Kogi :, Redirecting The New Direction

I don’t stay in Kogi.

I have no business interest in the state.

I don’t think I will at any time be based in Kogi State.

None of the major political stakeholders is related to me.

Then you will now ask me, what is my issue? Why am I fighting for better governance? Why have I been on the neck of the government on the closure of six tertiary institutions in the state due to an on-going strike by workers?

The answer is simple, because I am Kogi.
That is enough reason for me.  I have been at the forefront of demanding for a better Nigeria. I have led groups, organised civic clinics and been part of initiatives focused on building a better Nigeria; but how do I stand to build a nation when my state is in shambles?

Kogi State is arguably a one City State -Lokoja. No industries, the ones we have are moribund; thank God for Dangote in Obajana. We can safely assume that the state is a Civil servant state. The health sector is not top notch, education sector is in shambles and it has struggled to even build a reputation as a business friendly environment.

However, the issues did not start with the incumbent governor, Yahya Bello. A lot of the issues predate his administration. But as they say, the buck stops at the head.  For now my grouse is the Education sector, it is sad that 6 state owned tertiary institutions are on strike and the government has been spinning propaganda.

Governor Yahaya Bello-led Kogi State government’s continued indifference to demands spelt out by the staff unions in all state-owned institutions, who have been on strike for over 3 months is appalling. Countless number of times, I tagged the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Petra Akinti Onyegbule on several social media posts trying to find out the thoughts of the government on the Strike, there was no response. The only seeminly government based response was from Gbenga Olorunpomi, who as at the time the crisis first began argued that GYB was on the issue. It’s been over three months after, there has not been any amicable resolution and the students have been at home, when their mates in other states are engaging in academic activities.

On a normal day, the Kogi State University, which is going to be my focal point, is not one of the best in the country. It needs a lot of attention, infrastructural rehabilitation, funding, and employment of adequate staff has hindered its growth and development, the on-going strike is just a reflection of the rot that the signature tertiary institution in the state represents.

One would expect that a Government that claims, it is focused on charting a new direction for the state will prioritise the education of its teeming youths, but the direction has slacked in this duty. For an administration to be in charge and six tertiary institutions are on strike at the same time? There is no excuse.

Weeks turned into months; there was no response from the government. The students who were at the receiving end of the seeming irresponsibility by relevant stakeholders were not engaged by the government- no constant communication to show that we are on the issue. Now, the students took their future into their hands, increased momentum on the social media and now the government is trying to spin it?  Wow.

Why wait till now?

My activism on the issue got fired up when I saw a reaction from the supposed Chief of Staff to the Governor, Edward Onoja. Students who are at home for something they are not responsible for, some of them even voted for a government they believed will be able to act on their behalf on important issues and then after being ignored for months, they protest and you are giving them guidelines on how to air their grievances?

The only place I slightly agreed with him is the second part of the first sentence, “The lingering closure of Tertiary Institutions in Kogi State is not the handiwork of the Kogi State Government but it is our duty to reopen them by all means at our disposal” He should have just gotten busy with achieving this, than sending a very appalling pseudo-intellectual Facebook post.



In my efforts to get to the root of the matter, I put a call across to the ASUU President, Kogi State University, Dr. Aina. Before the day I made that call, I had never had any communication with him, but to make sure, I heard from all sides, it had to be done. He confirmed the strike and made it clear, that the major issue of concern was salaries for the lecturers. In his exact words: Have they paid the salaries and we have refused to come to class?

Anyway, the handling of the strike on the part of the Government has been poor. No effective communication, little or no show of empathy, and to think that there has not been any meeting specifically with ASUU as at Friday, 28th, 2017(Which is over two months since the strike started) is   a “no no”.

There is no development in a state without a properly educated and well trained youth Population. Nobody will develop Kogi better than Kogi indigenes that have a connection to the state, as natural participants.
Sadly, the students are at home, how do they gain the necessary skills and training to champion the new direction?

Ondo : The Stage is set

Iroko.

I got to know that about this alias while I was in Secondary School.

It was particularly interesting because since my school was in Ondo State, my teachers, classmates, seniors and juniors were drawn against each other in terms of choice for the Governorship elections in the state. We had die- hard PDPians and some others who could almost enjoy a dance in the market at the sound of the Labour Party themed Mimiko jingles.

So the elections held in 2007. I was in SS1. I had spent an appreciable 3 years in Ondo State. I did not know much but I realised that a lot of the people around me, especially during my Mid –term breaks in Oka Akoko, lined up behind the Iroko - Like he was the big tree in the forest that could take Ondo State to the promise land. Although, they didn’t have many reasons to fault the outgoing Olusegun Agagu administration, I just saw an energy that demonstrated that they believed that Mimiko was a better option.

