Kogi is Sinking, Who Will Replace Idris Wada? – Haufsat Ibrahim

Just like a significant percentage of Nigerians were tired of former President Jonathan’s incompetence and cluelessness, I am happy to see that a good percentage of the right thinking people in Kogi State, who are practically just praying to survive the remaining days of Wada’s maladministration, have embarked on a no-second-term campaign against Captain Idris Wada.

Gov. Idris Wada

Wada’s maladministration has been successfully plastered around all the different sectors in Kogi, little wonder some of his previous supporters have become stern critics. Just like Former President Jonathan, Wada will have to pay dearly for his last four years of mindlessness, cluelessness and gross incompetence. There is actually no point getting into political arguments on Wada’s performance, the people of Kogi who daily go through excruciating pains as a result of lack of infrastructure and leadership are clear on the fact that having Wada as governor in the last four years is regrettable in every sense. The same way Goodluck Jonathan showed the world that not everyone who can join a political party can lead, Wada equally has loudly expressed that he has no business leading a state, not even Kogi State for that matter.

Health workers went on strike in December only to resume to their regular non-functional hospitals in June, Governor Wada wasn’t moved. For me, that’s a blend of wickedness with cluelessness. Around the state, there are reports of school buildings collapsing. Issues like these don’t seem to bother our dear governor. Anyway, having an incompetent leader is sometimes just as good as having none.

As I write from Ogori, anyone who has been to the general hospital in Ogori will attest to the fact that it’s not better than a burial ground. There is no point going there only if one is ready to exit this planet. As a matter of fact water does not run in the entire general hospital, so when pregnant women go there to deliver, it’s a now a basic requirement that they come with 50 litres of water. Needless to say, this is 2015 for crying out loud! Just in case you are still in doubt, check out schools in Ogori, and ensure you visit GSSS Ogori-Magongo, this particular school has only 8 teaching staff for the entire school. I really don’t know Wada’s excuse for this form of wickedness.

One can only hope that the highly cerebral new INEC Chairman, Mrs Amina Zakari would fit well into Professor Attahiru Jega’s shoes and show her critics with Kogi’s election that she is more than up to the task.

From the responses I get from the average people of Kogi, many are not having a hard time deciding on getting Wada out of office with their voter’s card, but many are looking and wondering who to replace him with. The idea that electorates should focus more on the credibility of individuals rather than the political party they hail from is actually debatable, most especially when you consider how Goodluck Jonathan fooled many Nigerians with this same gimmick. If we citizens of Kogi fail to learn from fresh history, it just might be costlier this time around.

Of the entire contestants in Kogi, the top four based on my assessment include the incumbent governor (PDP), Jibrin Isah Echocho (PDP), Abubakar Audu(APC) – who is doing everything to secure his second coming and retired Air Vice Marshal Saliu Atawodi(APC). It is important to note that there are about 20 contestants under the All Progressives Alliance (APC).

If Kogites are looking towards the angle of “change”, hence aligning Kogi with the federal seat of power, then I think as a people we should look closely into the credentials of Saliu Atawodi who seems to be experienced in public service as a top military officer and also as an entrepreneur. Abubakar Audu’s last performance wasn’t any stellar in my opinion and I would rather let’s have a new hand as long as such is credible and is ready to present a promising plan. My fear with Echocho lies in the fact that he has remained wounded since the last election in 2011, apart from the fact that the PDP in Kogi and at large is not worthy of trust, Echocho seems to be presently more concerned about scoring political points against political enemies in his sinking party. What the confluence state needs is a way out of its many developmental predicaments and not endless power tussles that won’t amount to anything for citizens. Only those who can deliver that should be given a chance.

Haufsat Ibrahim wrote in from Ogori in Kogi State.