THISDAYonline

Farmers in Kogi State have learnt never to expect fertilisers through official channels. This is not for nothing, while government depots and other official outlets ran by the State Ministry of Agriculture, its Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) agency remained perpetually out of stock, the commodity however remained surplus in the "open" black market. As a result of this, farmers were left with no choice but to pay prohibitive prices sometimes four times the official price of N1,000, to acquire fertiliser during the farming season.

When therefore a new administration assumed the mantle of leadership, farmers societies and cooperatives appealed to the new governor, Alhaji Ibrahiim Idris on the need for him to revisit the controversy surrounding the distribution of fertlisers.

So overwhelming was the outcry that in his first week in office, Idris sought audience with officials of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to appeal for adequate allocation of fertilisers for his state. But he was told that Kogi State had failed to pay for its past allocations, leaving a debt of N147,806,000 million and therefore, would not be extended fresh supplies until the debt had been fully repaid. Idris was said to have immediately returned home and summoned officials of the state Ministry of Agriculture and ADP to account for the proceeds from the sale of fertilisers. The officials, it was gathered, denied responsibility but disclosed that fertiliser procurement and distribution during the period was done directly from the Government House, Lokoja. They said, they were never allowed to sell the products directly to farmers and therefore were not in a position to determine the whereabout of the proceeds.

Realising that there was nowhere else to go to recover the money, and faced with the possibiliity of a farmers' revolt in the event that the debt remains unpaid and the state is denied allocation, Idris reportedly entered into an agreement with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture for an instalmental repayment schedule that would guarantee that supplies remain uninterrupted. So far, the entire debt has been liquidated and the farmers now obtain fertilizers directly from government.

But the fertiliser crisis appears just a tip of the iceberg. Practically, all the projects executed by Prince Abubakar Audu administration for which the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation's controversial meda tour awarded it several laurels were unpaid for. The projects which include the multi-mllion naira Confluence Beach Hotel, the Commissioners Quarters and Civil Servants Housing Units, the Anyigba Agricultural Development Project (AADP) Headquarters, which was renovated and converted to the state university (the last two which Audu named after himself) and several others, were executed on credit.

Debts on these projects, strategically positioned along Federal Highways (now derided in Kogi as "Roadside Projects") to attract accolades from the public amounted to N12,460,295,747.21 (approximately N12.5 billion). The sum also include pension arrears and gratuities owed to retired civil servants to the tune of N287,991,906.60 and the leave bonus and other arrears of allowance to civil servants amounting to N385,310,693.00. There are also outstanding arrears of salaries and deductions by the Audu regime, brought about by what it called shortfall in its allocation from the federation account. In spite of these debilitating debts, the previous administration also obained a facility of N2 billion from the Continental Trust Bank (CTB) at 35 per cent interest bringing the debt to about N2.7 billion.

These local debts pale into insignificance when compared to foreign loans obtained from the EXIM Bank and other international sources amounting to $341,372,713.30, approximated at N47,21,493,505.35 at the prevailing market rates.

These debts were indeed confounding when viewed against the background that the Audu administration received about N56 billion from the federation account and generated over N10 billion as internal revenue within the period. The question on the lips of Kogites is that if Audu never paid for the "road side" projects that were celebrated with much hype, entitlements of workers and pensioners and yet obtained facilities from local and internal sources in spite of the money from the federation account and internal revenue debt, what did he then utilised the money for?

The present administration's attempt to answer these questions necessitated the setting up of a judicial commission of inquiry to investigate the debts and determine the real liabilities of the state. But even before the commission could hold its first sitting, the former governor headed to a Lokoja High Court to ask for an injunction stopping the probe. The counsel hired by the state government, Chief Bayo Ojo (SAN) pleaded with the judge, Hon. Justice Daniel Ochimana, to decline jurisdiction, since, according to him, there was the likelihood of bias. Ojo said the judge's wife was a known contractor to the Audu government and that the (judge) was a father-in-law to Audu's, Special Adviser on Domestic and International projects, Mr. Dan Okolo.

The judge who took offence at the application and threatened to jail the lawyer, however granted an injunction against the judicial commission of inquiry. This latest attempt to make sense out of the crushing liability relinquished by the previous administration in spite of the abundant resource at its dispoal may have to wait until the stalemate set by the injunction is resolved.

But a democraticaly elected government cannot afford to meet the people with the excuse that it is being burdened by the debts left by his predecesor and so, can do little to improve their lot. The state is in between the devil and the deep blue sea, as the Idris administration decided to adopt very stringent and unconvential approaches to minimise waste in government expenditure in order to meet with the challenges of providing infrastructure and other services which it must showcase as its achievements.

For instance, no commissioner in the administration can approve any expenses in excess of N10,000 (ten thousand naira), while in the office of the governor, particularly Government House, any financial expenditure, as low as five thousand naira is approved directly by the governor, who is said to normally get into a foul mood the moment an officer or aide approaches him with a memo requiring financial approval.

