By joshua Sarkin Yaki: Engr. Bashiru Gegu, The One-man Riot Squad Holding Kogi LGA For APC Ahead Of Council Election
By Abu Micheal
There are politicians, and there is Engr. Abubakar Bashiru Gegu. In Kogi Local Government Area, the distinction is clear. He is not just a Commissioner; he is the rallying point, the political compass, the one-man riot squad of the All Progressives Congress. Going by his selfless service since becoming a Commissioner, it is a known fact that no one living has matched his impact in Kogi LGA.
Kogi LGA today is one LGA you can close your eyes and declare that the opposition has gone into oblivion. The PDP, ADC and others are merely on the ballot by name. On ground, the structures have collapsed into the APC. As Saturday, day of the Local Government Council election holds, it is without saying that the APC will use this election as a litmus test, and the verdict is already written: APC versus the rest, with the Sarkin Yaki calling the shots.
Kogi LGA is the cynosure of all eyes today because one man spent himself. Engr. Bashiru Gegu has redefined what political leadership means in Kogi LGA. His house in Gegu Beki and his residence in Lokoja are described as a beehive of activity, 24 hours of problem solving, earning him the affectionate title King of Boys. He listens, he acts, he shows up.
His service is not audio. It is visible. In healthcare, he facilitated the construction of an ultra-modern referral hospital in Gegu Beki that now serves thousands of families who previously travelled hours for medical care. In education, he has paid school fees, funded scholarships, settled students stranded in tertiary institutions and supported indigent pupils who would have dropped out. In infrastructure and basic needs, he has donated transformers to restore electricity to rural communities, drilled boreholes and clean-water projects, rehabilitated rural roads to open up markets for farmers, and built community facilities in wards long forgotten. In empowerment, he has distributed cars, motorcycles, cash grants and business starter packs. On his 46th birthday alone, he empowered 500 citizens with cash and mining equipment. Women across Kogi LGA have received grants to start small businesses. 2,500 youths are being trained through linkages with the Nigeria-Korea Friendship Institute to feed the emerging mining economy. He has facilitated appointments for deserving indigenes at state and federal levels.
In culture and tradition, he has restored dignity to the traditional institution. He upgraded traditional stools, supported community safety initiatives, presented a brand new Toyota Land Cruiser to the Paramount Ruler of Lokoja, HRH Alhaji Ibrahim Gambo Kabir IV, and a brand new Toyota car to a woman community leader in Gegu. It is no surprise he holds several chieftaincy titles: Ondaki Irekwu of Igu Koton-Karfe Kingdom, Sardauna of Gegu Beki, Madugun Gabas of Girinya, Jagoran Matasan Abaji, Ciroma of Iraki, Tambari of Kupa, and Madaki of Ekuzi.
When he was appointed as the pioneer Commissioner for Solid Minerals and Natural Resources, many thought it was a quiet portfolio. He turned it into a mainstay of the state’s GDP and a major contributor to internally generated revenue. Under his leadership, Kogi State has secured over 30 federal mining licenses covering limestone, iron ore, coal, tin, bauxite, feldspar and granite. He equipped the Kogi State Mineral Processing Company with modern machinery, turning paper approvals into real wealth. He formalized artisanal mining, creating cooperatives that moved thousands of youths from illegal mining to regulated, income-generating enterprises. He streamlined licensing to curb illegal mining, strengthened monitoring to block leakages, partnered with the Nigeria Geological Survey Agency and the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, and marketed Kogi’s mineral deposits to local and foreign investors. Today, host communities are now stakeholders not victims, and Kogi is positioned as Nigeria’s next solid minerals hub. This aligns perfectly with Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo’s drive for global partnerships and diversification beyond oil.
That is why for the Local Government Council election, there is no stopping the Bashiru Gegu-led onslaught. He is a one-man riot squad during elections, not with violence, but with organization, loyalty and delivery. He has remained steadfast, from his days as Senior Special Assistant on Local Government Matters in 2015, through loyalty to former Governor Yahaya Bello who conferred on him the title Sarkin Yaki for taking on tough assignments and delivering, to his present unflinching commitment to Governor Ododo and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
With him as the generalissimo, the Chairmanship candidate of the APC in Kogi LGA will coast home to victory. It is not even a contest. The people know who built the hospital, who brought light, who paid fees, who gave jobs, who respects their royal fathers.
On Saturday, Kogi LGA will speak with one voice. And that voice will echo the man who made APC not just a party, but a family in Kogi LGA, Engr. Bashiru Gegu, the Sardauna, the Sarkin Yaki.