By Rev. Fr. Sebastian Sanni
I woke up 12am today for say my prayer as usual and my prayer point today was to pray for the State and I asked God to intervene because of the plights of the people. I discovered that half way the prayer, tears started coming down from my eyes because I tried to feel the pains of the dispossessed and the most vulnerable in the State and those who cannot carter for their families and themselves. I manage to finish the prayer and decided to put down this piece.
Since the inception of this government, Kogi State has been making headline for the wrong reason. We don’t want to talk about the unprecedented judicial process and conundrum that midwived the emergence of Yahaya Bello. We accepted him as our fate and some were so excited that finally, a youth has emerged as a governor. When he came, we expected him to take the State to the next level but your guess of what the present government has done is as good as mine.
Never has it been seen in the history of Kogi State that a leader has been so hardened to the followers. When you sit down to listen to the plights of workers, you will understand what I’m saying. Many cannot feed their families, cannot pay hospital bills, cannot pay the school fees of their children yet we see the State officials living in great affluence in the midst of poverty, hunger and misery. There were two cases of suicide in the State and if I may ask; what is the fate of those families left behind?
The leadership cataclysm witnessed in this present government is unprecedented in the country. The State has been militarised and many voices have been silenced but this post will bring those voices back to life. I want to draw the attention of the world to Kogi State. Kogi State has lost her leadership compass and what we see today is the triumph of mediocrity in the State. The people live in perpetual pain and agony and have to beg for their just wages.
What crime have they committed not to be paid? As they are begging to be paid now, 2019 may be the turn of the government to beg them to vote them. I write to echo the silent scream of the vulnerable and those that have been denied their just wages. It is evil to deny someone his or her just wages.
Like the people of God in Egypt who cried to God (Ex 2:24). Pharaoh pretended not to hear their cry but God did and sent Moses to rescue His people. Kogi must be rescued from the hands of these political herdsmen.
Since the inception of this government, Bello has succeeded in building opprobrium monuments in the State. The State at the moment is in a cataleptic trance and the State has become a global dustbin of confusion. Personally, I feel the present government lacks the political hygiene to transform the State. The current government in Kogi personifies what true democracy is not. We have so many fissiparous agents in this government.
Kogi State over the years have not been blessed with good leaders but the coming of Yahaya Bello has made things worst. Moving the leadership Barton from Prince Audu of Blessed memory to Yahaya Bello is not a logical progression. When it comes to leadership in the world, there is no paragon of perfection but I must say that in Kogi State as it stands at the moment we have the youngest and the worst governor in Nigeria based on current rating.
The State has cascaded since the inception of this government and the ubiquity of social media propaganda that we see cannot in any way redeem the image of this government. Somebody should be bold to tell this government that they have failed.
A government that cannot care for the masses and listen to them and be sensitive to their plight is a monumental failure. As long as this government remains in power in Kogi State, the living will always envies the dead.
Recommendations
As a matter of urgency, Kogi State should be “politically quarantined” to get rid of bad leadership.
Secondly, the elders, elite and the religious leaders who have not eaten “Jacob’s porridge” should rise and echo the voices of the suffering masses and condemn injustice, arrogance of power and gross incompetence.
I pity the youths who cannot look beyond the hunger of the moment and fight for their future. It is better you are hungry now and get a better future than to fill your stomach now and mortgage your future.
In conclusion, the silent scream of the oppressed in the State, even though the State government may pretend not to hear, God has heard and the poor and oppressed are very precious to Him and when God begins to act on their behalf, there will be no hidding place…
As people of hope, we continue to pray for good leaders in Kogi State. A leader that will be sensitive to the plight of the people and most importantly, a God fearing leader. As far as Yahaya Bello is concern, with due respect to his office as the governor, he is incompetent and there is no cure for incompetence. I have this final word for the masses, when they come to you with bags of rice and money, collect them and eat but when is time to vote, follow your conscience. If you vote based on rice given you, then you shall continue to scream secretly….
God bless you
#A new Kogi is possible…
#Rescue Kogi now…
