.. After 11 Years Outside, The Destiny Of Our State Is In Our Hands..
Dr. Tom Ohikere
In 2015, I served as Head of Media for the Audu/Faleke Campaign.
We campaigned on a simple idea: that the mandate of the people is sacred.
For standing by that principle, I was ostracized from Kogi politics.
For 11 years, I watched from outside.
Today, I am back. Not for a camp. Not for revenge. Not for title.
*I am back for Kogi people.*
THE STATE OF OUR STATE: WHAT I SAW FROM OUTSIDE
Distance gives clarity. And for 11 years, the picture of Kogi from outside has been painful.
On the Economy:
A bag of rice that sold for N18,000 in 2015 now sells for over N90,000. Garri, beans, and yam have become luxury items for the average family.
Our markets in Lokoja, Okene, Idah, and Kabba are full of goods, but empty of buyers. Our youths are leaving. Not to Dubai. To Lagos. To Abuja. To anywhere but home.
Debt is rising, but roads, hospitals, and schools are not rising with it.
On Security:
Farmers in Bassa, Omala, Dekina, and Yagba can no longer go to their farms without fear. Kidnapping on the Lokoja-Abuja, Lokoja – Egbe, Lokoja – Ankpa and Lokoja-Okene roads has become an industry.
Mothers are burying children. Children are growing up without fathers. And we are told to accept it as normal.
On Governance:
Politics in Kogi has become a contest between camps, not a contest of ideas.
While leaders fight over who controls structure, the people fight for survival.
2015 TO 2026: THE UNFINISHED BATTLE
Some battles never end. They only change form.
The disagreement between the political camps of former Governor Yahaya Bello and Hon. James Faleke that began in 2015 has resurfaced in 2026. You can see it in the newspapers. You can hear it in party meetings.
One camp argues: _“We built the structure. Let it continue.”_
The other camp argues: _“The party belongs to all qualified members.”_
Meanwhile, the Kogi trader in the market is asking a different question: _“Who will make food affordable? Who will secure my community?”_
I was there at the beginning in 2015. I paid the price for choosing principle over camp.
Today, 11 years later, we are still asking the same question. This is why I am back.
THE QUESTION FOR 2027
As we approach 2027, Kogi West will rightly raise the issue of equity. 28 years and the zone is yet to produce a governor. That is a legitimate conversation.
But beyond zoning and beyond camps, there is a bigger question:
*Who will put the people first?*
Will 2027 be another election where money and structure decide?
Or will it be the year the people decided?
History remembers leaders who place unity and service above personal ambition.
Kogi does not need another 4 years of “our camp vs your camp.”
Kogi needs 4 years of food, jobs, security, and dignity.
THE PEOPLE’S AGENDA
I am not back to refight 2015. I am back to fight for 2027.
If you will listen, here is what I stand for:
1. FOOD SECURITY: Our land is fertile. From Kogi East to West to Central, we can feed ourselves and export. Government must support farmers with inputs, storage, and security, not multiple taxes.
2. SECURITY: No investor will bring money to a state where business owners fear the road. We must secure our highways, our farms, and our communities.
3.JOBS AND OPPORTUNITY: Government cannot employ everyone. But government can create the environment for business to thrive. We must invest in agro-processing, solid minerals, and CNG to cut cost of transport.
4. UNITY OVER CAMPS: The destiny of Kogi is not in the hands of two camps. It is in the hands of over 4 million Kogi people.
CONCLUSION
For 11 years, some thought I would be silent.
For 11 years, some thought the people would forget.
They were wrong.
I am back because Kogi deserves better.
I am back because our children deserve a state they will be proud to inherit.
I am back because politics must be about service, not supremacy.
To all my brothers and sisters across the divides: the fight for structure will end.
But the fight for the Kogi people must continue.
*In 2027, let us vote with evidence, not emotion.*
*Let us vote for competence, not connection.*
*Let us vote for Kogi.*
*The destiny of our state is in our hands. Let us not drop it.*
Dr. Tom Ohikere
Former Head of Media, Audu/Faleke Campaign 2015
Abuja
#KogiPolitics #Kogi2027 #DestinyInOurHands
