It was a jubilation galore when Ihima was lit up by Senator Natasha H Akpoti-Uduaghan a few days ago to mark the beginning of her “operation light up Kogi Central”. The jubilation reminded me of a similar jubilation in the early 90s when Ihima and the rest of Okehi LG were lit by the then Chairman of the LG, Hon Ishaq Jamiu. I was very young then.
There were questions about why Ihima, her ancestral home. It is her project to light up our roads. It is just a matter of common sense to know that such a project should kick start from her doorstep. Charity they said should begin at home. The projects of the Natasha that you know will cut across the entire Kogi Central. However, I just learned that the major road in Ogaminana in Adavi LG is lighted already and work is ongoing in Okene.
Some people were wondering why the celebration of street lights in the 21st century. Do you want the people to celebrate darkness irrespective of the century? It is worth the celebration because the last time that those roads were lighted was in the early 90s during the military regime. That was about 30 years ago. That was the time Local Governments were allowed to breathe before the Nigerian version of democracy put them under ventilators.
Nearly all the major roads in Okehi local government had street lights before the coming of democracy. The same thing in Okene and Adavi LGs. The remnants of the light are still hanging on some of the electric poles. The LGs then enjoyed full autonomy under the military and in control of their funds. They had funds to construct roads, drainages, healthcare centres, schools, streetlights, etc. They had adequate teachers in their schools and paid them promptly. The people felt the impact of governance at the local government level during the military regime.
The coming of democracy in 1999 marked the beginning of the killing of the local government administration. They became annexed to the empires of some state governors. They decide how LG funds should be spent. The LGs became handicapped and couldn’t even pay staff salaries. The fund is used for something else and the state decides for the LG on the percentage salary to pay the LG workers.
A recent trending internal memo of a popular state in the North showcased how LG funds are spent. A contract was awarded by the state government to build a flyover and the fund was drawn from LGs of the state (70% of the project cost) while the state government that awarded the contract will pay just 30% of the cost of the project. It will be celebrated as the governor’s project when completed.
That is likely how LG funds are spent in a lot of states and at the end of the day, the LGs can’t handle the expected responsibilities. The LG are left handicapped and can’t live up to the people’s expectations.
The only lifeline left for the grassroots to feel the impact of governance is through FG interventions and NASS members’ constituency projects for those that effectively utilise the opportunity. We now rely on UBE to fund our primary school infrastructures because LGs as they are run today can’t find them. Our roads have to be fixed with drainages through the NASS constituency projects because LGs as managed today can’t do that. The NASS members like Natasha who are strongly connected to the people also utilize their personal funds to make an impact. They have to light our roads because LGs as managed today can’t do it.
For those criticising the jubilation from Ihima over street lights, let me tell you a short story. The Okene Waterworks was established in 1933. There was tap water in most homes up till the 90s in Okene. Up till 1992 when I finished secondary school, the house where I had a room as a student in Okene had tap water. In 2023, that is 31 years later, there is no public water supply in that house. Will you jubilate if taps should run from public water in Kogi Central today? I will celebrate.
These jubilations are reactions to how much we have been deprived of the basic facilities that should be available in our communities. Democracy is supposed to bring the benefit of governance closer to the people but it appears that the military did better there.
The message is there is a need to allow LGs to get full autonomy to allow them to breathe for the grassroots to feel the impact of the government as we had during the military era.
Meanwhile, let me join the other Anihima to thank Senator Natasha for lighting the major roads in Ihima and the other places. I got privileged information about your activities for the past 6 weeks. You deserve accolades for pulling all these in just 6 weeks in office. I am looking forward to seeing the other roads across Kogi Central lighted. Lighted roads will also help in fighting insecurity.
©Amoka.
Prof. Abdelghaffar Amoka
