The former Kogi State Commissioner for Information during the administration of the late Prince Abubakar Audu, Mr Dan Okolo, has urged stakeholders in Kogi East to make grassroots development their foremost priority.
Okolo, a pioneer Director General and Special Adviser to successive administrations, made the call during the commencement of a series of grassroots town hall meetings across the nine Local Government Areas of Kogi East Senatorial District.
The meetings, organised by the Kogi East APC Legacy Group, are aimed at promoting development, political dialogue and collaboration among the three senatorial districts of Kogi State.
The initiative began with town hall meetings in Dekina and Bassa Local Government Areas, bringing together ward-level stakeholders, political leaders and veterans of previous administrations.
The group said the engagements were designed to identify the pressing needs of communities, strengthen communication with government and promote political alliances capable of attracting development to Kogi East.
According to the group, although Kogi East constitutes the state’s largest voting bloc, its nine Local Government Areas are insufficient to independently meet the constitutional spread requirement for winning a governorship election.
It noted that under the Nigerian Constitution, a governorship candidate must secure the highest number of votes statewide and at least 25 per cent of votes cast in at least two-thirds of the Local Government Areas in the state.
With Kogi having 21 Local Government Areas, the group said a candidate must achieve the 25 per cent threshold in at least 14 LGAs, making cooperation among Kogi East, Central and West important.
The group cited the performance of the late Prince Abubakar Audu in the initial 2015 governorship election as an example of the importance of statewide political alliances.
It said the APC won 16 of the state’s 21 LGAs in that election and secured more than 25 per cent of the valid votes in all 21 LGAs.
Speaking during the meetings, Okolo called for sustained engagement with governments at all levels to address infrastructure deficits, improve living conditions and promote equitable political representation.
He said the group’s engagement with Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo had yielded responses, particularly on infrastructure requests submitted on behalf of communities in Kogi East.
Among the interventions, he cited the invitation to tender for the reconstruction of the 37-kilometre Idah–Onyedega Road in Ibaji and the 13-kilometre Odenyi–Oguma–Sheria Road in Bassa.
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He added that approval had also been secured for 12 solar-powered water schemes, with four each located in Bassa, Ibaji and Omala Local Government Areas.
According to him, the Bassa projects, covering Mozum, Gboloko, Oguma and Ikende, had commenced, while the geophysical survey had been completed.
Okolo further disclosed that the state government had approved the reconstruction of nine secondary schools in Kogi East, with one project allocated to each of the nine Local Government Areas under the World Bank-assisted AGILE program.
He said the group would continue to monitor the implementation of the projects while pursuing other development priorities contained in its memorandum to the state government.
Also speaking, Alhaji Abdullahi Haruna, SAN, a former Solicitor General and Attorney General of Kogi State who served during the administration of the late Prince Abubakar Audu, urged political stakeholders to promote governance that delivers tangible benefits to citizens.
Haruna said the town hall meetings were aimed at bringing government closer to the people, identifying community needs and ensuring that political participation translates into measurable development.
He also advocated unity and equity among the three senatorial districts, warning against ethnic and partisan rivalry that could undermine the development of the state.
Haruna recalled that the Obajana Cement project faced opposition during its early stages but argued that the project eventually became a major industrial asset because the government remained focused on its development objectives.
He urged stakeholders to place the transformation of Kogi State above narrow political and ethnic interests.
At the Dekina meeting, a former Majority Leader of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Hon. Moses Idoko Ododo, urged Kogi East stakeholders to prioritise development-oriented politics over individual ambitions for political power.
He said the district had experienced significant developmental challenges and expressed support for efforts by the present administration to address infrastructure needs in the area.
In Bassa, another former Majority Leader of the State House of Assembly and long-standing supporter of the late Prince Audu, Hon. Salisu Adakeke, commended the state government’s interventions in the area.
Adakeke said the projects had renewed hope among residents and expressed optimism that sustained development would strengthen public support for the APC.
The group, however, said several critical infrastructure needs remained unresolved and called for greater attention to them.
Its demands include the establishment of a national electricity transmission substation in Kogi East, sustainable rural water schemes, rehabilitation and equipping of general hospitals, and phased improvements to primary and secondary schools.
It also identified the Ankpa–Abejukolo, Anyigba–Iyale–Abejukolo and Ejule–Alloma–Otukpa Junction roads for priority attention.
The group further called for continued engagement with the Federal Government on the Itobe–Anyigba–Ankpa–Otukpa, Idah–Odolu–Nsukka and Dekina–Shintaku road corridors.
On security, it urged stronger protection for boundary communities, farming settlements and transit routes.
The group also called for host communities in Ankpa, where coal is mined, and Ibaji, where oil extraction takes place, to receive fair and visible benefits from the natural resources in their areas.
At the conclusion of the town hall meetings, the group urged ward leaders to strengthen party cohesion, maintain regular dialogue with residents and channel community development priorities through appropriate government and party structures.
It reaffirmed its commitment to working with stakeholders across Kogi East, Kogi Central and Kogi West to promote inclusive development, equitable political engagement and greater public confidence in governance.
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