The election ended, Agagu was adjudged the winner.

My Teacher, Mr. Aminu was happy. For that reason alone, a lot of the students were not happy; he is not someone we really loved. But countdown to the journey to the tribunal which ended in the Appeal court on February, 23, 2009, the Joy returned! And there was an unusual burst that the saviour has arrived.

Fast forward to February, 2017….8 years of the Mimiko administration of two terms; a good number of the population are heaving a sigh of relief that the Iroko is going back to the forest. I wonder why! What changed?

Is it because he joined PDP? Or was it his policies or decisions?

I began with my secondary school story to show the depth of hope; even Secondary school students hoped for the best.

Mimiko’s administration began when I was leaving the state, I was in SS3. And the end of his tenure coincided with my return to the state for youth service, two different times and I met a hugely opposite level of reception.

To his credit, we have wonderful mega schools in almost all LGAs of the state if not all; we have an improved health care system, even if people will complain that the options are majorly around the central senatorial district. During his  administration, Ondo State produced one of the best female football teams in the country- Sunshine Queens, Best Volley ball team in the country and some of the best wrestlers in the country – Odunayo Adekuroye and Ameenat Adeniyi etc.

However, the focus is Arakunrin.

After a hard fought victory, weathering the storm of intra – party struggles, and two strong opposing candidates in Eyitayo Jegede of the People’s Democratic Party and Olusola Oke of the Alliance for Democracy,he has emerged  as the Governor of Ondo State. The second coming!

Although there is a difference in the level of excitment! The hope levels are not as high as that of Iroko so  the onus lies on the Newly inaugurated Governor of Ondo State, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu to know that time and chance happens to us all, and the main question is what will he be remembered for when  he leaves office?

Photo credits : Aketi media page.

Ondo State is blessed. It is blessed with a rich and unpolluted waterway, a good shoreline, excellent deposit of Bitumen, wonderful tourist attractions and an army of well-educated indigenes.  It is strategically located, as it connects the Northern and southern part of the country. It connects to the South South – Benin, to the North – Kogi, Abuja, East – Via Benin, Delta to Onitsha and to all parts of the South West. The potential embedded in this location is huge.

Ore. This town for me is the most underutilized and unexploited in the world.  Yes, the world. Its proximity to Lagos – the economic capital of Nigeria and the vast available lands is a huge potential that is not being properly exploited. It can be an alternative industrial hub, with a national reach, a cargo /Passenger airport (It’s just few hours to Akure) and deep shoreline that can accommodate ships ( it’s close to Ilaje/Okitipupa). Can we have more efforts like the Olokola Deep sea port and free trade zone?

What of the state’s Bitumen? This is an issue I am tired of thinking and talking about. Since we now have a government that is close to the Centre and a Minister of Solid Minerals that visited the state more than twice during the Election campaigns…we shouldn’t have an excuse. This time, bitumen must be properly mined for the economic benefit of the state. If we cannot do the exploration, we can sign an MOU with construction companies to do modular exploration. I wait.

Cocoa! How much more can we talk about this? I still do not know why we do not have a budding Cocoa processing industry in Ondo State. Can we court chocolate and other front -end products industries to set up in the state and not just the many “Buy and take away” structures that we have? Anyway, a major part of Arakunrin’s campaign was massive development of the Agriculture sector; we can only hope this sector receives massive attention. I visited Araromi Obu and the Rubber plantation I saw there was huge…there are so many other crops that can grow on our wonderful arable lands.

Ondo State is blessed with one of the most educated populace in the country. The state has about ten tertiary institutions which includes one of the best Technology school in the country (Federal University of Technology, Akure), A University of Medical Sciences, Adeyemi College of Education and some of the best secondary schools in Nigeria. I know this last part because my school went on different competitions and I know how much exploits we did in national competitions. So the state is not lacking in terms of manpower. It has the human resource to drive industrialisation, Agriculture and economic development…Will we get a political will to ensure that massive all round development happens in the state?

We can still talk about tourism: Idanre Hills, Ebomi Lake and a variety of potential tourist attractions that are of historical, culture and artistic values.

Let me stop here.

If we can work on the very few ones I have listed, we can begin a revolution that will change Ondo State and make it the darling of the south west. As a state, we have the capacity to be the pride of the nation. My friend, Kitan says Ondo State is rich but rich in potentials; sadly having potential does not translate to development.

We can build; we can shine….will Arakunrin be the man?

