It has often been mentioned in enlightened circles that what Nigeria needs to develop and break the current cycle of poverty is for the helmsmen in her sub-nationalities (states) to be creative, committed, and courageous. If these helms men, which we call governors, stop behaving like emperors who believe they are entitled to rule and grab power for power’s sake, if the governors start behaving like men with genuine and credible ideas who are determined to effect positive changes, the story of Nigeria will change for good.
It is for this reason that some commentators believe the voters in Nigeria should care more about who is elected governor in their respective states rather than focus on the presidency. Incidentally, after the last general elections, three governorship seats are up for contestants to vie for later this year. Those are the governorship seats in Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi states.
My focus is Kogi State where I come from and the only one where the incumbent is not contesting. The election will be held on November 11 and many of the candidates have been going around meeting with stakeholders. However, of all of them, I have not seen the one who dwells more on ideas and what plans he has to change the story of the state for the better like 46-year-old Olayinka Adenenho Braimoh, the candidate of the Action Alliance (AA).
The man who is a businessman and real estate developer has been talking about creating wealth for the benefit of the people, improving the standard of living of the people, making government an enabler to jumpstart economic activities that will attract investors from across the world, and making the environment become so energized that in every corner, ordinary people in the state can be part of the plan to realise both their collective and individual potentials.
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On a few occasions, I have listened to him address groups or speak on the mass media about his plan to build a robust and thriving economy, using a code name – STAT and I am impressed. STAT stands for Solid Minerals, Tourism, Agriculture, and Trade. “Our objective is to grow the economy through strategic partnerships in the mining of abundant solid minerals. This will help create job opportunities, increase revenue, and enhance the state’s economic potential”, he stated in his policy document.
He further explained that the plan is for Kogi State to key into the shift of emphasis by the federal government to solid minerals by partnering with Abuja in directing and attracting the attention of investors to the various gems under the land in Kogi State. With this role of pathfinder that the state is playing, the government will be able to protect the interest of its people and ensure that they do not suffer the curse that follows the discovery of mineral resources in commercial quantities as it has happened in other parts of the country.
Part of the economic plan being enunciated by Braimoh is the need to put in place an effective land administration system aimed at putting a premium value on the huge land resource in the state. He believes that the 29,833 Square Kilometres of land (more than the entire land mass in the Southeast geo-political zone) which makes Kogi State the 13th largest state in Nigeria, the government can empower the people and create wealth for them by converting the land assets into wealth for the owners.
This, he said, will be done through effective land registration, titling, and creation of a land bank to support industrialisation, housing, and other infrastructure development and progressive urban/rural development plans.
When he starts talking about tourism and the potential it has for developing the economy of Kogi State, one will marvel at the extent of research and investigation that has gone into formulating his thoughts. He will be talking about the number of visitors that could come into the state yearly, the number of hotel bed spaces that can be let out, and the average amount of money that could translate into, the volume of food items that the agricultural sector could provide to the tourism industry and the amount of money that the tourists could spend within the state thereby creating huge cash flow that will enrich the citizens and other residents.
Hear him: “We plan to explore the tourism potentials of the confluence State with its historical sites and water bodies. This will create a modern economy and attract huge investments in the hospitality industry, resulting in more employment opportunities and increased internally generated revenue for funding infrastructure development and social services”.
On Agriculture, he plans to leverage the fact that this is the main occupation of the people and all that is needed is for the government to help them by creating the atmosphere for mechanised commercial agriculture to thrive. The government will also help small-scale farmers with good seedlings, fertilizers, and other aids that will tremendously improve their yields. It will also help to source loans and the right market for their produce.
The plan is to make Kogi State the true food basket of Nigeria by leveraging its rich land resources and its strategic location which makes it share a border with 10 states and the federal capital. “Kogi State can feed the whole of Nigeria and a significant portion of the West African sub-region. With agriculture we can attract capital inflow into the state and help create job opportunities”, he once told an audience in Lokoja.
While articulating the last leg of his STAT agenda, which is trading, Braimoh noted that “the geographical location of our state positions it to be the centre of trading activities in Nigeria. Bordering 10 other states which altogether have an estimated combined population of about 56 million people, we will create productive activities which can supply the needs of this huge market, create and redistribute wealth as well as enlarge the source of the IGR in the state”.
He added that when elected as Governor, his administration will “kick start the implementation of policies that will promote and motivate Kogi State’s SME to expand their businesses to other African countries under the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCTA). This will lead to an increase in private sector job opportunities and a decrease in unemployment”.
With the STAT Agenda, Braimoh seems ready to change the landscape of Kogi for the benefit of all concerned. He seems well ahead of his opponents and this is not surprising. He is young and successful in business and the private sector. He is not the typical politician who is in the race for what he could get and for egoistic purposes. He is bringing his wealth of experience in the private sector to his desire to be a good governor. He is bold, courageous, and audacious to make a difference. I believe he will make a good governor and that Kogi State people should vote massively for him if we care about having good governance, not those who want to prey on or exploit the existing poverty in the state.
Abdullahi wrote from Igalamella, Kogi State
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