A public affairs Analyst, Okpanachi Onoja, x-rayed the achievements of Senator Jibrin Isah Echocho, representing Kogi East in the last four years
Here is unedited view of Okpanachi Onoja:
“The man lives in his own world which is directly opposite the reality in the world of politics – Senator Jibrin Isah (Echocho) would do anything within his powers to play down on his activities in Kogi East for two cardinal reasons which he holds so high; firstly, whatever he is able to do to support anyone he views as an enablement by God Almighty and so, only the Almighty should reward him hence, keeping it off public.
Secondly, for his constituency’s activities as a Senator representing the good people of Kogi East in the red chamber, he (Echocho) believes whatever he does is primarily a duty he owes the people and God should judge his works, not men.
These two points form foundation of his approach towards most of his dealings and engagements but unfortunately, many have misinterpreted all these and some even went far to take advantage of these to the extent of blackmailing him and even accused him of non-performance as a Senator.
The worst of this ugly development is recruiting others to believe in the falsehood being spread about Senator Jibrin Isah (Echocho) to the point that the continuous silence of the Senator began to appear or being perceived as an acceptance of the accusations against him by the naysayers.
They seek any available opportunity to mess his name up by either twisting issues or situations to advance the plots just to ensure he is perceived the ways they so wish.
And, graduating to the next phase of their grand plan is the manipulation of gullible persons and groups to initiate moves to recall the Senator at a time that the region in view is in a political turmoil but they care less and desire only to compound the misery of the people politically by embarking on such ignoble mission.
It was this last phase that triggered reactions and prompted the need to say enough to the continuous falsehood thereby breaking the long silence.
Today, Kogi Easterners are beginning to know the truth by themselves as they are being presented the report cards of Senator Jibrin Isah Echocho during this period that he is serving as the Senator representing Kogi East – many concerned media heads have been asking questions and the answers they are receiving have been the sources of their reportage and features on the Senator.
This development has availed the people good opportunity to know more about their Senator and what he has been doing so far as their representative at the red chamber.
With the volume of information now available in the public domain, the people have the power now to decide and judge correctly by themselves instead of being misled by some manipulators who have hidden motives for their own personal ends.
The painful thing is that they embark on their mission using innocent people who are very ignorant of the core objectives of their sponsors.
With this ongoing development as touching the works of Senator Jibrin Isah (Echocho), it’s not a call to tell anyone not to criticize but it should be constructively done so that where improvements are needed to be made, they should and where there are needs for adjustments, they should be made.
With the constructive criticism approach, we are guaranteed of more positive results for the good of our dear land and people.
So, on Friday, March 1, 2024, a select group of media platforms/heads met and had a very heart-to-heart engagement with the Senator where issues were analysed as they are and the response of Senator Jibrin Isah on some key points raised by the media team presented a man who was busy and the top of his game for the good of all but was widely castigated due to lack of media visibility.
From the media engagement, The ARISE IGALA Team was able to figure out nine key points from the Senator’s response as follows:
1. NEW DAWN FOR THE SENATOR IN THE AREA OF MEDIA ENGAGEMENT AND UPDATES ON DEVELOPMENTS
The Distinguished Senator Jibrin Isah took responsibility for the long silence media wise that empowered many to freely present him and his contributions in bad lights.
He assured that the era is gone as he will keep his people up-to-date on developments regularly.
In view of this, the Senator acknowledged that the media engagement is going to keep him on his toes to have something new to present always whenever he meets the media which he said he is going to make a quarterly affair.
2. ON CRITICAL ROAD NETWORKS ACROSS KOGI EAST – A GOOD EXAMPLE IS THE AJEGWU-IDAH-IBAJI WHICH IS VERY CRITICAL ECONOMICALLY
Leveraging on his network in the Senate and outside, the Senator is networking to ensure the reality of this road is given the right attention and well done after all.
He believes strongly that the road’s economic impact is great as that would improve our people ‘s lots.
Also, there will be ease in conveying agricultural products out of farms to the market and equally encourage farmers to go more commercial in their ventures.
3. THE ISSUE OF POVERTY ALLEVIATION/INTERVENTIONS
The Senator addressed the issue of federal government’s intervention through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to the tune of Two Hundred Million Naira (N200,000,000) worth of rice but as at the time of the media engagement and this report, it hasn’t been released.