NEXT PHASE

It’s been a long while, I had any reason to be angry, so I thought I had begun to deal with anger better. Today, there is a flip side to my good boy and sweet CDS experience (DIARY OF AN ONDO KOPA II and II). In todays meeting, we had to disagree to agree on the best way forward. But when points came as bullets, the natural response was FORCE.

However, the beauty of a team is in its readiness to work together despite faults. Shielding each other’s weakness and standing point guard in times of trouble,but when there is a mutual distrust of intentions, it is a sign of a crack that needs to be dealt with fast. Unarguably, we must disagree, but it must never be at the detriment of the success of the whole team.

That said, today’s diary will not deal on activities within my CDS as there are some moments I want to forget. I will focus on the capacity of the NYSC to be a platform for collapsing ethnic stereotypes.

 The scheme remains a microcosm of the larger society, and as the issue of Biafra protesters continue to make headlines, it has become important that panaceas should be discussed.

Why can’t we live peaceably as one as a nation? Why the divisions? Is there any reason why we cannot deal with the mutual distrust? Why can’t we even work for the good of the nation, using our host or indigenous communities as stepping stones? The questions abound. But, I believe that more than ever before our history as a nation should be taught, with a view to understanding where we are now and a vision of making sure that our tomorrow is better.

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) is one of the solutions initiated to heal the wounds after the Nigerian Civil war. I think it will be better if the tenets of unity, integration and reconciliation are taught within the orientation course, from the prism of how things should have been and the importance of not making the same mistake again.

Unarguably, the scheme brings together different people from all works of life, to work for a better Nigeria.However,it has become imperative to teach and understand the true meaning of working together without the shady clouds of bias that have been taught down through generations.The NYSC provides an important platform of national integration and collapsing of ideological barriers. It remains a powerful tool to make people look beyond their differences, to what we can do to solve the problems we have noticed in the nation.

I had the opportunity to be part of those that produced the last SUNSHINE KOPA MAGAZINE, and the theme was collapsing the walls of ethnic stereotypes. The magazine focused on how the NYSC has provided a platform of interaction, communication, reconciliation and rehabilitation; and the need to properly harness this opportunity. From the camp, to your CDS, trainings, PPA, host communities etc, there is a chance to form real partnerships that can be channelled towards national growth.

Moreover, this is the point: Corps members should begin to take responsibility of initiating actions to mend the gaps. Don’t wait for the scheme. Form cross –cultural relationships that is born out of producing a unified force towards national development. See the one year mandatory service as a time to recruit foot soldiers of the change mantra you want to see in the society. Often times, I have seen people throw stones at the structure; but can we make do with what we have, thereby making a case for a better one.

It is pertinent to note that youths are the driving force of a nation’s development. They possess the time, energy, drive and flexibility to turn things around. If we have a parade of corps members that properly understand the intentions and tenets of the scheme, working hard to achieve unity while developing yourself to be excellent in your niche; then the real change can be achieved. Who has more professionals than the NYSC? The scheme remains a reservoir of the best of teeming youths. It is left for us (corps members) to make proper use of this prospect, form teams that will change the course of the nation and make us the pride of the world. One year is enough to start a revolution of nationalists who believe that Nigeria is the best place to be…

Youths obey the clarion call

Let us lift our nation high

Under the sun or in the rain

With dedication and selflessness

Nigeria is ours

Nigeria we serve…….

BIAS FOR NIGERIA

I have gotten used to people calling me bias because I do not see things from their point of view. Especially when it comes to issues pertaining to my dear country: Nigeria...my love for this nation knows no bounds and no label will deny me the privilege of expressing my developmental sentiments.

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The experiences of a typical Nigerian have been tainted by the maligned thought patterns that spread around like oxygen and hence almost every sect has a mind-set on how the nation should be run. Little wonder, at almost every gathering, there is hardly a unified appreciation of the present situation (Oya!tell me it happens everywhere...but my business is here, so my discussion is based here).

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That said! We all agree that things are not exactly well with the nation. You do not need special lenses to see that Nigeria is a nation with unique prospects. However, we are in a period where we have to stop stereotypes and deal with developmental issues. One of the major problems we have over time is that we see national development via the prism of personal /ethnic gain (Is this not supposed to be good? Yes it is), but when selfish interest come to play; even the best of intentions get the worst results.

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 It is high time we began to take responsibility for the change we want to see. It shouldn’t be "Let’s play the cards the way the others are playing...but let’s do it the way it should be done”. When national interest is put at heart, Mother Nature has a way of rewarding the soul of the quality input. It may not be immediate, sweet or smooth but the reward will come sooner or later.

