Our attention has been drawn to a purported write up orchestrated to cause disaffection between Rt. Hon. (Prince) Matthew Kolawole and the good loving people of Bunu district and also to malign the personality and good records of the member representing Kabba/Bunu State Constituency and Speaker, Kogi State House of Assembly.
Rt. Hon. (Prince) Matthew Kolawole never denied the fact that his father hailed from Gbeleko community in Kabba district while his mother hailed from Aiyetoro-Kiri community in Bunu district as such he has been working assiduously for the overall development of the two districts as a true son that belong to both sides of the local government area.
As a devoted Christian there is no gain saying that it is only God the maker of heaven and earth that determine the destiny of a man whose time is set by Himself, hence no mortal possesses the capacity to say whether it is in his or her power to fulfil destiny for a man until the appointed time set by God is ripe.
However, it is true Rt. Hon. (Prince) Matthew Kolawole contested in 2007 to represent the people of Kabba/Bunu Constituency but despite he was loved by the majority of the electorates then and God in His infinite wisdom felt it was not ripe for him to be, something happened that delay the glory until now that we are witnessing.
Attributing the great success and victory the Speaker had at both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) House of Assembly Party Primary where he defeated his co - contestant with 6 votes, 43 votes against 37 votes and subsequently his overwhelming victory at the General Elections to only Bunu district is not only uncalled for but a deliberate effort to rubbish and tarnish the long age love, unity and peace that has existed among our forefathers in the Local Government Area, as no particular district can lay claims to what God and the people of Kabba/Bunu did before, during and after the said election.
To put the record straight, at the General Election, the Speaker won in only 3 wards in Bunu district, Odo-Ape, Okebukun and Akutupa-Kiri while he lost in Aiyetoro-Kiri, Iluke and Olle-Okeofin respectively.
In Kabba district with 9 wards, he won in Egbeda, Otu, Bolorunduro – Odo-Akete, Aiyewa and Okekoko, 5 wards while in Asuta ward, APC then only won with 4 votes difference, in total, he won 8 Wards against 7, where is the assertion of the above name group come from, if not just because they have ulterior motives to create tensions among the two loving districts.
To God be the glory, Rt. Hon. (Prince) Matthew Kolawole was elected the 12th Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly on the 3rd August, 2017 following the voluntary resignation of the immediate past Speaker, Rt. Hon. Urman Alfa Imam, a feat, none of our representatives in the past, since the Nigeria state got her independent in 1960 has ever achieved.
However, 12 positions where allotted as supporting staff that will assist the Speaker to carry out his functions effectively and efficiently putting professionalism and experience as core issues to determine who occupy those positions.
Therefore, saying that the Speaker appointed his aides without due regard to history and forgetting how Bunu played the joker that gave him victory at both the Party Primary and General Elections is an understatement, since the Speaker has little or no influence on how some of the aides that will be appointed considering the laid down procedures for appointment of such officers and we should also not lose sight of the fact that he is not a Speaker of Kabba/Bunu House of Assembly, rather he is the Honourable Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, that covers the entire state.
To make it clearer to them, the Chief of Staff must be a career person who must have attained a directorate level and working with the State House of Assembly while the Chief Press Secretary must also be a practising Journalist with cognate experience.
Now, we are left with the following positions.
Special Adviser
Chief Protocol Officer
Personal Assistant I
Personal Assistant II
Senior Special Assistant
5 additional Special Assistants
These positions were distributed among the local governments that made up of Kogi West Senatorial District, being a detribalise leader that want to carry everyone along all segments. Among the appointees, we have people from Lokoja, Mopamuro, Yagba –East, Yagba –West, Ijumu and there is no position call Assistant Personal Assistant, both Personal Assistant I and II have the same salary, emolument structure and benefits.
Understanding the enormous responsibilities inherent in such position and realising that only 12 slots would not be enough for the people of his constituency, Rt Hon. (Prince) Matthew Kolawole decided on his own out of his allowance to give employment/appointment to over 70 youths across the fifteen wards. 3 each per wards with Bunu district enjoying 4 slots each from the 6 wards that make up the district.
