GOVERNOR IDRIS WADA AND MARGINALISATION IN KOGI STATE

A recent interview allegedly granted by Kogi State Governor, Captain Idris Wada quoted him as saying that there is no marginalization of any group in his State. We would not want to believe that he said so. But if for any reason he did, we wish to serve this as a freshener.

Perhaps it may be necessary to define marginalization and cite a few, among the innumerable and outrageous instances of abuse of power and office in the name of marginalization by Governor Wada and his predecessors in a series of nepotic Igala governance.

By way of definition and education of all who cannot see happenings in Kogi State as marginalization, the Webster's Collegiate Dictionary describes it as

“the relegation to an unimportant position within a society or group”

In stating the entrenchment of a series of unforgivable marginalization in the State, we may have to make a comparative analysis of Wada's government viz a vis that of the founding Governor Abubakar Audu (1991 – 1993 and 1999 – 2003) who we thought was himself not only despotic but a tribal warlord.

In Kogi State, there are three senatorial districts

• East – comprising Igala and minorities like Bassa-Komu; Bassange

Egbira Mozum

• West with the Okuns, Nupes, Oworos, Egbira-Kotos, Bassa-Komu,Gukeri, Ganagana and Hausa;
• Central – comprising Ebira-Okene, Ogori Magongo and Ajaokuta.

The State's Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) stands at

• 7% East,
• 12% West; and
• 72% Central, yet

The East has produced the governor of the State for 18-years, the life-span of democratic governance since the creation of Kogi State in1991.

Audu's 6-years governance of two terms (1991 – 93 and 1999 – 2003) produced the following

• 17 Commissioners out of which 9-were from the East, while 4-each come from the West and Central respectively.
• 33 Permanent Secretaries with 18-from Kogi East, 10 from the West and 5 from Central.
• In the State's Civil Service of 33,000 workforce, the East had a lion share of 23,100, while 5,940 were from the West and 3,960 were from the Central. Here one wonders whether it is the brilliance or competence of the Igalas in Benue State that had given them this advantage on arrival in Kogi. For those of us who were there at the inception of the State and knew the caliber of products that were moved from Benue State Civil Service to the new State of Kogi, we have our huge doubts, we denounced the fictitious figures and have been proved right by the recent audit that revealed the huge deposit of ghost workers.

If Audu's government was inequitous, Ibrahim Idris' and Wada's are a glaring display of impunity. The figures below attest:

• Wada's government has 18 Commissioners out of which 9 are from the East, 5 West and 4 Central.
• 60 Special Advisers with a whopping 30 from his home area, the East while the West and Central have 20 and 10 respectively.
• Wada's government has 83 Senior Special Assistants out of which 41 (50%) are from the East, 26 (31.1%) from the West and 16 (19.1%)from the Central.
• Of Gov. Wada's 242 Special Assistants, 139 are from the East, 66 from the West and 37 from Central.

Could this be somebody's idea of justice, fairness and equitable distribution? Could this be the opposite of marginalization?

• Of the 32 Permanent Secretaries, 24 (75%) are from the East while the West and Central share 4 or 12.5% each. Again one wonders if the civil service knowledge, skills and even experience are the exclusive preserve of the East. Here again, we reiterate in the negative.

Indeed the reverse should be the case because the reservoir of highly talented, experienced and skilled staff from the West and Central have been edged out by the nepotic system and replaced by the Igalas.

• The State has 25 Board Chairmen comprising 14 (56%) from the East, 8 (32%) from the West and 3 (12%) from Central.
• The present government of Kogi State headed by Capt Idris Wada has a Civil Service of 18,650 which breaks down as follows:

• 10,393 (approx 56%) from the East,
• 4,977 (27%) from the West; and
• 3,280 (17%) from Central
• On the distribution of road projects, the East has N39.3billion for about 476.6kilomretres, the West N21.9billion for 209-kilometres, while Central has a paltry N3.3billion for 62kilometres. It is however an irony that despite these figures, one cannot see a translation of them in action.

The litany of primitive imbalances is legion.
If all these are not heartless instances of marginalization, we are not sure what else to call it. Perhaps, it may make better sense labeling it inequitous voodoo governance.

This must change. Kogi has all the potentials for a first class State in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, considering its history, strategic location and boundless endowment. The time has come to flush out ineptitude and jungle inequity. It is time to redeem Kogi State by installing a civilized, just, fair and equitable government.

Written by Dr A Tom Adaba, OON, Chairman Media & Publicity Kogi West and Central Forum for Equity and Justice.