When Kogi State was carved out of Kwara and Benue States precisely on August 27, 1991 there were shouts of joy and great expectations. This is because it brought about the reunion of people who had shared historical roots and co-existed peacefully with the former Kabba province in the defunct Northern Region for more than 80 years. The state which is structured into 21 LGA’s comprises of three major ethnic groups i.e. Igala, Ebira and Okun (Yoruba) other minor groups include – Bassa Komo, Bassa Nge, Kakanda, Kupa, Ogori-Magongo, Nupe, Oworo, Gwari etc.
Successive Military administrations of Colonels Danladi Zakari 1991-1992, Paul Omeruo 1993-1996, Bzigu Afakirya 1996 -1998, and Augustine Aniebo 1998-1999) in the early life of the confluence state tried to raise the hopes and aspirations of the people by initiating various developmental initiatives which on the long run had minimal impact on the socio-economic condition of the people. Successive civilian governments on the other hand, Abubakar Audu 1991-2003, Ibrahim Idris 2003-2011, Idris Wada 2012-2016, and presently Yahaya Bello 2016 to date also made attempts at turning around the fortunes of the state by initiating numerous developmental projects notably amongst which were those established by the first civilian governor late Abubakar Audu whose developmental initiatives had so far been unparalleled in the history of Kogi State.
Kogi State is known to be a predominantly a civil service state with a greater majority of others engaging in farming and fishing activities. The only noticeable federal government presence in the form of Ajaokuta Steel Complex had remained in a state of comatose even after many years of its birth. The multi-billion dollars steel complex, the largest of its kind in Nigeria and Africa was established in 1971 on a 24,000 hectare land. This mighty industry has unfortunately been left moribund for a long period of time, but recently over the years, concerted efforts has been made by the Nigerian government to ensure its full capacity functioning. This industry is viewed as potential bedrock for the industrialization of Nigeria and beyond.
The project was stalled, as government officials, during the military era, got bogged down with the international politics between the Western bloc and the then Soviet Union on the viability and desirability of owning an integrated steel plant by a third world country. Coupled with this was debt-buying back syndrome under Sani Abacha regime.
Over the years, the democratic culture in Kogi state had hung on shoestrings while the dividends of democracy have been so far out of the reach of the common man. The drunken state of politics was presumed to have been triggered by the years of misrule by the successive Peoples Democratic Party’s governments. This has been however rebuffed by stalwarts of the PDP at different occasions and fora.
The inconclusive 2015 Governorship elections came about as a result of the sudden and mysterious death of Abubakar Audu the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who was at the verge of winning the election; this development threw the state into a total political eclipse and uncertainty. The position of the APC executive at the federal level to abandon the running mate of Abubakar Audu in the person of Hon. James Faleke for the incumbent governor Alhaji Yahaya Bello led to serious political logjam and litigation that was eventually put to rest by the verdict of the Supreme Court which ruled in favour of Yahaya Bello. The political impasse however resulted in a clear fractionalization in the All Progressives Congress in Kogi State.
The bitter feud between Governor Yahaya Bello and the Senator representing Kogi West Senatorial District Senator Dino Melaye is another challenge that ate deep into the fabric of good governance in Kogi state over time. This bitter power tussle culminated in the attempt by members of Senator Melaye constituency to initiate a recall process against him, a move which has become a test case for the recall process as entrenched in the constitution.
Though Governor Bello had distanced himself from this recall attempt, Senator Melaye insists that the signatories to the recall attempt had the backing of the governor. Senator Melaye also alleged that the signatures on the recall list were either faked or belong to people outside his constituency (ghost signatories).
Other major challenges that had affected good governance and people friendly initiatives in the state include; the impasse over unpaid salaries and allowances of lecturers of state-owned tertiary institutions. This situation led to the closure of the tertiary institutions for over six months. The effect of this closure to the education sector cannot be overemphasized, as both students and their parents were left in the dark over what the future holds for them. As if this was not enough, workers in the employ of the government have been in a running battle with the government over a backlog of unpaid salaries and allowances, an allegation which the state government has consistently denied. The organized labour had also continually called out its members to embark on strike actions to press home their demands.
Democracy and its development in most societies or economies are faced with varying challenges. Such challenges affect the benefits of democratic dividends by the people negatively. An attempt is made here to identify the confluence of challenges that have affected sustainable growth and development of Kogi State over the years. Some of the identified challenges include (but not limited) to the following, godfatherism, poverty amongst citizens, corruption, wastefulness, over bloated cost of governance, tribalism etc.
These challenges are however surmountable if genuine attempts are made to address them proactively with the aim of bringing succor and renewed hopes to the expectant citizens who have yearned and aspired for progressive change and turn around in their socio-economic situations. To make this a reality, the government at the helms of affairs in Kogi state should adopt the following measures in order to bring smile to the faces of the people.
The issue of corruption needs to be addressed thoroughly. A culture of accountability should be inculcated in the public service, starting with the removal of immunity of incumbent office holders, to make it clear that no one is above the law.
It may be very necessary to hold an all-embracing stakeholders meeting to holistically address the various challenges militating against the entrenchment of democratic culture in Kogi state.
The state government should address the issue of unemployment, poverty and human capital development proactively.
A conducive environment should be created in order to encourage private business investments.
It will be worthy of note to say that “Kogites” owe it a sense of duty to put their acts together no matter the side of the divide they may fall into. The things that unite the people are much more than those that divide them. We should begin to engage in far reaching consultations, political re-alignments, ideological re-births, social re-engineering, robust engagements and progressive initiatives. The government should also take proactive measures to address the agitations in the different senatorial districts and local government areas in the state. Good governance is not rocket science, dividends of democracy should not be one sided especially if the aim of government is to build an egalitarian society. Things can get only better for the good people of Kogi state, and this should be the collective responsibility of all Kogites. Let us all sheath the sword of political, ethnic and religious acrimony, and put on the robe of brotherhood, love, progressiveness and commitment to the task of rebuilding Kogi state and taking her to enviable heights. Mere good governance is not enough; it has to be pro-people and pro-active.
I sign off with a quote from Narenda Modi; “Good governance is putting people at the center of development process”.
- Matswamgbe is a legislative aide with the Lagos State House of Assembly, Alausa- Ikeja, Lagos.
