Grassroot strengthening of Kogi State Governance - a worthy legacy of Alh. Abubakar Ohere

Grassroot strengthening of Kogi State Governance - a worthy legacy of Alh. Abubakar Ohere, SA to Kogi State Governor on LG and Chieftaincy Affairs.

The numerous grassroots strengthening of the Governmentof His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello by and through the pro-activeness of Alh Ohere, the SA on LG and Chieftaincy Affairs, is worthy of recognition and commendation.

Within the short time of his assumption of that critical arm of the state governance, Alhaji Ohere has criss-crossed Kogi State and mustered the needed support for a befitting take-off and strengthening of the new state government.

In his effortat helping the new government smooth and embracing take-off, his effort has garnered the needed community and grassroot interaction of the state governance system with the people.

This is an approach worthy of emulation and adaptation if the people must feel the impact of governance.He has successfully identified stakeholders within the LG system, and ensuring an indepth understanding and appreciation of the‪#‎New‬Direction in the state thereby assuaging whatever may be elements of lack of understanding the people may have regarding the new government, and thereby creating a better understanding and rapport between the new government system in the state and the people.

Thus, the people are becoming better informed of the laudable agenda of the government of AlhajiYahaya Bello.

Such move now makes it easy for the Kogi State helmsman in his governance.

This effort of his is a characteristic best governance practice, a practice that any government that wishes to carry along the people must imbibe.

Other sectors can twig this approach to meet their own peculiarities.

What I notice is novel in his approach are;

(1) identifying the stakeholders peculiar to the ministry he is heading.

(2) initially GOING ON TO MEET with them in their settings (rather than summoning them to his office).

(3) parleying with them and DRAWING OUT of them their expectations while he in turn LAYS TRANSPARENTLY the government intention of developing the state without prejudice to ethnic consideration (a move that has potential to win the confidence and trust of the people).

Outcomes of such efforts of his will go a long way to establish good collaborative relationship between the people and the government, with potential for an impactful developmental drive of the government. Understanding the people, knowing their minds and what they contain, taking governance to the people and creating avenues for feeling the pulse of the people are elixirs of good and people-focused and people-oriented governance.

These are what the numerous efforts of the SA have succeeded in creating through his recent efforts. The government of the state can then ride on this levelled pathway to successfully executing its agenda and ensure the realization of its desired impact.

This innovative approach in Kogi State will make our state governance a unique one in the annal of its history, making the state government truly responsive to the people.

By Dr Harouna O. Isah.