OPEN LETTER TO THE GOVERNOR OF KOGI STATE

I am compelled to write you this open letter because of the love I have for you and the new direction of your government. One of the lessons I learnt from my father is the fact that even though in this part of the world, it is hard to see people speaking truth to power, I should always remember that those who look at me straight and tell me the truth are my best friends. I am compelled because I felt I owe you an obligation to tell you the truth about the challenges before you as you are preparing to leave office as the governor of Kogi State and move up the ladder to become a true statesman.

A leader in the true sense of the word is not he who fulfilled all his ambitions but one who after leaving office can truly beat his chest and say to himself that he left behind justice, equity and peace for others to emulate. I can tell you with every sense of patriotism that you have done your best and history would be kind to you.

  Your Excellency, you can still win the heart of the Kogi people if you can rise above petty ethnic, tribal and religious sentiments and look for a person who in your leadership recruitment drive for succession as governor can serve the whole people of the state rather than the whims of the power brokers in the state. I am writing to advise you that it is time you look for a good leader who you feel can even be better than yourself because this is an obligation you owe the people of the state because there is no good leadership if there is no good successor. You must in this leadership recruitment effort look for somebody who is dynamic and track record of achievements, and acceptable to not only the people of Kogi State but the country in general based on contemporary challenges and positions on national issues.

There is a legal expression that the court is not only a court of law but a court of justice, fairness, and equity and this also goes for leadership. For example, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu had his way today as the Presidential candidate of the APC because of the deliberate action of the northern governors of the ruling party which took a patriotic position that they would rise above petty political considerations by honouring the unwritten agreements to rotate power back to the southern regions of our country. This singular action has truly earned them positions of honour as true statesmen and this can be replicated in Kogi State. So it behoves on you now after the expiration of your tenure to allow power to rotate to the Kogi-west senatorial district for justice, equity and fair play. This singular decision can immediately transform you to a statesman. This is true because, make no mistake about it, there is no central district that can singularly make a governor of Kogi State

Musa Wada, Kogi East