Despite being one of the leading states failing to attract foreign direct investments (FDIs) for some years running and lingering hardship ocassioned by percentage salary payments and lack of payment of pensions in some cases, Yahaya Bello, Kogi governor and an aspirant under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), for president has paid the required N100 million for the purchase of the expression of interest and nomination forms
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Bello is expected to pick the forms today, Wednesday and thereby officially sealed his aspiration to the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2023. He declared for the exalted office on April 2, in Abuja.
Some stakeholders say, while it is within the right of the Governor to aspire to the position, but the citizens of the state are wallowing in abject poverty.
Beside the lack of development in major parts of the local government, 3ven the situation at the state capital is an eyesaw with the deplorable conditions of the roads and lack of development.
Some of the pensioners are yet to commence receipt of their pensions, many years after retirement, and 2ven at that, the ones that are receiving in piecemeal will have to 'make 5heir way' before getting the stipends from the monthly allocations, which are sometimes not regular.
According to a stakeholder from the state, “While I concede to him, like any other person fir that matter that is qualified to aspire to the highest office in the land, it is unfair for the Governor to spend so much on the forms, besides what he has subjected the people of Kogi state to from January 2016 when he was sworn-in for his first term, till date, with lives becoming worthless and living nolonger desirable.“"One is at a loss as to the way he has been abusing the sensibilities of the citizens when he said recently that Nigerians should give him the mandate to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari so that he could replicate the “giant” developmental stride he had made as the governor of Kogi state. He also promised to create 20 million millionaires between 2023 and 2030, using the Igbo apprenticeship model of learning a trade under a master and later getting set up (settled).
The questions, we Kogites are asking, among, others are, Where are the developmental strides he has made in Kogi and which sectors in particular; How many millionaires has he been able to create in Kogi state, especially among the people who earn their income from a government he heads – the civil servants and pensioners, who are living below poverty line?, asks another stakeholder.
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According to Lagos based analyst, “It is either the governor is genuinely making the mistake of being unaware of tge essence of governance or he's deliberately making fun of the impoverished people of Kogi state who have been experiencing circle of poverty from successive administrations since the state was created, August 27, 1991, the suffering taken to a higher level under the leadership of the present governor and as well as presidential aspirant.“
For a state that boasts of the highest mineral resources deposits including oil and hosting the confluence of rivers Niger and Benue and sharing boundaries with other nine ststes, making it world acclaimed central state in Nigeria and high intellectuals in all sectors of the economy, I think the citizens deserve more that what they are getting in terms of dividends if democracy and quality of governance.
In fact, statistics from relevant professional institutions in Nigeria particularly from the CBN and National Bureau of Statistics indicate that Kogi State despite its huge mineral resources, both human and natural, has continued to remain in the back state of development, with rising inflation and unemployment rates.
The time has come for the leaders and elders in the state to live above parochial, tribal and political inclinations to rise up to the daunting challenges bedevilling our dear state and not to fold their hands and keep quiet and allow this state to continue to degenerate in under development, as virtually all sectors of the state have collapsed without a road map for recovery.
