Sustaining the dream of the founding fathers of kogi.

(Feature).

Dada Ahmed.

The creation of Kogi State 32 years ago, a phenomenon regarded by historians as a patriotic cause in the annals of an evolutionary process of the state, was not a tea party affair or something that falls from the blues.

The state was created by the military government, carving it out from the old Kwara and Benue states.

The selfless service was predicated on the genuine mission and vision of the founding fathers, their sacrifices and patriotism of having a geo-political expression they could call their own, where the citizens and residents would sleep with their two eyes closed without recourse to the criminal tendency of monumental proportion would be a reality.

When these "wise men" left the comfort of their various homes. about 40 years ago to struggle for the creation of the state of their dream, they had one basic belief in mind, which is the security of life and property of the people that would co-habit the state and harness its rich and abundant human and natural resources for the good of all and sundry.

As they crisscrossed the length and breadth of Nigeria, lobbying who is in the process of state creation to achieve their noble ambition, they did not imagine a situation where the citizens of the state would be subjects of attack of a monumental proportion of any sort by criminal elements.

The prayer of these "wise men" was also that, Kogi State would become a model for its contemporaries created along with it in 1991 and be on a strong pedestal to compete favorably with them and even older states in Nigeria in all rounds of development.

Political analysts said these patriotic senior citizens of Kogi state  and Nigeria at large were right in the pursuit of their cause, leveraged  on the enormous abundant human and natural resources the state is endowed with 

Happily on August 27, 1991, the prayer of Kogi citizens was answered when the state came into being, and its leadership, military and later civilian government, hit the ground running to better the material condition of the people in consonance with the statutory of the government to the governed.

Reliable statistics show that Kogi State is sitting on the keg of rich and abundant tourism, agriculture, about 30 solid mineral, and enormous economic resources.

The efforts of various administrations in the state to tap these rich resources notwithstanding, the argument in various quarters is that, improved security efforts in that regard will put the state in orbit of realistic social and economic development.

However, the concern among keen observers of the security atmosphere in the state, particularly politicians, is that this dream is being threatened and more need to be done by the necessary authorities to checkmate crime and criminality.

However, for quite some time now, tongues have been wagging, especially among discerning minds in Kogi State and elsewhere, as to whether the dream of the agitators of the state is not gradually being forced into oblivion, given the level of insecurity in the state.

Peace-loving people in the state and those transiting the area have expressed concern over insecurity, citing the recent serious security breach in the state.

The orgy of violence perpetrated by unknown gunmen at OganeNigu community, a hitherto peaceful community in Dekina Local Government Area, east senatorial district of the state, is a case in point to support this cogent concern.

On April 2, 2023, unknown gunmen took arms against the people of the OganeNigu community, and before anybody can say "Jack Robinson", the gunmen had burnt houses, vehicles, motorcycles, and business places worth millions and some lives lost, these leaving a bitter taste in the mouth of survivors.

"Our wives, children now taking refuge in neighboring communities – victims cry for help," the screaming headline by Kogi Report, a Lokoja-based online publication.

But the publication quoted Governor Yahaya Bello as expressing sympathy and vow to apprehend and prosecute perpetrators of the attacks on communities in the Oganenigu community.

 Bello made this known through his deputy, Chief Edward Onoja who led heads of security agencies in the state to Oganigu for an on-the-spot assessment of the heinous crime against humanity in that community.

The governor assured the communities of improved security intervention to check a re-occurrence, adding that his government would also be prompt in providing humanitarian support for victims of the attack and described the attack as barbaric.

Nonetheless, the people think that the state government needs to revisit its security architecture, to nip in the bud, areas requiring serious attention.

This they argued would make the determination of the current administration in the state to rid the state of crime and criminality a concrete reality.

Therefore, beyond commiserating with families of the deceased and members who lost their properties, the governor has gone ahead by establishing Special Taskforce to check the illegal smuggling of firearms to Kogi State with Elder Friday Sanni, a man described as having vast knowledge of security issues as the Director General.

The appointment of Sanni was conveyed through a letter signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Mrs. Folashade Arike Ayoade, dated 8th May 2023. 

In a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Femi Fanwo, the state government said the birth of "the Special Task Force was part of recalibration efforts in its security architecture."

Fanwo added that the coming existence of the task force became necessary to ensure that firearms were not illegally smuggled into the state to perpetrate nefarious activities by criminal elements, stressing that

 the government was committed to ensuring that" criminality is reduced to near-zero level in the state." 

"We recognize an increase in proliferation of arms in the state and we cannot afford a situation where firearms are in the hands of people who are neither licensed nor trained to handle them. 

"The Taskforce will also afford those already in possession of firearms, illegally to submit them voluntarily," Fanwo said. 

Residents with a keen interest in the political terrain of the state commended the state government for the establishment of the special task force, describing the move as a reflection of its determination to rid the state of crime and criminality.

Others strongly believe that the founding fathers of the state who toiled day and night to give birth to Kogi State, either dead or alive, would have been pleased to realize that their labor is after all will not in vain.

They called on the management and staff of the new organization to see their job as a serious mission to rescue the ship of the state from the claws of criminal elements making life unbearable for the peace-loving ones in the state and those visiting.

They argued that security issues remain a collective responsibility requiring the input of well-meaning citizens in availing the new outfit of useful information that would aid the realization of its aims and objectives.

Dada Ahmed publishes The Reporters.