By joshua 
Years of Betrayal: Kogi’s Ex-Political Office Holders Cry Out as Billions in Arrears Linger, Lives Shattered.
A deep-seated injustice continues to plague Kogi State, as thousands of former local government political office holders across all 21 Local Government Areas (LGAs) remain entangled in a 17-year struggle to reclaim their rightfully earned salaries and allowances.
Dating back to 2007 and covering tenures from 2004 to 2023, the cumulative debt is estimated to be over N50 billion, a sum that has not only created immense financial hardship but has also tragically impacted the health, self-esteem, and even lives of many of those affected.
The list of those owed is extensive, encompassing former Chairmen of Councils, Vice Chairmen, Local Government Secretaries, Council Leaders, Councilors, Supervisors, and Special Advisers.
These individuals, who dedicated their service to their communities, are now left in a state of despair, many facing severe ailments, incapacitation, and in some heartbreaking instances, death, all while their legitimate entitlements remain unpaid.
The genesis of this protracted crisis can be traced back to various local government administrations, with the specific amounts varying significantly from one LGA to another.
The frustration of these former officials is palpable, with some having even secured favorable judgments from the industrial court, yet still unable to compel the payment of their dues.
A critical turning point emerged in 2015, during the twilight of Governor Idris Wada’s administration. Recognizing the burden of these outstanding debts, Governor Wada had sought to leverage a federal bailout fund window, requesting N50.8 billion to clear arrears owed to ex-political office holders, LGA pensioners, and primary school teachers, among others. While the fund was approved, its release was unfortunately stalled, coinciding with Governor Wada’s loss of his second-term bid.
However, the plot thickened with the ascension of Alhaji Yahaya Bello to the governorship in January 2016. The much-anticipated N50.8 billion bailout fund was indeed released to Governor Bello’s administration. Yet, alarming indications suggest that the disbursement of these funds deviated significantly from the meticulously prepared template intended to capture all outstanding debts.
In 2016, the aggrieved ex-political office holders formed a unified group and directly appealed to the state government for their payments. They were subsequently instructed to open accounts with Access Bank, a directive they promptly followed, submitting all account details to the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
What followed was a bewildering and ultimately ineffective payment arrangement. The adopted system bizarrely domiciled payments for ex-political office holders from one LGA to an entirely different Local Government Area, creating an unwieldy and convoluted process.
Furthermore, the amounts approved for payment were a mere fraction of the actual debts owed. To compound the problem, numerous names were inexplicably missing from the payment lists sent to the designated LGAs, leading to widespread non-payment. Attempts to seek redress through the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs proved futile, with officials repeatedly referring the desperate ex-officials back to the designated LGAs for their payments.
As of this report, the staggering sum of over N50 billion remains outstanding.
The prevailing sentiment among the affected individuals is one of hopelessness, with little to no meaningful commitment evident from either the state or local government areas to settle these long-standing debts.
Adding to the complexity, some current Local Government Chief Executives have feigned ignorance of these substantial debts, attributing it perhaps to a lack of proper updates or comprehensive briefing in the handing-over notes they inherited.
While the state government champions local government autonomy, ironically, some Local Government Chief Executives who do acknowledge the debts claim a lack of authority to effect payments, citing the very autonomy that was meant to empower them.
The human cost of this prolonged neglect is immeasurable.
The continued denial of their statutory entitlements has had a devastating impact on the health, self-esteem, and overall confidence of these former public servants. Many are battling serious illnesses, some have tragically succumbed, and others have been left permanently incapacitated, their futures irrevocably altered by this financial purgatory.
This report serves as an urgent wake-up call to the Local Government Chief Executives across Kogi State and the state government itself. The plight of these ex-political office holders demands immediate and compassionate attention, with a view to mitigating their profound suffering.
“We appeal to the Kogi State government to prioritize this matter as a critical project.
We commend Governor Ododo Ahmed Usman for his proactive and visionary leadership since assuming office. It is our fervent hope that this report reaches his desk and that God Almighty touches his heart to look into this pressing matter, enabling the Local Government Ex-Political Office Holders of Kogi State to finally smile again,their long-overdue entitlements secured” said one of them who extended the plea.