By Abu Micheal
For over twenty years, the people of Ibaji told the same painful story. A story of a road that disappeared under water, of farmers who watched their produce rot because they could not reach the market, of mothers who could not reach the hospital, of a people cut off from the rest of Kogi State every rainy season. On this day, that story changed.
Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, flagged off the construction of the 37-kilometre Ejule-Ojeba-Unale-Onyedega road, linking Idah Local Government Area to the headquarters of Ibaji Local Government Area, with a completion period of 30 months. It was not just a flag-off. It was a liberation.
Praise must go to the Governor for the bold courage to take the bull by the horn. Other successive governments have shied away, knowing fully well the quantum of resources needed to build a road in Ibaji. This can be quantified with building roads in the Niger Delta and coastal regions of the country. To construct a kilometre of road in Ibaji scoops the cost as compared to constructing roads in normal clime.
The importance of the place of road, with particular emphasis on Ibaji, cannot be overstated. Ibaji is a community said to be located below sea level, consequently perennially under water, with washing away of roads built in time past. For the people of Ibaji, they have no reason to blame the Almighty for their terrain, but they have always shifted the blame to successive governments, wondering why, if states in the Niger Delta are constructing roads, they have been long neglected.
For the people of Ibaji, since his coming on board, Governor Ododo has never hidden his love for the Ibaji people, with the flag-off of the road construction another underscoring the fact that roads that will stand the test of time will be constructed under his administration.
Speaking at the flag-off ceremony, Governor Ododo described the project as a major step towards fulfilling his administration’s commitment to opening up rural communities and connecting residents to greater economic opportunities.
“When I promised to fix this road, some people were already asking why work had not started. But governance is not a magic show. I cannot bring equipment here for the cameras only to take them away the next day. We took our time to complete the necessary due diligence. Now we are ready, now we are here, and now the work begins,” he said.
According to him, his administration will not allow political disagreements to determine the distribution of infrastructure and other development projects across the state.
“Even if you hate Ododo, please love development. A child should not be denied food because the parents disagree. I am here for development, and I will not be distracted,” the governor declared.
The Governor commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his leadership and economic reforms, expressing appreciation for the Federal Government’s support towards development at the state level.
Describing the Idah-Ibaji road as a historic intervention, Governor Ododo said its completion would improve access to markets, strengthen transportation networks and create better opportunities for farmers, traders, young people and families.
He charged CCECC to deliver quality work in accordance with the approved specifications, warning that the people of the area had waited long enough for a durable road.
In a related development, Governor Ododo cautioned traditional rulers against actions capable of generating communal crises and insecurity, urging them to use their positions to promote peace and unity. He warned that any traditional ruler found culpable of instigating conflict between communities would face the consequences in accordance with the law and applicable procedures.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Works, Honourable Momoh Salami Ozigi, described the flag-off as the fulfilment of a long-awaited promise to the people of Idah and Ibaji. He said the Idah-Ibaji road had remained a major challenge for residents for over two decades, explaining that its deplorable condition had affected transportation, agricultural production, healthcare delivery and other economic activities.
“For over 20 years, the Idah-Ibaji road has been a nightmare, a story of pain and loss. It is a road that cuts off our people during the rainy season. Farmers lose their produce, mothers find it difficult to access hospitals, and our economic life is crippled by flooding and failed portions,” he said.
The Commissioner also appealed to residents, traditional rulers and other stakeholders to provide a peaceful working environment for the contractors and protect government property.
In their separate remarks, the Chairmen of Ibaji and Idah Local Government Areas, Honourable Alexander Ukwela and Honourable Sule Amodu, respectively, expressed appreciation to the Governor for commencing the project. The Ibaji council chairman recalled that Governor Ododo had visited the area on July 13, 2026, when he promised to reconstruct the road from Idah to the headquarters of Ibaji Local Government Area. He described the flag-off as the beginning of the fulfilment of that commitment, noting that the project would ease transportation and improve the living conditions of residents. Ukwela pledged the support of the local government and community stakeholders towards the successful execution of the project.
Also speaking, the representative of China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) Nigeria Limited, Henry Shuo, thanked the Kogi State Government for the confidence reposed in the company and promised to complete the project within the stipulated period of 30 months. He disclosed that the project would involve the construction of a 37-kilometre carriageway measuring approximately 10.3 metres in width, alongside six new bridges and other supporting infrastructure.
What followed the flag-off was jubilation that words can hardly capture. Ibaji erupted. Men, women, youths, elders, farmers, traders, mothers carrying babies, and traditional dancers poured out in their numbers, singing, drumming, dancing and praising God for a day they had waited for, prayed for, and almost given up on. The air was filled with songs of thanksgiving, the ground shook with dancing feet, and tears of joy flowed freely from eyes that had seen too many rainy seasons of suffering. For many, it was not just a road. It was dignity restored, hope rekindled, and a people finally remembered.
In that moment of jubilation, the people of Ibaji openly declared that they now see Governor Ododo as a Messiah and a lover of Ibaji people. To them, he is not just a Governor who made a promise, he is a Governor who kept it. He is the leader who dared to go where others feared to go, who put his money where his mouth is, who refused to allow politics, terrain, or cost to deny them development. And in that joy, they vowed to stay with him in his political journey, to stand by him as he has stood by them, and to protect the project as their own.
For Ibaji, Special Adviser, Sunday Ogah, says Gov. Ododo is a promise keeper with others adding that a good thing is finally coming out of Ibaji. A road that will stand the test of time. A road that will connect farmers to markets, children to schools, patients to hospitals, and a people to the rest of the world. A road that will end the nightmare of twenty years. And a road that will forever remind generations yet unborn that there was a Governor who came, who saw, who promised, and who delivered.
Abu Micheal, Special Adviser South South Mobilization.