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In this dispensation of change, where a lot of the Buhari haters are waiting for the "I told you so " De ja vu, while the die Hard GeJites are in the "You have not seen anything yet " posture and the Buharists are looking for every form of excuses (sane or insane) to defend the child of their votes; We have to remind ourselves of the reason why we do the things we do. Is the nation's interest the soul of the life of your actions?

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Oftentimes, we blame the "THIEVES" at the top and give excuses for ourselves when we act like them in our little spheres. The change mantra is not about the party but about the nation. In Achebe's timeless words "We have lost the twentieth century; are we bent on seeing that our children also lose the twenty-First? God Forbid!” Be the change in your very own small sphere, engage in developmental discussions...develop interest in national issues (Don’t be passive about political happenings).

If we don't take care of her....who will? God bless Nigeria 

THE STAGE IS SET

         As I sat some few kilometres to the polling unit in my area; it dawned on me again that this is one of the most keenly contested elections in  the Nigerian history.

        Nigeria is moving forward,the citizens are getting more aware and daring,the teeming youths are getting re-oriented from the cultures -Corruption,ethnicity ,e.t.c. that they were born into. Some of this things may not be seen now  because they are in the budding stage  and more participants are being recruited.

       With all conviction,I know that the giant will RUN again(Not just rise).But the question I have for you today is that:Will you be a part of this move?Will your contribution be felt in making this nation a choice place for the world?Are you nuturing and expressing values that will affect your generation and leave your name in the sands of time.

       The world never forgets!Today,the name Abacha is associated with what?(Answer by yourself oh);what comes to your mind when washington is mentioned as regards America?When we talk about singapore who comes to your mind? (Le Kuan Ye)

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        Now, the important question is that what will you be remembered for?The guy/girl that does examination malpractice,the politician who gives /or the citizen who recieves bribes,someone who just existed without impact? The present Nigeria is like a documentary waiting for the major actors,will you be one?

JEGA'S VALENTINE

Greetings people, I have not written in a while, but will make efforts to be more consistent and concise. MeHn, the latest gist now is the postponement of the elections. A lot of people have voiced their opinions on the issues: The Nigerian Association of  Stable Boyfriends (NASB), Federal Government, Opposition ( APC) etc. I have tried to stay away from the political discussions for the sake of National peace and global tranquillity , but the talk continues to find me in my pigeon hole.

Firstly, I have noticed that  some of the major players in this political game, are getting lame at getting their defences up, revealing very obvious loop holes, in their selfish plans to either get or maintain power. Statements from political parties, party stalwarts, apologists, supporters are leaving the threshold of nationalism and patriotism is being sacrificed on the altar of selfish interests. The denial by the oga Koro team ( #EkitiGates) rings a bell,  it is so watery and reveals a primary school textbook reply of a guilty denial( lets not go there jare … it is a laugh- cry matter for me).

The election shift is a matter of concern for a lot of people, whose interest in the coming elections go beyond winning arguments, elections or the boastful shoulder of a shameful “I told you so”. The inability of the government to properly conduct an election after months of supposed planning reveals in fault in the overall system, that we need to begin to solve from the roots. The fact that people could speculate the reaction of INEC ( Postponing the elections, even with the hard-line ” we will not agree” outlook of the Oga jega) shows that some strings are being pulled to give a desired or expected result. The posture of the statement by the Oga Jega reveals ” Its not me oh, See the people wey cause  am”, and this is a worrisome thought to think of an umpire for a game changer. The military( All security agents) have promised to crush the insurgents in six weeks ( Aljazeera); but the question is :- if they could do this, why wait till now? Is this a new form of ability? ( My heart goes to the fallen soldiers,may the lord grant your families fortitude to bear the loss and protect the living ones in their fight against terror).

The blame game continues! it is easy for people to jump to the excuse of security because Nigeria have endured a lot of life losses, but it will be very unfair, if our sufferings( mental, emotional and physical) are being exploited for a greater selfish political gain. In the midst of the charade,there are so many questions to be answered, some of which I have mentioned above. I may not have the answers, but the idea is to beam the spot -light on matters arising. We are all in this together; Nigeria cannot work without me and you. The elections have been postponed, questions are left hanging and unanswered, but the resolve to make sure Nigeria is moving forward should not be compromised for any reason.

Ask me, who I am in support to win to the presidential elections? GMB15 of course ( March for Buhari). But my concern goes beyond my candidate, her name is Nigeria. Irrespective of who wins,we should make efforts to join hands to move this nation forward. I am a Nigerian, I am  Nation-builder, the elections stand postponed; but another time is set in the process of making this nation better.lets do this together.

