By Abiodun Alade
Prudent management of meager resources
We have done a lot and you have to compare what we have done to the resources available. Our average income per month over the last two years is about N3.5 billion; the salary of the state is about N2.6 billion. The money we need to pay pension, support our tertiary institutions, subventions to ministry is about N500 million to N600 million a month. Pensions alone is about N467 million because it is from 1991 till date, so what is left?
Every month, I have maybe N200 million, sometimes N400 million or N500 million to execute projects. I also inherited about 30 ongoing projects, which I expressed committed to complete them for the benefits of the people.
This is because once, your predecessor has put money in a project, if you abandon it, it is the people who will lose. So, we made a policy that we will complete ongoing projects and we have completed several.
For instance, we have completed the modern 25,000-seater stadium. There is the phase 2 of the state secretariat, a 3-storey building which has provided modern accommodation for our civil servants. Along the main road through the town, you could see concrete drainages being done, Lokoja being a riverside town, we noticed that that road every two or three years you have to rehabilitate the road with N2 billion or N3 billion, but I decided that it must stop.
Let us do the road properly this time by putting concrete drainages with stone base to protect the road with proper lightening to make it a signature road in this town. So, we awarded the contract to a big Chinese company who are working on it and by the time we finish, the city will take a new look.
There is a 16km bypass that I am creating around the town so that if you are coming from Kabba, you want to go to Anyingba you don’t have to pass through the town, whereas now, you must pass through Lokoja, which is causing traffic congestion.
So, before you get to the barracks, there will be a bypass so you just drive across and come out in Ganaji and join the Ajaokuta road without passing through the town. If you are going to Abuja, you don’t need to pass through the town. It is a 16km dual carriage road and we are about 40 per cent completion rate.
We are building a University Teaching Hospital and the students are in their third year, going into clinical and the medical school is at an advanced stage.
This is something we started in my tenure. There are so many other projects that we are doing. We are building a cement factory across the river in Itobe and it will be commissioned before the end of this year by the Grace of God. The park I talked about will be commissioned before the end of the year as well. We have built modern environmental laboratory.
We have done more than 300 motorised boreholes; we have electrified more than 350 towns and villages. We have provided transformers and cables. A lot of rural roads are being developed. On Tuesday, we launched about eight bulldozers, 10 graders, rollers and earth moving equipment for construction of rural roads in continuation of rural roads revolution.
We have been promoting agriculture in a big way. We are the largest cassava growing state in Nigeria and we are also a rice producing state, whereas, before I became governor, nobody talks about rice in Kogi state.
Wada
We have built many schools, equip secondary schools. Iconic secondary schools such as where I graduated from in 1968, I went there and I was moved to tears so I descended on it, renovated and furnished it with equipment.
Old students are very proud of it now. I replicated same in other iconic schools such as St Augustine’s College, Kabba; Government Secondary School (now called Abdulazeez Attah Secondary School), Okenne; Titcombe College, Egbe among others have been transformed by rebuilding and equipping them with modern equipment and facilities.
If a governor can do all these in three years with the limited resources, it’s because we are prudent in the management of public resources. I don’t live large like governors. I live a simple life and I am a low profile persons. I focus on my job and move on that is why opposition are engaging in propaganda to say we have not done anything.
Of course, we have challenges with some of our roads; many of which are federal roads so you can’t just repair them without the approval of the Federal government. If you do that, they will not refund the money.
As at today, Kogi state has spent about N16 billions on federal government roads and projects in the state and they have not refunded. We have applied but they have not refunded so with the meager resources, we cannot continue to use state money on federal roads.
Historical edifices
We have a lot of historical historical edifices in Kogi state. But what we have done in this administration is to tidy them up and make them presentable. We have tidied up historical buildings like Lord Laggard residence as the first Governor General of Nigeria, the place where the unity flag was first hoisted, the cemetery of British soldiers who fought in the First World War, the first primary school in northern Nigeria among other. Our aim is to make these places centers for tourism.
We are starting from the foundation by bringing students on tour to these places.
Concerning investment, we have passed a public private partnership law that gives investors confidence. We have liberalized our environment to encourage investment, we make land available for investment.
Solid Minerals
For solid minerals, it is not as straight as it looks. Most persons have failed to realize that all solid materials can only be explored by the federal government. We have tried seeking permission of the federal ministry of mines and solid minerals, because this delays discourage investors.
Investors are not enthusiastic because if as a state governor I need permission of the FG to explore minerals in my state.
However, I have met investors from the biggest mining industries in the world but they are reluctant. For instance, look at what is going with the bail out fund now.
Until the law is changed where the ownership of resources is placed on the state who now explores the resources and pay royalty to the federal government, there might not be development in this direction. It is only Nigerian investors like Dangote who know how to get their way with the FG that has relative success here, foreign investors are scared.
Are you sure of winning the forthcoming election?
I am confident based on my performance because the reality on ground is different from the high level of propaganda out there. However, victory is in the hands of God. As a person, I am confident that I have done my best for the job, and considering the available resources, I am ready to do more.
It is up to the people, if they are ready to have me work for them again, I am ready to do so.
If the election is free and fair, I strongly believe that PDP will win.
What would love to be remembered for after years as a governor?
My message of four plus plus is not just continuity but continuity for consolidation. We started with a transformation move which should take ten years because transformation is not a short term feat. My vision is to unite the people of Kogi State for a common purpose, building on our natural resources and human capital. We are blessed with very bright people.
I felt that if I have another chance of four years, I would have brought Kogi to an irreversible state, having just 20 per cent of the vision left and whoever takes over would have no choice than continuing, having seen the value of what is ground.
The legacy I want to leave is of peace, security and stability. On economic stability, if I have the chance to continue in office, we will consolidate on things we have done and I believe that in another four years, Kogi will be one of the ten states to reckon with in Nigeria. This is my vision and it is very clear in my blueprint.
Do you think the offer of power rotation will increase your chances of retaining victory at the next elections?
I believe power rotation is beyond the surface meaning that we have given it, but unfortunately we have not managed the situation well. My vision of uniting the people for common goal shows my firm belief in equality and respect for every part of the state. It is not a very straight forward issue.
From day one, I have been consistent on this. I asked, why are we always bringing up the issues towards elections, the issues must be addressed straight. This is why I said that between the first 100 days of my second term, I will establish a very powerful committee to look at this power rotation issue in detail with economic, social and political considerations.
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