By Husseini Abdul
Date: 30/3/2924
The online protest that erupted on social media regarding the Strategic Kogi East stakeholders’ meeting organised by the Hon Minister of Steel Development is alarming. Many protesters are calling for the shelving of the plan, while others described the plan as hasty, ill-conceived, ill-considered, and badly thought out. This is even as many believe that the expectations of the main agenda, especially at this time, are that traditional rulers from Kogi East are about to be allegedly cajoled to visit Mr President to express satisfaction with the rulership of the current Governor Usman Ahmed Ododo.
While some have reservations that Hon Shuaibu Audu may not be the best person to organize a Kogi Easterners Economic Roundtable, judging from his antecedents in the last governorship election where Kogites were divided along regional and tribal lines in their voting decision, many from different quarters of the state, particularly the Eastern part, believe that the Honorable Minister, who placed the supremacy of his party above any other political interests and provided the political vehicle that conveyed the winner of the governorship election against the adopted Social Democratic Party (SDP) of Igala-Bassa Cultural Associations, may not be the right man to lead the economic transformation of Kogi East district. His contrary position on the decision of his kinsmen attracted anger from some of the people who believed in the Igala-Basa Agenda.
My Position
Hon. Shuaibu Audu’s intention may be misjudged as the ideal person to chair the economic discussion of the Kogi Easterners’ Forum as a result of his role which inflicted injury on the political status of Kogi East.
However, nature abhors a vacuum. A friend once told me about the principle of Lacuna Alternative. The principle says that when a vacuum is created, something must fill it. The Minister is filling the gap because other leaders in political, cultural, business, and religious organizations from Kogi East, who claimed to have the interest of the district at heart, have gone deaf and dumb, pretending that all is well. The zone was in the past blessed with three different Governors, who were billionaire businessmen and professionals, but none saw reasons to invest in any functional industry to promote the economic development of the zone.
Therefore, we may not like the Hon. Minister’s antecedent and character in the way he worked for his party’s success in the Governorship poll, but the Minister’s initiative to provide informative ideas through a stakeholders’ Round Table deliberation to promote Kogi East’s coordinated economic development is timely and relevant and should also be commended by all well-meaning Kogi Easterners.
As a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he understands the workings of the government and may also have gotten privileged information that will lead to the economic development of Kogi East. For genuineness and inclusiveness, potential stakeholders should be recognized for an expanded team.
Finally, the Minister’s effort should be seen as a service to the fatherland instead of the unholy connotation of the Minister’s action. The Minister’s action is apt, as it is an intention for the common good of Kogi Easterners.
Comr. Husseini Abdul
Write from Lokoja, Nigeria.   husseiniabdul1@gmail.com    07019287758