But what are your thoughts concerning this shift of dates and the matters raised in the third paragraph? Lets see how we can contribute to the debate with apt and tact. Anyway,our valentine must hold this year

JeSuisCharlie! Tu est Baga?

Tears in flow like oceans

As lives take a run for their life

Terror unleashed in sounds of bombs and guns

Blood moon in the dusk

And the rising dawn meet bodies on the ground as ground

Wailings in the north

Baga shouts for her womb is being crushed

In pains, tales take the turns as stains

But who hears the cry?

            Je suis Charlie! Far away from a distance beyond the Atlantic, this statement resonates within every fabric of my bones. 12 people were brutally murdered by Islamic extremists in France and the world have stood as one against every form of terror. As C-Ronaldo got his well-deserved award as the best player in 2014, FIFA shouted “Je Suis Charlie”, Facebook vibrates with sounds of concern and various media outlets have joined in the unified campaign for the fight against terrorism and the right of freedom of expression.

            However, even as it trickled into the mediasphere that over 2000 people were massacred in Nigeria (#Baga), the burning of campaign buses took the Center stage and got more attention. No top government official addressed the nation on the issue, campaigns went on as normal, and it will not be surprising to know that some do not even know that the #BAGA story is happening at all. The Question in my mind is: What is the Value of a Nigerian Life? Little wonder we have heard experiences of Nigerians in their own embassies outside Nigeria, The Indian episode, the Malaysian issue, the South African issue had a high profile Nigerian affected so it got little attention  etc.***sighs***

            Je suis Charlie! Tu est Baga? O yes Je suis baga! The timeline of the two events presents an opportunity to condemn terror in all parts of the world and compare the responses of two nations. This article describes the tale of two cities, their responses and lessons to be learnt. “…At least 12 people are dead after three hooded gunmen armed with Kalashnikovs attacked the headquarters of a French satirical magazine and opened fire on journalists and police guard”( Source: Guardian), notice the reaction that follows:

•  The president cancelled schedules and addressed his nation on the issue, whilst  also visiting the place of attack
• The security alert level of the nation was raised to the highest
• Mr Hollande cleared his diary in order to visit the scene and later held an emergency cabinet meeting on security
•   Nicolas Sarkozy, the centre-right opposition leader and former president, called the incident an “abject act” and an “attack on our democracy”
•   French Muslims too expressed outrage over the terrorists. Hassen Chalghoumi, the imam of Drancy and a Muslim moderate, declared that “their barbarism has nothing to do with Islam”.
•   Days after, a multi – security agency operation is carried out and the terrorists are identified and killed in a shoot -out with the police.
•  A march of millions of people is organised to show that “France” as a nation is not intimidated, to demonstrate the freedom of expression which they stand for as a nation, parents joining the walk with their children. A placard caught my attention: “I am a Muslim and I am a Jew”.

The Next City:

•  No address from the president, even his media aides (even if it is to come out and say that we are investigating the matter).
• Things are going as normal (Dem don dey die for that area before na shey?)
•  Majority of the media reports are from international media (what happened to our indigenous media outlets now?) 
•   The major matter is the fact that some people burnt campaign buses allegedly shouting Sai Buhari ( Ehn, they were buhari supporters dey say{because they shouted his name} without investigation, na the matter big pass oh)
•   It’s even more important to some international peeps than Nigerians
  
• lindaIkeji
•   From the reports I read, it happened on the 3^RD of January, then the president announced on the 12^{th of January} during a campaign that he has given a directive for an investigation to be done (Kudos abi?).
  
   
•  The next thing is that they are arguing about the Numbers, its 150 (no mind all those people wey dey say 2000 abi? 150 stil no big reach).Etc….

            So much sadness as this post is prepared, that I am moved to tears. This is no political post to attack, but to bring to the fore that Nigerians need to value themselves the more. France understood the importance of standing together as one in the face of terror and the world joined them in making the statement. Nigeria did not show much of a concern, hence few people were around to show their concern.

            I encourage today that we begin to see this nation as one body. Even though, recent situation has seen this nation volatilely arranged along ethnic, religious and political fault lines, we should look beyond and demonstrate the pride of being in Nigerian. As I watched the march on BBC website, they sang the La Marseillaise" (National Anthem), expressing their oneness as nation. This rare form of unity sends a strong message and that is what Nigeria as a nation should be aiming at.

           I Salute the efforts of the soldiers risking their lives to end the terror reign in the Nigeria.Insurgency is a problem that calls for national attention, it is not a campaign tool, it is not an APC or PDP issue, it is not a northern problem, it is a threat against the Nigerian people and we should fight against it together. Je suis Charlie! Tu est baga? Oui, Je suis baga.

#JeSuisCharlieTuEstBaga