By Dr DS Omeiza
There are things I see some national assembly members doing and I won’t really bother myself because, I know it’s an effort in futility or just an academic exercise for political optics. One of such things is the agitation and sponsoring of bills to create state. The process of getting the bill sign to eventually alter the constitution is enormous. I don’t think there will be addition of new state to the current ones we have. What exactly will be the benefits aside feeding fat from the FAAC? What will they be bringing to the table in terms of Agriculture, economy and research breakthrough?
Currently, there are about 5 bills seeking to create States; 3 in the South, 1 in Kano and one from Kogi that I know of, our brothers from Kogi East want to breakaway and they want to take Ajaokuta LG as part of their State. It’s important to highlight that, this agitation for Okura State creation didn’t start yesterday. It will be a miracle if one out of these bills see the light of the day. If they don’t die at the National Assembly level, they will finally kick the bucket at the committee level or at the State level discussion. This is not the first time State creation is been discussed.
However, I am curious on why Ajaokuta LG was included in Okura bill. I grew up knowing Ajaokuta LG as part of Ebiraland, what changes? There is no oil there. Perhaps, the iron ore is the bone of contention. Only resources in a land could make people fight over the ownership. It’s also good to state that, majority of people who has been agitating for the revival of Ajaokuta steel company are from Kogi Central, perhaps, everyone believes it’s Ebira property. I learn there was court judgement sometime in 2020 that ceded Ajaokuta LG to Kogi East, was the judgement ever appealed? If it was appeal and the judgement has not been delivered, then, the sponsor of the bill is wrong. In the last 9 years, Kogi State has been led by people of Kogi Central extraction so, we can’t cry as an orphan. We had all the white – kaftan appointees who fed fat on our common wealth. Leaders are there for a purpose.
We have various traditional rulers and National Assembly representatives. None of them knew about it? If actually the judgement was not appeal till the Okura bill was presented, we shouldn’t blame the sponsors of the bill. He has done what is right in the interest of his people. If the leaders from Kogi Central didn’t challenge the assault, there is little a common man striving to have a meal on his table can do about it.
Peoplesmind
