By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor

Captain Idris Wada became governor of Kogi State after a 35 year experience as a pilot with more than 15,000 hours of intercontinental and domestic flying time. The flying experience navigating through bad weather, storms, clouds and such like, the new Kogi governor believes, has partly given him the emotional steadiness to confront the diverse and deep rooted problems of the State.

Governor Wada in this interview elaborates on the issues he has so far confronted on ground, his efforts in peacemaking with political detractors and his vision for the Confluence State.
Excerpts:

What inspired you to vie for the Kogi governorship?
Having travelled far and wide, and all over the World as a professional pilot, I feel that Nigeria is ready for transformation and to champion this cause is quality leadership.

I will do my best to contribute to the transformation of my country. That is what motivated me to run for the race of Governor of Kogi State. It was not an easy race. It was very complex with all kinds of political interests but I remain focused and that is precisely the benefit of being a pilot of 35 years’ experience with 15,000 hours of intercontinental and domestic flights.

What are the challenges?
Of course, in flying, there are challenges. We have turbulence, cloud, rain, storm, malfunctioning equipment and instrument that have to be managed. These prepared me for the challenges ahead. I took some of the criticism, challenges, backbiting and all that, as part of the things you face in life, and by the grace of God, I was able to overcome them by being focused.

I was not replying nor answering various lies being promoted around me, believing that I will have a day to explain these things at a time that is appropriate not on an agenda dictated by those who my detractors.

I intend to provide exemplary leadership. Leadership is by example. Leadership is based on discipline, accountability, transparency. We will focus on equity, justice and fairness to all our people. We have issues of tribe and religion. We will try and put Kogi first where the interest of Kogi rises above interest of individuals.

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We believe that with prudent management of available resources coupled with exemplary leadership style, the state will move to the next level. When a leader is seen to be fair, when things are seeing happening at appropriate cost, not inflated cost, people will join hands with the government. Precisely, that is our mission, that it what we intend to do.

On infrastructure
One of the first things I did as governor was to pay a surprise visit to the Kogi State University. I wanted to see things, the way they were without any preparation to receive the governor. So very early in the morning I took off from Lokoja and they notified the Vice-Chancellor, only when we were half way. I was able to see things, the way, they are. I was very happy, it was not too bad and we can improve on that.

A similar visit was paid to the state owned polytechnic. The same way, I was highly impressed with the initiative of the rector and what they have done with the limited resources available. I promised them that I was going to improve on the facilities, for them to thrive academically.

What we are trying to do in kogi in terms of tertiary education is to stop them from struggling for accreditation, accreditation should be taken, and we should be striving towards excellence. We want to be centres of Excellence in various aspects of our lives. So, Kogi is ready to take off. I have garnered experience of flying over the years, we have done our checklist, Kogi is fueled, fly plan is filed, we are ready to takeoff.

On Information Technology
We have a programme that within our first twelve months, all our key officials must be computer literate and using computers for what they are doing. So, we are going to computerize a lot of our activities, in order to have proper data for actions of government.

I am a contented man, I am  not looking for more or fame, but I decided at this time I am going to serve our people, so no matter what challenges I meet on the way, I believe I am well prepared to take them on as we go along.

What concrete efforts are being put in place to reconcile the warring factions?
The efforts are concrete. We have a 17-man reconciliation team which I constituted immediately after the primary in September 2012 last year. I have visited a lot of them, I have met Jibrin severally, but he is not forthright, he is not coming forward.

He is not receptive to my approaches to him. In fact, there was a day, we came out of the FCT High Court in Abuja and they filed a subterranean case against me but of course through our own information system, we appeared in court and asked to be joined in that case. After the session, we met outside waiting for our cars and I went to shake him and one of his men kicked my hands off and he looked away.

He could have told the man I want to greet. Severally like that. We had a meeting, the president invited us for a reconciliation meeting and when I came I went round the tables shaking all the aggrieved and non-aggrieved parties and when I came to shake him he didn’t take my hand!

There were witnesses but eventually the president reconciled us and we embraced each other and I thought that was the end but…most of the others have come on board and they are working. Sola Akonmade was a contestant, he is here with us.

Alhaji Isa Kutepa is here, he is my brother and he is a major part of our team we are working together, many of them. Justice Party candidate for example has even paid me an official visit and has withdrawn her case. She did it on her own.
I have done a lot practically to unite the people.

Alhaji Abubakar Audu it was no pretence, he invited me and I attended believing that by this point in time by the grace of God, I am “father” of all Kogi citizens, so I decided that if a prominent Kogi son of Audu’s standing is inviting me, I should honour them and I did.

We shook hands, we hugged and I told them we may have our political differences, that is another matter, but as human beings we are friends. Abubakar Audu has been my friend for over 30years. Politics should not take that away from us. He is a man of principle and sometimes we should just agree to disagree.

How have you managed to settle the issue of two persons being inaugurated to the same office the same day?
In the spirit of reconciliation and looking forward, we have been able to manage it. We have a political party, the two of us who were involved are from the same party, we have a national leadership, so we approached them to intervene and with the quality leadership of Mr. Vice-President the issues were resolved amicably at the end of the day and I have opened my arms to receive both the Speaker and the Chief Judge who were principal in the whole thing.

I have visited the Attorney General several times and I believe now that we are fully reconciled and are moving forward. This morning before I left the speaker phoned me to wish me a safe trip. So we are fully reconciled into one solid PDP family in Kogi State.