Juliet Akoje x-rays the agenda of the All Progressives Grand Alliance candidate in the November, 2023 governorship election in Kogi state, Idoko Kingsley Ilonah, as electioneering campaign gets underway in the Confluence State.
As the political atmosphere gets charged ahead of the November 11, 2023 governorship election in Kogi State, there is one man to watch in the race to Lugard House. He is, Idoko Kingsley Ilonah, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) gubernatorial candidate.
No fewer than 18 candidates would jostle for the exalted seat of the governorship of the state based on the list recently released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Pundits argued that the tussle for Lugard House promises to be a straight fight between the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello’s anointed candidate, Usman Ododo and the All Progressives Grand Alliance’s candidate, Idoko Kingsley Ilonah.
A vitriolic critic of Governor Bello who is the candidate of the People Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Dino Melaye is also in the race just as the former chief of naval staff, Usman Oyibe Jibrin of the Accord Party (AP).
Three issues revolving around competency and capacity, agitation for power rotation, ethnicity and the biting poverty in the state promises to determine the outcome of the governorship election.
The emergence of Melaye and Abejide both of the Okun extraction has rekindled the hope of Kogi West agitators for power-shift.
The agitators for power shift contend that the Igala-dominated Kogi East had held power for 17 cumulative years while the Ebira-dominated Kogi Central would have had eight years at the expiration of Bello’s tenure.
So it was argued that it would be just and fair for power to rotate to Kogi west senatorial district.
To them, the 16:8:0 formula is unpalatable to a heterogeneous state like Kogi and there’s a need to balance power.
However, the Igalas who boast of over 55 percent of the voting population contend that since the primary essence of democracy is all about allowing the electorates to make their willful choice, the ballots cast should be the ultimate decider of whoever would ultimately administer the state.
Ilonah who is an adherent of the tenets of democracy remarked that competence and the antecedents of all those jostling for the governorship seat should be the yardstick to determine the election of the next governor of Kogi state.
The business mogul who hails from Aga-Idoko Clan of Idah, the headquarters of Igala Kingdom, the occupants of the most populous Kogi East Senatorial District of the Confluence State warned against handing over the reigns of the leadership of the state to a neophyte.
The grassroots politician who is at home with his people and a graduate of Geology & Mining from the University of Jos in his private business ventures and public service has impacted on the lives of the hundreds of persons within and outside Kogi state.
In the areas of business and entrepreneurship, Ilonah established the Lona Group of Companies; Lona Media, launched the first-ever digital LED outdoor billboard in Nigeria named Digital LED Outdoor Billboard which marked the beginning of the digital outdoor advertising revolution.
Under his leadership, Lona Media built notable billboards, including the biggest billboard in Africa along the Abuja International Airport Road and the largest billboard globally on the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos. The latter aimed to set a Guinness World Record and put Nigeria on the international map of excellence.
Lona Media expanded its business operations across 10 states in Nigeria, with its headquarters in Abuja, employing over 250 individuals from Kogi and other parts of the country just like in his other ventures.
He also engages in direct and mechanised farming activities at Oforachi in Igala-Mela/Odolu Local Government Area of Kogi State which contributes to the agricultural sector and provides employment opportunities to over 200 villagers.
In the public service, Ilonah was in December 2017 appointed board member of the Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme Fund by former President Muhammadu Buhari which highlighted his expertise and contribution to the agricultural sector to the benefit of Nigerians especially those of Kogi extraction.
To further exert his humanitarian disposition, Ilonah has through the Lona Foundation, dedicated a significant portion of his resources to positively impact human lives. The foundation focuses on providing quality education and essential amenities to many individuals.
The APGA Governorship candidate’s efforts has not gone unnoticed as his philanthropic efforts, commitment, and service have earned him numerous awards and honors from various communities and organisations, both within and outside Nigeria.
These modest accomplishments and contributions to his immediate and the outside community, stood him out of the total of 18 candidates jostling for the Kogi Governorship slot.
While the politics of ethnicity has taken over race for ascendancy to the Kogi number one seat, Ilonah though from the populous Igala nationality which felt the pendulum should swing to, the APGA man is moved by mission and vision and not such affiliation couched in competence.
He told journalists: “Fortunately or unfortunately, I am Igala man but I don’t believe in ethnic politics. I detest religious, regional or sectional politics and I don’t want to be part of it.