He assured that once it is released he will alert the people and go on to distribute the right way it should be done .
However, on his part, in December of 2024 he took a trailer load of rice worth thirty six million naira to his people in Kogi East to support them during the Christmas and New Year’s celebrations.
Also, in late February to early March this year (2024), he embarked on a cash support to the vulnerable in Kogi East to ease the economic hardship in the land.
Twenty Thousand Naira (N20,000) were given to the beneficiaries each across the nine local areas that made up the Kogi East Senatorial District.
This exercise was designed for ward’s selection of beneficiaries and all wards were touched as it gulped up to Fifty Four Million Naira (N54,000,000).
The Senator guarantees more are still coming and the people will benefit.
4. WAY FORWARD ON THE INDUSTRIES FACILITATED IN KOGI EAST
Senator Jibrin Isah (Echocho) expressed pains and serious concerns over the management of some of the industries he facilitated to the region. If everything had gone as intended, lots of people would have been direct beneficiaries by now and the multiplier effect too would have been great.
However, he has taken up a new approach to the development as he is revisiting all of them and then handover the management to the local government and a dedicated boards of directors to ensure proper management.
The Senator was clear on one thing, that since they are projects sponsored by the federal government as his constituency projects, they must at all times remained government project reason they can’t hand them over to individuals or private companies.
5. CALL FOR PARTNERS IN PROGRESS WHO WILL TELL AND HOLD ONTO THE TRUTH AT ALL TIMES
Senator Jibrin Isah genuinely called for partners in progress who will be willing to tell him the truth at all times so to guide him in the right way to go as the representative of the people.
For the media team, it was a great challenge he threw as he demanded they become the true feedback system for him to work more and better for the people he represents.
6. THE SEED CAPITAL FOR THE KOGI EAST GRADUATE ENTREPRENEURSHIP SCHEME
As the need to create jobs becomes more obvious by the day, Senator Jibrin Isah creatively came up with the idea of the Kogi East Graduate Entrepreneurship Scheme which will start by giving out Twenty Million Naira to 20 graduates with good business ideas/businesses.
At least, every local government of the nine will have two beneficiaries with each having a million naira as seed capital.
This project will be executed transparently and without any physical interface with managers of the scheme during the screening process.
The Senator after the first phase plan to raise it to a One Hundred Million Naira scheme and so on. The advantage of this on the long run is immeasurable and very important to the development of Kogi East economically.
After the seed capital, the Senator will not fold his hands and watch how they go but get involved in guiding them through necessary trainings and after sometime when the need for scaling arises, he will link them up for additional financing from either Bank of Industry, Bank of Agriculture or
7. THE OVER N30 MIILLION MODERN CASHEW PROCESSING EQUIPMENTS IN PRINCE ABUBAKAR AUDU UNIVERSITY, ANYIGBA?
Going forward, for tailored solutions, the Senator will be involving various Cooperative Societies in Cashew, Agriculture, Trading etc. so that every group’s specific needs would be met accordingly.
The Senator acknowledged that he has learnt from his past and wouldn’t allow a repeat of the channels that didn’t deliver properly hence the need for involving groups and cooperatives.
8. WOMEN GROUPS, COMMUNITY ASSOCIATIONS AND COOPERATIVE SOCIETIES TO PLAY KEY ROLES IN SUBSEQUENT EMPOWERMENTS AND PROJECTS?
After deep reviews, grassroot engagements to be integral part of the Senator’s subsequent activities for desired good impact and transparency.
For any empowerment either cash, materials or equipments, women groups, community associations and cooperative societies will be playing integral roles so to ensures distributions are even.
9. THE CERAMIC INDUSTRY IN IDAH AND THE NEED FOR TOWN HALL MEETING
Staring from June, 2024, the Senator has assured of gathering, a town hall meeting to decide what we need ahead of next budget of the nation. Also, it will be a platform to review and re-strategize.
The Senator raised fundamental concern about some our industries like the IDAH CERAMIC INDUSTRY that just vanished and the need to revive it because of the deposit of the mineral resources in the land and how it can turn around the economy of the area for the common good of all”.
