By Onono Onimisi
Decades ago, I can still vividly recall how my great-grandmother and father told us stories about how the Ebira people had never enjoyed the privilege of producing a governor in Kogi State. (We had an interim governor ) They spoke about the opportunities and benefits that come with such a position. The Ebira people waited, prayed, and hoped for that day, and eventually, in 2016, power came to Kogi Central after the Igala people had governed the state for about sixteen years.
During the era of the Igala-led administration, their government was heavily criticized, even by fellow Igalas. Yet, I never heard stories of people being abducted, houses demolished, or citizens subjected to emotional torture. I still remember how many of us in Kogi Central mocked the then-governor, calling him “Percentage Governor” and even labeling him a deaf leader. That was the extent of criticism we freely expressed in those days.
Despite the challenges of low salary payments and limited infrastructure, life was relatively peaceful for ordinary families. In fact, during that period, my late father could still afford to provide for us comfortably. There was hardship, yes, but there was also peace.
However, around 2005 and 2006, Kogi Central descended into violence. Some leaders — whose names I will not mention because many are now late — recruited young men as political thugs. They unleashed mayhem on the land. While returning from school, the sight of motorcycles speeding through town often meant danger was near and rival groups were hunting one another. The reasons for the killings were heartbreaking and tribal: “Why are you supporting the Igala people?” or “Why are you not in our party?”
One painful memory from my childhood in Okene was seeing Igala residents flee back to their hometowns because the desperation for Ebira governorship had created hostility toward non-Ebiras living in Kogi Central.
Since the death of the late Abubakar Audu of blessed memory, who was fortunate to become the governor of Kogi state, life has felt like a painful rollercoaster for many people. Cases of disappearances increased, immoral behavior became rampant, and brothers and sisters were turned against one another. Come to Kogi State today and witness how hardship has pushed many young girls into early motherhood. Poverty and desperation have left many vulnerable, while some men who claim they want to “help” often do so with conditions attached, caring little about the consequences their actions leave behind.
What is even more painful is that many of these young girls are forced into situations they never imagined for themselves simply because survival has become difficult. Families are struggling, opportunities are limited, and societal morality continues to decline at an alarming rate.
These disturbing levels of social decay and desperation were not as visible during the era when the Igala people were in power. Though there were challenges at the time, life felt more peaceful, humane, and manageable for ordinary families compared to the painful realities many people are experiencing today.
Till today, many Kogi youths are still languishing in prisons despite committing no known crime other than criticizing the government or expressing opposing views. It is painful that in a democracy, freedom of expression is gradually becoming something people are afraid to exercise. Many families have been emotionally tortured, while innocent citizens continue to suffer in silence because they dared to speak.
Sometimes, I begin to wonder if God delayed Kogi Central from producing a governor because He foresaw how power could be weaponized against even our own people. Sadly, leadership in Kogi State has gradually become a family affair where benefits circulate among relatives, loyalists, and old friends while the common people continue to suffer.
Whenever elections approach, citizens are mobilized with slogans like “Ebira Agenda.” Yet, once victory is secured, many of those who sacrificed for that agenda are abandoned, oppressed, or forgotten.
I am not a prophet or a seer, but one thing is becoming clear: the era of blind ethnic agenda politics is gradually coming to an end in Kogi State. If producing a governor from Kogi Central will continue to bring oppression and division, then power should rotate to Kogi West, Kogi East, or to a truly compassionate representative from Kogi Central — someone who genuinely carries the love of the masses in their heart rather than the interests of a privileged few.
Kogi State deserves leadership built on justice, peace, fairness, and humanity not fear, division, or political family inheritance because the last time I checked, politics is not a royal title.
~ONONO