Kogi, The Bridge, and Nov. 11

By Abu Abdullah

There is a way the unit looks so much like the whole entity. This may be a result of the fact that the unit is just a slice of the whole. In many ways, Kogi State, as a sub-state of the Nigerian State, resembles and takes on many characteristics of the entire country.

Like Nigeria, Kogi State also has three major ethnic groups scattered across its three Senatorial Districts – The Igala in the East, Ebira in the Central, and Okun in the West. Yet, like Nigeria, there are other smaller ethnic groups. Also, like the North and West geo-political zones of Nigeria, out of the three major ethnic groups, the Igala and Ebira have been the ones that have produced all the elected governors that the state has had since its creation in 1991. Just as Nigerians from the South-East zone are complaining of marginalization, the Okun are doing the same in Kogi State.

In the same way that the dominance of power by some geo-political zones has not led to rapid development in these zones in Nigeria, the fact that governors of Igala origin has governed the state for 16 years and another of Ebira origin has governed for eight years has not conferred special developmental advantages in these areas in 24 years of democracy.

That is why as the state gets ready for an out-of-season election to produce a new governor on November 11, many of its indigenes and residents are clamouring for a governor who is not an ethnic champion but a bridge across all the three senatorial districts, the 21 local government areas, and the 239 wards in the state.

It is believed that what the state needs at this point is a governor who will serve as a bridge that creates an effective link between the various ethnic, linguistic, religious, socio-economic, age, generational, professional, and partisan groups. The next governor of Kogi State should be one person who represents the aspiration of the people – no matter what cultural values they subscribe to, whatever language they speak, in what manner they worship God, and whatever age bracket they fall.

What therefore is the metaphorical or symbolic representation of the next governor of Kogi State is the bridge which itself is a representation of development when constructed in a place as a civil engineering edifice. The bridge helps to shorten travel time. It is part of an urban development plan. It is an economic project which also adds value to the land and developed property in the area it is located. It links different parts of the location together, creating a unity of purpose and a focus for continuous growth.

That is why the next governor of Kogi State must be a bridge himself who seeks power to build bridges. His first goal must be to create solid development agenda and unite our people across all parts of the state behind the agenda. He therefore must be somebody who can be trusted by all sides. He must not be an ethnic champion. The focus of his message should be on how to develop the state and bring prosperity to the people.

The governor our people must seek to elect should be somebody who seems ready to explore the great resources, human and material, with which the state is blessed to turn the state and the lives of its residents around for the better. He must be ready to aggregate the aspirations of the respective people of the East, West, and Central districts.

Like late Major General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, the next governor of Kogi State must be a person who knows neither East, West nor Central but the only entity he knows and lives to work for is Kogi State. He must be a unifier. He must be a man with big ideas but these ideas must be realistic, realisable, and relevant to the uplifting of the standard of living of the people.

He must have the experience, education, background, focus, temperament, courage, and discipline to dream big and initiate lofty development-oriented policies, projects, and programmes. He must sound convincing to rally all and sundry behind these lofty ideals and ideas.

I have seen and listened to many of the candidates that have emerged in all the parties since the primaries held a few weeks ago. My observation is that most of them are mere politicians. They only seek power to rule not to make the difference. What Kogi needs is an outsider to the political establishment. A man who feels challenged enough to want to make a difference. The one who comes not to seek fortune but to make the people fortunate and to create wealth for the masses.

Of all the candidates that I have listened to, none fit the bill or tick all the boxes like Olayinka Adenenho Braimoh, the flagbearer of the Action Alliance (AA). From his choice of a small but dynamic party whose slogan is “Let the People Thrive” to his background as a young man who has faced the challenges and travails of the slippery business world and triumphed, to his education acquired both at home and abroad up to his lofty programmes well laid out in racy, well-crafted prose presented in a graphical manner that makes for easy digesting, I can see that he is an example of the abundant young talents that Kogi has.

I have listened to him addressing some socio-political pressure groups across the state and his post-nomination press conference. On each occasion, he has impressed me. Braimoh is an Okun but presents himself as a Kogi State candidate. He is not running on an ethnic flag. He is not a tribal champion. He appears as the unifier. A candidate that all three senatorial districts should rally around.

His focus is on development, wealth creation, and ‘making the people happy’ through creating a conducive atmosphere for them to realise their potential by working hard towards enjoying the fruits of the resources God has endowed their state with. He plans on how to better a lot of people and add value to their lives. He speaks with verifiable facts and figures about what the situation is and what can be done to turn it around.

Braimoh is perhaps the only one among the candidates who already have a manifesto prepared and which gives a clear glimpse into his vision, mission, focus, goal, and timelines for their accomplishments. He has verifiable sources of his wealth. He has displayed integrity in his business as a real estate developer and serial investor.

At 46, he is vibrant, dynamic and relates very well to both the young and the old. He is a man familiar with the use of technology to solve contemporary problems. He represents generational and paradigm shifts in our state. He is not encumbered by the clogs of establishment politics. He can hit the ground running and can make the state machinery functional, effective, and pungent as they do in the private sector.

Braimoh’s promise to the Kogi people is like the promise that Bill Clinton once made to Americans when he was seeking to lead the country. The man who was later elected American president said: “We will take despair away from this land (Kogi State) and replace it with hope. We will rebuild families and the neighbourhoods and the communities. We won’t make all the work benefit just a few”. Such a candidate is who deserves our vote in Kogi State come November 11, 2023.

Abdullah writes from Igalamela, Kogi State.