Idris himself is an example of prudence in resource management. Unlike most governors with a large retinue of aides at local and international trips, Idris travels with a very frugal entourage. Only handful of security men, the director-general of Goverment Protocol, and his ADC are allowed on his convoy. He seldomly travels with the press corps, the special adviser and assistant except he is convinced that they have a specific role to play.

Where he really stands out is in the area of foreign trips. Idris has travelled only twice since assuming office. The first was to South Africa and China early in April. He embarked on the South African trip apparently to woo investors for the state's agriculural projects, with an entourage of two persons, while a similar trip to China attracted an entourage of three made up of the Commissioner for Commerce and that of Justice, and the ADC. This contrasts sharply with other governors, who have already been officially accused of embarking on foreign trips with their federal allocation.

With this, the administration now boasts of appreciable achievements in infrastructure and other arrears of development. In the education sector, 380 primary school classroom blocks have been completed across the state, and the state government targets 700 before the end of the year. Prior to this time, it was unusual to see primary school children learn in habitable classrooms in Kogi, studies were conducted under the shade of trees of dilapidated buildings as all the education budget of the past administration was concentrated on erecting state of the art edifices at the then Prince Abubakar Audu University. Even the State Polytechnic was closed down for almost two years as it could not be funded.

However, while Idris administration is rehabilitating educational infrastucture in the state, it also embarked on subsidising students in secondary and post-secondary institutions. West African Examination Council (WAEC) and National Examination Council (NECO) fees have been subsidised by about 75 per cent while bursary allowances are also being paid to students in higher institutions for the first time in five years.

Apart from education, the administration has also recorded achievements in road construction with the award of three major roads namely: Obehira-Ihima-Ayere; Ankpa-Icheke-Abejukolo-Bagana and Ijowu-Jege-Ejuku roads at the cost of N3.5 billion while one major road has been earmarked in each local government for construction.

To complement the road projects is the narrow Meme bridge at the western entrance of Lokoja, which has been the site of several fatal head-on collisions has now been awarded for expansion and dualisation at the cost of N208 million. This is beside the erosion control measures that have gulped about N22.3 million in the Kogi East senatorial district where roads are easily washed away by erosion. The Idris administration has also made good strides in agriculture, apart from the repayment of the fertiliser loans, 27 tractors and rice processing machines have been procured, while 84 trucks have also been purchased for the extensive farming programme. Farmers and fishermen have also began benefiting from a N500 million revolving loan.

Besides, an accelerated sugar production programme has commenced, and the governor's trip to China is to conclude arrangement for the immediate establishment of a sugar factory at Ibaji in Idah local government area. The factory is expected to commence production by middle of 2005. The trip also included the negotiation of a deal with the Chinese government to set up a youth skills acquisition complex, where youth will be trained in different crafts and skills in the area of health. There is also a general hospital that is being constructed for the state capital, as the existing one has been taken over by the Federal Government leaving Lokoja residents without access to both primary and secondary healthcare.

But the achievement that the government most celebrates is perhaps that of the comprehensive water supply programme that is instrumental to the revival of most water works across the state. In spite of the state being surrounded by rivers, streams, ponds and other surface water, potable clean drinking water in Kogi State was non-existent. In fact, even the Government House, Lokoja was supplied water by tankers through its overhead tanks.

But with the revival of the water works, Lokoja now pumps 700,000 gallons of water daily with a target of 1.7 gallons daily at the end of the year while Okene pumps about 300 gallons daily. Idah pumps one million gallons daily while the Kabba-Ayegunle surface water works is also functioning. Water works in towns like Ajaka, Anyigba, Ugwolawo, Koton-Karfe, Isaolu, Buddon, Eggan, Dekina among other projects have also either began pumping water or are in the process of doing so. Before now, the water projects were either moribound or entirely out of production for 14 or even 16 years.

The governor in a recent interview with a weekly news magazine, said the comprehensive water programme has as its target, the supply of water to each community in the state. This, he said, will be achieved through providing water purifying packages for communities with surface water and those that lack, will be provided with boreholes. The boreholes will be sunk through direct labour and the state has already ordered for borehole drilling rigs from South Africa.

In the interview, Idris also talked about the repayment of all arrears of salaries, allowances, pension and gratuities owed to civil servants which now amounts to N723,302,596.60.

However, his Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Mr Faruk Adejoh-Audu says the governor would have done much more, were the administration not hamstrung by the debts. "Monthly, the sum of N242 million is deducted at source to service the foreign debts and this was achieved only through a protracted negotiation with the Federal Ministry of Finance or it would have been as high as N400 million after the deductions, salaries, emoluments will again gulp another N500 million or more, leaving the state with virtually nothing for development. That this much was achieved is due to the ingenuity of Idris, who ensures that no kobo is wasted," Adejoh-Audu said.

The total debt initially estimated at N56 billion, now stands at over N60 billion as a result of the unstable exchange rate. But even then, Idris says he has no choice other than to stimulate development by whatever means possible or as he puts it himself "I have a business background and I make sure that my one kobo becomes two kobo at the end of the day. So, I would say, I am prudent. Prudence is one gift God gave me. I don't allow room for waste. That is what is seeing me through as Governor of Kogi State."