By J S Okutepa SAN
“Kogi State is the least developed state in Nigeria. The capital city of the state Lokoja is a glorified village. Nothing to show that Lokoja is capital city.”
Kogi State was created on the 27th of August 1991. That is exactly 32 years ago today. A child born 32 years ago is fully an adult. The same thing Kogi State is now an adult State. It is no longer a new state. But go to that state and weep. It is a state that has the best human and natural resources but the most backwards in terms of physical and human capital developments.
Being old state, one expects to see significant developments in all spheres of the state. The reason for creation of state is for development. Kogi state is the least developed state in Nigeria. The capital city of the state Lokoja is a glorified village. Nothing to show that Lokoja is capital city. Everything in the capital Lokoja seem to be in total dilapidation. No good roads. In fact, social amenities in the capacity city are completely non-functional.
No good roads. No infrastructural developments. No significant building to show that Lokoja is different from what it was when it was made the state capital on the 27th of August 1991. The tragedy of Kogi State is that it is the state where the best of the best are from but has been led since the creation by its worst 11. The tragedy of Kogi state is that it is either was led by leadership that was so authoritarian or an adolescent leadership that has no regards for the feelings of the people or leadership that is so distanced from the people.
It is a state where democracy does not make sense to those who forced themselves on the people. It is a state where dictatorship and despotic show of force are equated with democracy. It is a state where exercising your freedom of choice is taken as act of terrorism.
You can be charged for it and those who have the duties and responsibilities to checkmate despotic tendencies are scared of doing so for their dare lives. It is a state where those whose tomorrow are being destroyed are ready to be used as tools to perpetuate evils against the people. That is the tragedy of Kogi State at 32.
The state has had bad leaders who have no ideas of what good governance entails. That is why over the years the state remains a glorified hamlet/ village. Nothing works in that state. The only thing one sees in abundance in leadership is lack of vision and directions.
Virtually all the leaders that has led that state have had one funny acronym or the other. Of all the leaders that have led that state, the leadership of Yahaya Bello as governor is the worst. Apart from personal development, Yahaya Bello as Governor has not developed Kogi State. There is nothing good in that State.
The administration of Yahaya Bello has achieved more in impoverishment of Kogi people than all the previous leaders put together. Salaries are not paid. No new industries. No new roads. Democracy in Kogi State under Yahaya Bello has been characterized by democratic thuggery and thugs. Leadership has assumed childish behaviour in the most extreme in the state.
Lies have been elevated to truth so much so that even the blinds can see that there is no truth in the propaganda of falsehood always dished out to the people. The tragedy of Kogi State at 32 is that it is a state blessed with abundant human and natural resources but lack decent leadership that has capacity for good governance. That is the tragedy of my state.
It is a state where the elders are vilified and insulted by those in power. It is a state where political actors have colonised the state as their estate. It is a state where elders are afraid of those in power because of the propensity of those in power using thugs and thuggery to kill. That is the tragedy of Kogi State.
It is a state where the security agencies have conspired with those in power based on primordial partisan selfish interest to oppress the people. That is the tragedy of Kogi State at 32.
As Kogi State clocks 32 years today, I hope those who are aspiring to lead the state will have the humane dispositions to turn the misfortune of that state to fortune and then harness the natural and material resources of the state for the good of the vast majority of Kogi People.
- Legal luminary – J S Okutepa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) vents his concerns for the state as it marks 32 years of existence.
