The executive chairman of Ankpa local government area of Kogi state, Hon. Ibrahim Abagwu has been an impeccable force in Ankpa political terrain and his stewardship in the local government, which has been in crisis for long due to the menace of cultism, is still a surprise to many people in Ankpa and beyond, despite that the compassionate and pragmatic leader is not relenting.
Since he assumed office some two months ago, the Chairman of embattled Ankpa local government has continued to strike the posture of a leader on a messianic mission.
He has put the interests of the common man above partisan niceties and often found himself at odds with state government and the security agencies over the handling of the war of insecurity in the council.
It is unwise to openly sing the praises of Kogi politicians because of their penchant to ride on the crest of their populist waves into a second term and then unfold their real hidden agenda. Many of the politicians in the state and beyond who are facing prosecution for theft and money laundering were once populist politicians.
From what he is doing and he intends to do, he remains the best performing Council chairman in Kogi State. This is a position he intends to maintain in the next four years.
Right from the his first day he assumed office, Hon. Abagwu set out with an agenda to maintain the good works of his administration. All through the key sectors, the Ankpa Chairman continued to deliver the very best for Ankpa people.
Upon taking his oath of office to pilot the affairs of the council, he outlined the key areas that his government would concentrate on to improve the living standard of the people. On his inauguration day, Hon. Abagwu assured Ankpa people that he will tackle security, environmental sanitation, job creation, further infrastructural development, quality education for the people, improve healthcare, develop agriculture and economic development.
Since December, Abagwu has kept his promise to the people of Ankpa. He has continued to set out the mechanism for development, enhanced the state’s security architecture, developed a framework for environmental sanitation and set the framework for general economic development.
Recently, Hon. Abagwu approved fund to rehabilitate the long abandoned Ankpa Council earth moving machines, and promised to put them back to use noting that he will embark on rural roads grading across the 13 wards in Ankpa local government council area.
Despite the country and the state is facing financial crisis due to global pandemic, he has stood his ground to make sure he delivered his people, he approved fund to rehabilitate abandoned machine in order to work to do the needful in the council in order to ease the business activities within the local government and also approved fund for total rehabilitation of the council legislative hall aimed to create conducive environment for the lawmakers to carry out their legislative assignment effectively.
The chairman has already imprinted a very pleasant legacy for himself, that whenever you hear the name “Abagwu” anywhere, the first thing what will pop in your mind is his uncommon leadership trait which is very rare to see in the council.
Though some analysts are speculating that his rich business and academic mindset is also the ultimate influence to his leadership ability and performance. Well, that is true to an extent if you ask me. If you ask of my opinion, sound business and academic background is not a yardstick for stewardship in governance, but an individual’s character, competency and compassion.
In order to encourage the chairman to run his office affairs smoothly, the Ankpa legislative arm has passed a vote of confidence on Hon. Abagwu’s administration and assured him of their unalloyed cooperation and commitment in ensuring lasting peace as panacea for the overall development of the council.
The leader of the legislative arm, Hon. Charity Eleojo Maha said “the chairman’s sterling leadership quality and commitment towards protecting lives and properties has reunited the people and bring about relative peace in the area despite the rival cult clashes in some part of the area.”
Also, in a bid to bring peace and unity to his land, Abagwu has waded into communal land dispute between two communities under his jurisprudence that almost resulted to a violent outburst between both parties before the timely intervention of the chairman, which is his primary responsibility.
He read the riot act for them stating that his administration is inline with the proactive leadership of Governor Yahaya Bello’s administration would not tolerate any form of violence that would threaten the peaceful co-existence of the people.
To this end, he is inspired to continue to serve this country with all his strength irrespective of the disappointments we face from the failure of leadership and breakdown of the collective patriotic spirit.
Abagwu’s gesture shows that Ankpa only lacks good leaders because we have failed to assiduously search for them.
He represents a ray of hope for a better tomorrow when Ankpa might rediscover a model of leadership that is no longer blinded by partisan, ethnic, religious, and clannish bigotry.
We hope the vicissitudes of politics do not derail him.
– Abubakar Yunusa writes from Abuja.
