Celebrating Kogi at 18

In the eighteen years of its existence, Kogi has passed through turbulent times under the stewardship of a number of rulers.  The new democratic dispensation, which began on May 29th 2003, entrusted Alhaji Ibrahim Idris with the welcome duty of steering the ship of the State to safer waters.   I remember clearly when he […]

In the eighteen years of its existence, Kogi has passed through turbulent times under the stewardship of a number of rulers.  The new democratic dispensation, which began on May 29th 2003, entrusted Alhaji Ibrahim Idris with the welcome duty of steering the ship of the State to safer waters.  

I remember clearly when he mounted the podium of leadership as the Executive Governor of Kogi State. He inherited what appeared to be insurmountable problems.  But the picture is different today.  

Let me assert, with a sense of fulfillment that this democratic dispensation is the crystallization of our genuine attempts to heal the manifest differences between our people and forge them into one indivisible unit. As the days pass, this is becoming increasingly clear. Peace has found a home in Kogi State. Indeed, I make bold to say that an investment-friendly atmosphere has been created to attract potential investors.

As we enter our eighteenth year as a state, government will further demonstrate the desire and the will to set viable objectives and intensify the use of human and material resources for the optimum production of services that would be useful to the good people of the state.

The years ahead promise sustained development and industrialization in the State. We shall do everything possible to boost revenue from internal sources. That is why the establishment of state-owned companies such as the Kogi State Sugar Factory is paramount to our thinking.

In the last one year, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris has scouted for and secured some valuable investment interest within and outside the country.  That is why we can freely look forward to the establishment of  84 small and medium scale industries across the local government areas and the development of agriculture and other  resources in the near future.

It is interesting to reiterate that Governor Idris is determined more than ever before to improve the living standards of the ordinary Kogites. He made a promise that infrastructural development would be given priority. Let me also recall his resolve to provide electricity, potable water and communication network to link all the headquarters of the 21 local government areas of the state before the end of his tenure. He has promised to equally master all our projections with respect to health care delivery, housing and transportation.

In the last five years, Governor Idris’ government has done its best within the framework of painfully limited resources to tackle many of the challenges facing the people of the state. Proceeding from the theory that peace, though an intangible quantity, is necessary for development, the government embarked on an aggressive enlightenment campaign from the first day of assuming office. The degree to which this has been successful is attested to by the fact that Kogi State is one of the relatively peaceful states in the country today. Persons from various states migrate from other parts of the country to find a home Kogi.

Government has make attempts to carry out infrastructural rehabilitation in the sectors of power generation, housing, transportation, education, sports, security and primary health care.

Hamstrung by funds but impelled by the will to survive, we have pressed on with the establishment of cottage hospitals in some of our major towns and villages.  Knowing also how vital water is to life, and how deprived our people stand in this respect, we have pitched a conscious battle to eliminate water-borne diseases by ensuring the provision of potable water in both rural and urban areas.

In a bid to reverse the paucity of accommodation in the state, especially among civil servants in Lokoja and its environs, government is pursuing a housing policy to be executed in all local government areas. Already, engines are revving and masons are at construction sites in several parts of the State.

We have gone past the age of lamentation.  We have come to a stage where our actions should provoke a swift reversal from despair to hope and prosperity.  I have no doubt that this reversal will come about in the near future, when we begin to tap from our God-given resources.

As we launch out on the road to prosperity, we need the strength, encouragement, goodwill and guidance of each other to fortify ourselves in the search for a common goal.

But nothing can be achieved except the people have the will to survive all odds. Incidentally, this is not lacking among the people of Kogi State. Therefore,  with God on our side, the sun shall not smite us by day nor the moon by the night until we accomplish our historical mission.

Phrank Shaibu, Special Adviser to Governor Ibrahim Idris on Special Duties