Kogi State Governor Idris Wada speaks with Sunday Oguntola on his chances in the forthcoming gubernatorial election and stewardship in the last four years.
What are your chances of getting the Peoples Democratic Party’s ticket for the governorship race?
I will say the chances are in the hands of God, the Almighty. But as governor of the state, I have been very loyal to the party; I have served to the best of my ability. I have implemented the party’s manifesto in carrying out development projects in line with the transformation agenda.
I think we have done well within the lean resources available to us. We are basically a civil service’s state and so we have focused on areas that will diversify our revenue base like agriculture, transportation and encouragement of public-private partnership. We have also focused on rural development, electrification, the provision of water and health centers because most of our people are rural dwellers. So, I believe, on this basis, it is just logical that the party re-presents me for the elections.
Some stakeholders in the state chapter of the party are seemingly disquieted by an allegation that you will be granted an automatic ticket for the race?
Anyone within the state chapter of the party can easily attest to what I stand for and what I don’t. I am a man of principles and as a result, internal democracy is one thing I have entrenched deeply into the party system. For example, take a look at the recently concluded congress. It was not only democratic, it was also transparent. As a matter of fact, the party stakeholders and the media adjudged it free, fair and credible despite all the brouhaha preceding it.
As you know, these kinds of allegations can easily be associated with the election season. Many people vying for this position have already set in place their propaganda apparatus, thus the use of falsehood can be well expected.
I am a firm believer in democratic principles and as such I believe the popularity of a public servant isn’t in the media but at the grassroots.
But the party is rocked by internal wrangling as well as the disagreement within the National Working Committee of the party. Don’t you think these will affect your chances?
I am not aware of internal wrangling in the party at the state level. Even at the national level, I do not categorize a dispute with staff as internal wrangling. To the best of my knowledge, even that dispute is being resolved amicably.
I agree with you that whenever there is a governorship election, there would be people within the party that will slug it out for the highest office of the state. They will spread rumour, create intrigues and innuendoes.
The party knows that we have to reorganise ourselves for the forthcoming election and whatever internal crisis we have, I am sure that we will find solutions to them to ensure that we do well in the governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states. I have every confidence that our leadership will overcome the current challenges in time enough for the elections ahead.
Members of the opposition say you have not done enough to deserve reelection. How do you respond to that?
My reaction is that it is to be expected of the opposition. No matter how much you have done, they will always say you have done nothing and they can do better. The reality is that the developmental strides we have achieved with the few resources at hand are massive.
Basically, we are a civil service state and I have done so much to move it to an economically, self-sustaining, viable state. We have records of the things we have done, some of which have been published.
For example, we are building an 11-storey Kogi House in Abuja, which is to showcase our pride as a state and generate incomes. We have a land at a prime place in the Federal Capital City and we are at the fifth floor now. We believe it will be a good source of income for the state. We have completed a stadium in Lokoja, which is a FIFA-standard facility. We have the Greater Lokoja Water Project, which is there. We are working on a strong embankment that will protect us from flood.
We have built 272 housing units for those affected by flood. We are also building another 500 housing units in Lokoja. We are building a dual carriageway bye-pass across Lokoja to provide new development centres across the capital city. We are overhauling the main Lokoja township road. We are working on over 58 other roads. They are either completed or at advanced stages of completion.
We are building a very modern mega transport terminal, the first of its kind in northern Nigeria for vehicles passing through the state. In about two or three months, it should be ready for commissioning.
We have built an ultra-modern vocational training centre in Lokoja, which we commissioned some weeks back in partnership with Korea Development Agency. It is the most modern vocational training centre in Nigeria.
We now have the capacity to train people, especially the youth, in ICT, motor engineering, agriculture, metal fabrication and others. We are looking at educated but unemployable youths so that they can fend for themselves. We have built so many schools and renovated so many. We are funding the universities, colleges of education and polytechnics.
We have succeeded in reorientation of our youths. Till date, over 10,000 youths have been trained and empowered in our novel youth programme, tagged YAD 4 KOGI.
There is also the 250 bed teaching hospital that is ongoing at Ayingba. The ultramodern diagnostic center at Lokoja is almost complete.
Over 300 rural communities have been supplied electricity; they have access to pipe borne water and trunk roads across the state. These are projects that have direct bearings with our people.
So, if the opposition is saying I have not done anything, you can go and verify all these projects. It is just that I am not a noise maker; I am not a propaganda kind of person. You know leadership is about one’s personality. All my life, I have always focused on my job and getting things done. The fact that I became a governor has not changed me.
I have always thought that my works will speak for me but it is becoming clearer to me now that no matter how much you have done, you have to let people know or your opponents will get their own story out first. It is not my nature to make noise but the things I told you are the truth. In three years, we have done a lot. You can verify all the claims I have made here.
You are contesting against the All Progressives Congress (APC), which is today the ruling party at the centre. Don’t you think the clamour for change will consume you?
I like to take things one after the other. The major thing for me now is to go to the primary and emerge as the candidate of the party.
I am sure with our knowledge and experience within the state and at the federal; we will come up with appropriate strategies to beat the APC because we are on ground. PDP is the only party in Kogi State across the nooks and crannies. We are in all wards and I have things to show people that we have done within their communities. The victory of the APC in the presidential was a one- off. We defeated the APC in the House of Assembly elections that came after the presidential elections and we are determined to repeat that victory come November.
Do you believe in the INEC as currently constituted, especially the appointment of Amina Zakari?
I have no comment on that. I am not competent to speak on it; it is the prerogative of the President.
You have no complaints on her appointment?
I just said I have no comment at all on it.
Why should Kogi people reelect you?
They should reelect me because I have governed them with the fear of God and done my best to meet our salary obligations and provide them with infrastructure within the lean resources available to the state. We have started a lot of good works together and it is important that we finish them in the interest of the good people of the state.
If given more time, we can complete the good works we have started and embark on much more in the state.