It is also on records that some individuals in Bunu district then were contacted to be considered for appointment with the Speaker but most of the people contacted decline the offer based on party affiliation, what else do you want him to do.
Rt. Hon. (Prince) Matthew Kolawole is a bonafide son of Bunu land as such no one can determine the number of time he visits or not and if we are to say the number of times, not even as Speaker, we have loss count of how many times he has had cause to visit Bunu either on personal, communal and attending functions geared towards the development of entire Bunland.
The Speaker recognized the laudable roles played by various stakeholders before, during and after the Elections, Bunu Development Association (BDA), Kabba Development Union (KDU) and other associations and groups too numerous to mention hence as a representative, he has been very careful in making sure he carry all of them along by reaching out to them, anytime they call.
However, since Rt. Hon. (Prince) Matthew Kolawole was elected in 2015, despite the early hitches in the State House of Assembly which run through for almost two years in office, his records has surpassed his predecessors’ in all ramifications.
First, he empowered 50 market women to the tune of #500, 000; 3 per ward across the fifteen wards that make up of Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area, plus additional 5, making 50 beneficiaries. He also provided 7 brand new boreholes in 7 wards, 3 in Bunu district, Odo – Ape, Aiyegunle – Igun in Okebukun ward, Olle –Okeofin ward, rehabilitated 1 borehole in Ofere - Bunu while he did same in 4 in Kabba district.
He facilitated 3 block of classrooms in Gori-Bunu and Gbeleko respectively, and presently rehabilitating over 15 boreholes in both Aiyetoro and Akutupa Kiri wards respectively.
On July 1st, 2017 over 300 beneficiaries across the fifteen wards benefited from the empowerment programme he held at the prestigious hall of the St Augustine College, Kabba where materials worth millions of naira were distributed to beneficiaries selected from each ward, Bunu district inclusive.
Early this month, over 120 widows were also reached out to with food stuff, clothing materials, other material and cash worth over 3 million were given to them, and they were also selected based on ward, Bunu district inclusive.
Aside the 2 market women who were also selected across the fifteen wards in the local government, these set of people got #300, 000 while other groups also got #500,000 and #250, 000 each, respectively, Bunu district also inclusive.
On youth development, the Speaker has sponsored Inter- Secondary School Quiz Competitions in Kabba/Bunu where all secondary schools in the constituency participated.
As he continues to reach out to Kabba Students Union (KSU), so he is doing with Bunu Students Union (BSU) who were recently supported with #100, 000, aside other supports to the students union body.
Before the end of this year, the Speaker will also be sponsoring a football competition among the youths across the fifteen wards and 100 youths will also be selected from the 93 polling units in the local government area for skill acquisition training after which they will be given a starter pack that would enable them to start up in various skills they might have acquired.
These are aside financial assistance and support to groups, individual, churches, medical bills, scholarships, the list is endless.
Rt. Hon. (Prince) Matthew Kolawole is among the first representative of the Constituency in recent time to have adopted a consistent town hall briefing on yearly basis to brief his constituents on his activities in the House in the last one year; this year edition is coming later next month.
We would have loved the above name group redirect their efforts by coming forward with good suggestions and lofty ideas that would be geared towards the overall development of not only Bunu district, but the entire constituency, Okunland and the entire state.
We urge the group to be objective and refrain from unwarranted attacks on their representative on social media rather they should cooperate and support the Speaker to focus on gemaine issues relating to the upliftment of the district, not necessarily embarking on campaigns of calumny.
We therefore want to assure Kabba/Bunu people, that the Speaker would continue to provide qualitative representation and leadership that will promote peace, unity and development of not only the constituency but the entire state.
Thank you.
*Femi Olugbemi*
Chief Press Secretary to the Honourable Speaker,
Kogi State House of Assembly
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