Victor Adoji: My Mission Is to Open Up Kogi East for Trade, Jobs, Development

Dr. Victor Adoji reflects on his journey from a distinguished career in corporate communications at Zenith Bank to active participation in politics. Driven by a desire to bridge governance gaps and expand opportunities for his people, he discusses lessons from his political contests, governance challenges facing Kogi East, and the urgent need for economic inclusion. Adoji also outlines his vision for unlocking his senatorial zone’s potential through trade, infrastructure, youth mainstreaming, and data-driven development strategies, while advocating a shift in Nigerian politics from personality-driven contests to policy-focused leadership. Oluchi Chibuzor brings the excerpts:

You built a distinguished career in corporate communications at Zenith Bank before venturing into politics. What inspired that transition from the corporate world to public service?

Thank you for acknowledging that I built a distinguished career in banking. It is a healthy recognition and endorsement for me. My myriad private sector experiences, especially those garnered from one of Africa’s most successful financial behemoths, Zenith Bank, opened my eyes to so many voids in public service receivables and deliverables in Nigeria, but particularly how they affect Kogi Easterners. So, for me, one of the reasons for the transition, therefore, is my fanatical desire to positively impact Nigeria’s development and the well-being of the citizens through the auspices of participation via the application of what has worked elsewhere as well as the implementation of some novel ideas that could work without extant peculiarities. Also, to get the opportunity to fill some of the identified voids and expand the corridors that would create further and better opportunities for millions of Nigerians especially those living in rural areas.

 Having contested both the governorship and the Kogi East senatorial ticket under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), what lessons did those political journeys teach you about leadership and the realities of Nigerian politics?

I should put on record that I didn’t go the whole stretch when I ran for Governor. I stepped down for a more experienced aspirant before the primary election. As for my Senatorial expedition under the PDP, I now know what it means to win an election but lose the collation. This oxymoron has been lucidly explained in the book titled “Wars, Guns & Votes with the rider, “Democracy in Dangerous Places,” by Paul Collier, who went further to lampoon our plutocratic and Kakistocratic dimensions of democratic practices. Put comically, in our genre of politics, it’s not rare for a tortoise to outrun a Cheetah in a race.

Lessons I have learnt will include that anyone can steer the ship, but it takes informed acumen to chart the right course.  One must create alternatives because it is commonplace for great individuals to be rejected and ignored by inimical system rules that do not exist in actual fact. Another lesson I learnt is that most people see politicians like books. The irony is that they largely focus on the cover; a few may read the introduction, another few may know the actual content, but the majority just don’t care. This is the reason we keep waiting for Godot. It has also taught me that strength isn’t about how much you can handle before you break, but about how much you endure after you’re seemingly disadvantaged. No matter what you do, people will always misjudge you. Someone will always question your genuine decisions based on their ulterior perceptions. Someone will always doubt you without reason or justification. But you must be focused and determined to keep your head above water. One sinister aspect of politics is that no one plays the victim more than those who either deliberately or inadvertently caused the basis for the damage in the first place

Many people describe you as a bridge-builder who promotes peace and stability in Kogi East. How did you cultivate that reputation, and why is it important in the region today?

Firstly, I am a professional in politics and therefore, I view politics as a vocation and a call-to service unlike the prevailing situation of “call-to-be-served”. Verifiably, I’m not a non-starter and evidently, I’m not desperate for office even when my desire to upend the unacceptable poverty and inequality in our clime is at a fanatical level. Against these underlayment, the least I can do is build partnerships and collaborate with all relevant concerns to achieve success and I think therein lies the fillip you have  loosely coined bridge- building and I must thank you for this honest feedback.

How would you assess the overall performance of the current administration in Kogi State, particularly in areas such as infrastructure, security, and economic development?

Like with other sub-nationals across the country, Kogi is work-in-progress and challenges and deficits exist. While some of the challenges are a result of the trickling effects from around the neighboring States, I am super confident that the other shortfalls can be mitigated by real cooperation and psychological reorientation and reinforcement of all parties within the communion.

From your perspective, what are the most urgent governance challenges facing Kogi East today?

Nigeria must realise that Kogi East holds the key to truly opening up the country and transitioning Nigeria into a virile Nation. On the back of that, we must reckon that the reason our  garden isn’t growing may be that every time a flower blooms, we cut it perhaps to prove that we are exceptional gardeners.

Do you believe the political and governance structure in Kogi State adequately reflects the interests of all its senatorial districts?

Impermanence is a constant and vicissitudes are its fuel. In other words, nothing is cast in stone. So, finding the answer to this very important issue and adjusting where necessary is one of the reasons I am in the ring. Do not forget the saying that, clarity  does not come before but from action that is well thought out and legitimately applied.