“Our leaders that rushed into endorsing candidates were unfair to the people of the state because elections should not be about ethnic agenda; it should be about competence, who will turn around the fortunes of the State.”
Ilonah also seems to be unperturbed by the influence of incumbency which fear to many is the beginning of wisdom in Nigerian politics.
As it is now, the incumbent Governor Yahaya Bello who operates the state apparatus is solidly behind his favoured candidate on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Usman Ododo.
Yet, the opposition APGA candidate declared in a recent interview that he and his party “are not afraid of the power of incumbency,” making reference to the victory of former President Buhari over the then President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015.
Ilonah further said he was not worried by the gale of defections to the ruling APC as it was just for stomach infrastructure purposes and not genuine reasons.
According to him: “In politics, so many things happen. We must not run away from the fact that the majority of these people are going for stomach infrastructure, that is the truth. Stomach infrastructure is one of the reasons you see people cross-carpeting.
“The election is November 11 and as we are getting closer, there will be defecting, recamping and all that. So what is happening now with due respect to those defecting is purely the issue of stomach infrastructure. So we are not worried”.
The APGA gubernatorial stand bearer is also clear on what he would do differently if given the mandate which is to turn Kogi around and reclaim its lost glories.
REVAMPING THE ECONOMY
On his plan to turn around Kogi state economy, Ilonah said: “I believe that I have the best ideas to turn around Kogi State for good. Is it not absurd that you have Lokoja with water where seaports and everything can be created but we have to import things all over into Nigeria and they come through Lagos? We then transport them from Lagos to Lokoja and then you start talking about the northern parts.
“So Lokoja should serve as the seaport for the northern part of Nigeria. So what we want to do basically is to harness the enormous potentials of Kogi State. Kogi State alone can feed Nigeria. Look at the Ajaokuta steel, I know it’s owned by the federal government but Kogi has the potentials to feed Nigeria.
“We have the capacity to build the largest rice mill in Africa and even the world in Kogi State because we have the land, we have the soil and our soil is one of the best in the country. So I have the best ideas to turn around the infrastructure of the state.
“I have just one point agenda which covers about six-point agenda. The point is that if you don’t have funds, if you don’t generate Internally Generated Revenue how do you do the roads, infrastructure? So we intend to build roads, all the 21 local government areas in the state should be connected to themselves and also to the capital which is Lokoja.
HEALTH
On health, he said: “We want to create free healthcare service for our people, 0-18 years old shouldn’t pay a dime if they are sick, those who are 60 and above shouldn’t pay a dime when they are sick. For the indigenes, we will work it out when we get to power. We will introduce health insurance, revamp primary healthcare system, create world class healthcare facilities.
“All the three senatorial districts should have world class health care facilities that can handle major surgeries in each of the senatorial zones. So how do you do that if you don’t have IGR?”
EDUCATION
He also unfolded his plan for education saying “Our policy for education is, primary, secondary is free and compulsory. For tertiary institutions, you can take a loan, go to school and when you are done you can pay back. It’s not that the IGR is our major agenda, but that is the bedrock of other things that we want to do in the state. We are the only state in Nigeria that is surrounded by 10 states, we have monuments, tourism sites.
“You have in Lokoja for instance where River Niger and River Benue meet; the confluence state. The Dangote cement in Obajana is a pride to Kogi, Nigeria and the entire Africa. So I have the best ideas to drive development in the state,” he promised.
WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
On women empowerment, Ilonah said: “The Kogi women are central in our developmental agenda for State. Our women will benefit from quality education, empowerment, employment opportunity, functional health facilities and credit schemes that will enhance the socio-economy status of our women”
YOUTH
The youth also form part of his campaign promises saying “I believe that the Kogi youths remains the bedrock of development and future leadership of the State. Kogi under my watch will deliberately create policies that ensure sustainable growth and development for the youth on the part of honor, integrity and responsibility in every sphere of affairs in the State”
SECURITY
Lona also has major plan to secure the Confluence State if elected governor. According to him: “On security, as an entrepreneur of national and international status, l know the importance of security to economic development.We cannot have local and foreign investment in a chaotic environment.The security apparatus will be technologically gingered to complement a motivated security work force”
