By joshua Bashiru Gegu: The Ground-Up Reformer Turning Kogi’s Minerals Into People’s Wealth
Engr. Bashiru Gegu
By Abu Micheal
In Gegu Beki, they still call him “one of us and our own.”
In Lokoja and across Kogi, they now call him the peoples Commissioner.
Engr. Abubakar Bashir Gegu’s journey from a quiet village in Kogi LGA to the heart of state governance has been anything but ordinary. Today, he’s seen as both a public servant and a community anchor — someone bridging policy at the top with real needs at the grassroots.
Former Governor Yahaya Bello once described him as “exceptional in trust and sincerity.”
Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo put it simpler: “The people of Gegu Beki are blessed to have a son like Engr. Bashiru Gegu.”
Since taking charge of the Ministry of Solid Minerals and Natural Resources, Gegu has done two things at once: reform a sector, and reach the people.
Inside government, his focus has been to unlock Kogi’s mineral wealth. Outside government, his footprint is in hospital bills paid, school fees cleared, scholarships granted, and hundreds of youths kept on his personal support.
Farmers, fishermen, and families in Kogi LGA don’t just know him as “Commissioner.” To many, he’s “King of Boys” — a title earned because his doors in Gegu Beki and Lokoja rarely close.
Traditional rulers have also taken notice. Honored with chieftaincy titles including *Sarkin Yaki*, Gegu has pushed for better welfare for royal institutions, earning goodwill across communities.
The real shift is happening in mining.
Under Gegu’s watch, Kogi has secured 15 federal mining licenses for key resources — limestone, iron ore, coal, tin, and bauxite. It’s not just paperwork. The Kogi State Mineral Processing Company has also been fitted with modern equipment to move from approvals to actual production.
That’s the difference, observers say. Licenses are becoming factories. Approvals are becoming jobs.
His approach lines up with Governor Ododo’s June 2025 push for global investment. The message to foreign partners is clear: Kogi is ready, and it has someone inside government making it happen.
What stands out is how Gegu mixes big policy with small acts.
On his 46th birthday, he rolled out cash grants and mining tools to 500 citizens — a deliberate move to ensure ordinary people benefit directly from the sector he oversees.
He’s also thinking long-term. Through partnerships with institutions like the Nigeria-Korea Friendship Institute, plans are underway to train 2,500 youths with skills for the mining economy. The goal: Kogi won’t just export minerals, it will export expertise.
Nigeria’s conversation around solid minerals is shifting from potential to production. In Kogi, Gegu represents that shift.
He aligns federal support with state strategy. He connects political loyalty with service delivery. He ties mineral wealth to youth employment and community growth.
“Kogi is blessed with resources,” a stakeholder noted. “But it takes leadership to turn blessings into results. That’s what we’re seeing.”
To his critics, he’s a politician.
To his community, he’s a lifeline.
To the sector, he’s a reformer.
Engr. Bashiru Gegu is proving that governance doesn’t have to choose between vision and compassion. In Kogi’s solid minerals story, he’s writing both chapters — and ensuring the benefits don’t stay trapped in government files.
As one elder in Kogi LGA put it: “ Unlike other Politicians, He remembered where he came from. That’s why people trust where he’s taking us.”