What policy areas do you believe require immediate reforms to unlock the development potential of the state?

Ensuring that the citizens are financially included in alignment with protocols that convert them into virile economic agents. Mainstreaming youths, young adults and women against the backdrop of a functional understanding of value-chain creation and the escalation of our absolute and relative advantages which are numerous; institutionnalising SMEs beginning with internalizing healthy and thriving externalities, and identifying and integrating relevant sectors or localities into either national or international trade and logistics equations. We must seek to answer the question, how do poverty and inequality happen then walk back the trail to mitigate missteps.

If elected to represent Kogi East Senatorial District, what would be your top three legislative priorities?

I will open up Kogi East as per trade and logistics; move away from the failed attempt at youth empowerment by engendering a regime and regimen of youth mainstreaming. Just recently, a young man, Mc Jekabeche, rode a bike from Kogi State to Lagos State and the fact that it is not headline news says a lot about our pariah status as one of the biggest ethnic nationalities in Nigeria. That must change unconditionally. A major albatross to our growth and development as Kogi Easterners, is the dearth of data upon which strategies and decisions are based. Therefore, one of my cardinal objectives would include adopting design-thinking protocols to establish a bureau for data mining, and analytics to end the era of groping in the dark, leverage our location as a nexus to influence the opening-up of Kogi-East by influencing the building of connections from Idah to Aganabode, Bassa to Shintaku, Abejukolo to Toto and the access through Ibaji that terminate in Anambra/Enugu. These I am super-confident will be sustained by laying the foundation for evolving a Kogi-East Development Plan which will be superintended by a Trusteeship Council.

How would your experience in corporate strategy and communications shape your approach to lawmaking and representation in the National Assembly of Nigeria?

We have people who, though with sincere intentions, wrongly focus on analysis when it is analytics that is required. Having been a definitional contributor to the metastasis of Zenith Bank, the onus is partly on me to replicate same at the district, regional and national levels. My years in the corporate world taught me metacognition, the relevance of the pheromone trail and how to swim with the Sharks in achieving great and uncommon results; I hope I get the opportunity to escalate those. My job is just to create the platform for better people to prevail and engender opportunities for the weak to have their say in a manner that adds to society’s overall progress.

Nigerian politics is often criticised for being personality-driven rather than policy-driven. How would your campaign differ?

That is the reason, in my case I have replaced the traditional manifesto with a social contract with the people. It is also the reason I abhor plutocracy and despise Kakistocracy. In the end, someone must bell the cat even if the person becomes a victim at the end so long as the majority is redeemed. I am a willing tool for the needed renaissance. The issue is where do we fit into in all of these. I can confirm to you that everything begins in our minds. Our power lives in how we choose to think, feel, and respond. Even more, most limits  are self-imposed stories and to upset the inertia we must be resolute, long suffering and selfless. I should ad that, no amount of wordsmithing can solve our challenges; we must dirty our hands and get the job done

You have been described as someone committed to peace, unity, and progress in your community. What specific initiatives have you supported to promote stability and development in Kogi East?

All, except those not known to me, initiatives for peace, unity, and progress are easy bait for me. And that will never change. If I must cultivate insurrection to achieve any political mileage then it becomes self-seeking and deceptive. Unfortunately, some people see this as a weakness, not knowing it’s the greatest of all strengths. In the words of a civil Rights Leader, Martin Luther King, “Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.” I won’t be a party to more darkness in a night already devoid of stats.

Youth unemployment remains a serious concern across Nigeria. What strategies would you champion to create opportunities for young people in your district?

I was listening to a futurist some time ago, and he claims there will be stagflation and deflation in the next four years.  He said that goods worth $100,000 today will be worth $10,000 then. But I know that no matter how cheap things become, there will still be the rich and the poor.  I was hoping he would answer the question. In the age of hyper-abundance, as it is now termed, what would differentiate the wealthy and the impoverished? The answer would have helped me to answer your question, but in the absence of that, two things: Mainstreaming and process ownership

 Outside politics, how do you balance public life with personal interests, family, and reflection?

By adopting what the medics call triaging and focusing on the things I can control

Looking ahead to 2027 and beyond, what legacy would you like to leave for the people of Kogi East and Kogi State as a whole?

That I made lives, living better through enhanced opportunities and merit-based livelihoods that rewards both hard-work and smart-work. According to my Oga, “a champion is defined by results achieved and not excuses tendered” wherein he also admonished that we must not “view resources or an inadequate infrastructure as impediments” but opportunities. I shall be so guided. All said, what does an escalator say when it stops working? I shall use the stairwell if need be.