By Richard Elesho
“Look before you leap” is an immemorable injunction. This implies proper appraisal of a situation and adequate preparation before actions are taken. Kogi Governor, Capt. Idris Ichalla Wada and his Deputy Abayomi Awoniyi have demonstrated this tact in their approach to governance and development issues in the state since coming to office in January 2012. Drawing heavily from their trainings and personal experiences in aviation and construction respectively, the men used the first half of their four year tenure on the drawing board, planning and strategizing for take-off.
As usual in situations like that, the opposition masquerading as people of the state who are eager for development clamped on the duo and berated them as doing nothing. But the government remained undaunted and focused.
After achieving significant improvement on Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, it approached the Stock Market for a bond of 20bn Naira. The first trench of 5bn Naira was secured last year and has since then changed the equation. And just like the night gradually breaking into the day, three years down the lane, efforts of the administration have started to blossom. Testimonies to the use of the bond fund abound all over the state. Construction works are going on in virtually all sectors of the economy. Now the mantra of non performance has given way and the people can fill the impact of a well meaning and hardworking administration on their lives.
A flagship project of the administration is the construction/expansion of the road linking Welcome to Lokoja Circle on one end of the Okene to Abuja Highway through the town to the International Market on the other end of the Abuja Highway. The project has three phases. The first will ensure constructing the Six Kilometers from Lokoja Circle through Zango-Daji to Otokiti into a dual carriage way. The Second phase is the expansion of the existing dual carriage from Otokiti through Ganaja junction/IBB way to International Market to three lanes on each side. The final face entails drainage system, beautification and street light of the entire 20 kilometer road. The project was awarded for 4.2bn Naira to . The contractor has since been mobilized and the work is advancing steadily.
Similarly work has reached appreciable stage on the Ganaja- Otokiti bye pass. Again, the project is designed as a double lane road. The virgin project is aimed at turning a forest without form into a cascading new town. The Sixteen Kilometer road was awarded to. The contractor is almost through with the earth work and working day and night to meet up with the expected date of delivery. The road creates an alternative route for travelers from the West/ Central Senatorial Districts of the state to the East thereby reducing the usual heavy traffic on the notorious Ganaja junction in the state capital. A new Lokoja has already started growing along the path of the road.
Mathew Jobele an engineer and long time resident of Lokoja described Wada as a foresighted leader. “People may not see the motive of the administration in the immediate. But it will soon be clear to all that the governor is laying a solid foundation for the future growth of the state”, he says. Perhaps, he is right. Wada himself does not hesitate to echo the same refrain. At a recent forum with journalists in Lokoja the governor reiterated the dream of his administration to take Kogi State to the forefront of the twenty most developed states in the Nigerian federation by the year 2020.
Part of the steps towards the realization of that dream, is unalloyed commitment to the growth of tourism in the state. One arm of the commitment is to properly harness and protect existing archival/ tourist sites while the other arm is the expansion of its hospitality industry. Part of the bond fund is being used for construction of a new Kogi Hotel. Although the hotel have been in existence from the days of the old Kwara State, it’s structure has decayed over the years.
The administration demolished the old colonial structures and is erecting modern buildings in their place. Structural work on many of the chalets have been completed, while work on the multi story main edifices is daily progressing. The Governor expressed satisfaction with the level of work last week when he inspected the project.
The bond has also brought succor to Kogites in the area of house ownership.
The government is building more than five hundred units of houses in two locations in the state capital. One of the estates is in Ganaja village while the second is in Crusher, zone 8 area. The houses are designed in one bedroom, two bedroom and three bedroom bungalows. Each of them also comes with Police Post, Recreation Centre and good road network. The houses will be available for direct purchase to the public and on owner-occupier basis to Civil Servants.
Outside the state, the bond is also re-vibratng in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT Abuja. There the state government is building a sky scrapper Kogi House. Vice President Namadi Sambo performed the ground breaking ceremony early last year. The 12-storey multi-purpose edifice is at a cost of Nine Billion Naira. The contractor is working round the clock to ensure accelerated hand over of the building in record time.
In Kogi State, Capt. Wada is laying an ingenious example that in spite of lean and dwindling federal allocation, states can look inward and innovate ways of sourcing for funds if the right men are at the helm of affairs.
Elesho is Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Kogi state.
