There is no gainsaying the fact that Kogi state is blessed with brilliant minds and leaders with unquestionable capacity and passion to take on the serious job of stemming the current tide of turbulent poverty which has swept the people into a very deep sea of frustration. The state is endowed with men and women who can oversee a massive campaign of human and infrastructural development. In other words, the state possesses capable ladder upon which the common citizens of the state can climb out of impoverishment to a better and dignified lifestyle.
I have seen myriad of sons and daughters of the soil who possess the level of patriotism required to harness the vast human and mineral resources we are so richly blessed with in order to turn the fortunes of the state into one of the best in the country. This is not inconceivable because Kogi has the highest number of mineral resources and hard-working citizens who are ready to contribute their quota to the rapid infrastructural and socio-economic development of the state.
However, what we have lacked all these painful years is a leader with the political will to make positive change happen. Someone brave enough to challenge the corrupt, ineffective and anti-people system in the state which is in dire need of an emancipator who can break the culture of impunity and executive recklessness in the land.
Civil servants have been retrenched while salaries of those in service are being held back and diverted. The civil service audit embarked upon by the outgoing administration remains seemingly interminable. Countless civil servants have died as a result of nonpayment of salaries. Many senior citizens of the state have been sent to their early graves because of nonpayment of their deserved pensions and gratuities.
Kogi youths have been transformed into ‘data boys’ and thugs, armed with sophisticated weapons to unleash terror on political opponents of the government. Lugard House which is the seat of power has been converted to a casino abode, a theatre where all forms of political entertainments emanate. Governance and politics have been reduced to sheer bambino picnic and a superlative gambling establishment.
Passing through Lokoja is the unfortunate picture of the outmoded confluence town, no thanks to the leadership foisted on the people by the ruling party. To be candid, Kogi people deserve a better deal.
The emergence of Natasha Hadiza Akpoti on the state’s political landscape and her governorship aspiration gives hope to all and sundry – the working class, youths, women and the common people. Natasha represents a paradigm shift in the polity of Kogi and Nigeria at large. She’s a figure that has amply demonstrated her capacity in the face of unfathomable hurdles. She has shown persistence in her unquenchable desire to revolutionise Kogi polity and provide leadership based on service delivery.
Her quest to expedite socio-economic development stands her out like a lone bright star in a pitch-dark night. She connects with the people effortlessly; a consequence of her intrinsic empathetic nature. She is a new breed with a heart of service for the people; an epitome of a leader who feels the suffering and pain of the people.
As it stands today, the state is at a political juncture where we must demonstrate our discontent with the irresponsible leadership being forced down our throats. We must repel self-serving leaders whose priority is to line their pockets with the commonwealth, irrespective of the expressed franchise of the people through their votes.
Kogites must recognise the divine providence that has produced Natasha, a brilliant legal practitioner, humanitarian and business mogul who hails from Ihima in Adavi local government area of the state who is not just an epitome of beauty, but a woman of capacity, competence and compassion for the suffering citizens. Natasha is detribalised, unassuming, empathetically disposed and driven by sheer desire to succeed and impact positively the lives of the people and her environment altogether. She has a track record of success and has amply demonstrated the passion for good governance and a better life for the ordinary citizens. Fearlessly, she is taking on the hegemonists in power. Not backing down in spite of all the threat and intimidation coming her way.
Our state is blessed with abundant mineral and human resources such that we have no business being one of the poorest and least performing states in Nigeria. If we are to attain the socio-economic advancement that we so crave and deserve, we must jettison leaders who have so far demonstrated their lack of competence and empathy for the people and look to fresh, passionate and competent leaders such as Natasha.
Indeed, Kogi is proud to have produced such a character of unrivalled capacity and commitment to affecting lives positively. Natasha’s passion for excellence and knack for delivering the goods against all odds stands her out like a colossus among her peers.
With a brilliant mind, requisite competence, focused drive and unfaltering commitment to the cause of establishing good governance and improving the lot of the ordinary man in spite of the fierce challenge and obstacles from her male rivals, Natasha is who the people of Kogi needs right now and they will do well to fight right by her side for their own good.
Ibraheem, a public communications expert, writes from Lokoja, Kogi state