For many rural families in Kogi State, the promise of a good education runs into an empty classroom.
That is the picture painted by journalist and publisher Prince Bolarin Friday Ogungbemi in an open letter to Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo.
He said public primary and secondary schools are “grossly understaffed” and urgently need teachers.
Ogungbemi claimed the last recruitment in the state’s primary schools was in 2010.
Since then, he said, retirements and other natural exits have steadily drained the system. Nothing has replaced the teachers who left.
He asked rhetorically what the government can offer a rural parent who values education when there are no teachers in the schools near him?
The shortage, he says, is not limited to schools.
He claimed many primary health facilities in rural communities are empty. They were built to serve the people living near them, yet they sit idle.
He asked the governor to address both problems quickly.
Ogungbemi blamed part of the neglect on those closest to power. He describes “hangers-on, political jobbers and sycophants” who tell the governor what he wants to hear.
He alleged that some have begun beating the drum for a second term.
By doing so, he said, they keep their offices and earn rewards, while the real problems stay off the table.
He noted that the next governorship election is expected in November 2027, with primaries around February or March under the Electoral Act 2026.
To illustrate his point, he points to the 2023 APC presidential primary. According to him, canvassers allegedly assured then-Governor Yahaya Bello of victory but failed to secure the full votes of Kogi delegates at the convention.
He also warned that many appointees, party officers and contractors are “fair-weather friends” who will leave when the governor’s term ends.
“Nobody cares where the leadership comes from if they get everything good from the leadership,” Ogungbemi writes.
For him, that means good roads, well-staffed hospitals and schools, water, electricity, security and workers paid on time.
Ogungbemi commends the governor’s efforts so far and urges residents to support him. He says the letter was written in good faith and not to run down the administration.
He also asks Ododo to do justice to all groups and to listen to voices of reason. “Bad leadership will brew violence and good leadership will bring progress,” he says.
His plea is for quick action “before it is too late.”