapped at the tribunal, murdered at the appeal court, and buried at the Supreme Court. In my wildest imagination, it couldn’t have been possible for that civil war to be referred to as election in a society with utmost regard for rule of law and orderliness. Not when the enabler is culpable of several malfeasances in the state. But of course, Nigeria under APC government is a lawless nation. How do you describe that concocted judgement, I mean the Supreme Court declaration that eventually berthed a dance of shame at the pathway to Lugard house? International observers had for long condemned that Pyrrhic victory. Civil societies, religious organizations and institution of irrefutable reputes had for umpteenth registered their disapproval. Even the gods are angry with the post-election apprehension that eventually landed Mrs. Salome Abu in her early grave and turned kogi to a den of criminals. Yet, a governor under whose watch such sacrilegious act was perpetuated was given the staff of rulership from the court of law. What an irony! Sanity has been sold to the servants of earthly possession, and those manning it lacks courage to validate its sanctified aims and objectives of being the hope of a common man.
Fellow Kogites, having fought a good fight, we can only hope and pray. Our dear state has no governor that is mindful of our plights. In short, the man in the Lugard house is only loyal to the regime’s caprices. He is a core party man whose political business has transcended to the position he would occupy after 2023. This is the hidden definition behind their mouthing agape of “doing more”. And by implication, Kogi is indeed stranded! We can only watch and pray as the man imposed on us is out to protect his interests, that of his cronies and concubines.
We will meet again.
John Paul Writes
From Kogi state