Tribute to Hon.John Abah
Member Kogi State House of Assembly, Ibaji State Constituency 2015–2020
By Samuel Enimola
My first contact with Hon.John Abah was sometimes in the month May 2015 before the proclamation of the 7th Legislature of Kogi State House of Assembly by immediate former Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Idris Wada in June 2015.
The former Director of Protocol , Kogi State House of Assembly, Mr Ebenezer Adurodija,Mr Felix Udebu ,Publisher Reflection Magazine and my humble self were working on a Publication for the 7th Legislature of the State House of Assembly.
It was at the Hotel where the newly elected lawmakers then were having their
, Seminar/ Retreat to enhance their capacity for optimum performance. He was one of the few elected members we engaged for a Press Chat. It was then I had the privilege of having insight and first hand knowledge of the man,Hon.Abah
.Hon.Abah bared his mind on several issues but specifically on the sufferings of his people. He lamented lack of roads He jokily said the government should give his people road either motorable or not.According to him , cottage hospital was none in existence,not to talk of hospital, there was not electricity supply to any part of the area, no single filling station, no bank and other infrastructural developments.
His mission at the State House of Assembly was no wonder anchored on his avowed zeal and determination to mitigate the sufferings of his people. .Hon Abah never cared to let other Lawmakers and Stakeholders in the state to know that he represented the most backward constituency in the state. He ex pressed his readiness to lobby his fellow lawmakers to ameliorate the sufferings of Ibaji people at every given opportunity.
Immediately the 7th Assembly was proclaimed and inaugurated, his first motion was a call to the State Government to come to the aid of his people by providing motorable roads to link the area with other parts of the state.
Amongst the prayers in his motion was a call to the State Government to repair the only bridge that connected the area with the rest of the people of the state. According to him,the people of his area were cut of from their brothers and sister in Kogi State as a result of the collapse of the only bridge . All his prayers were adopted and the House resolved to write a powerful letter to the State Governor on the need to as matter of urgency repair the collapsed bridge .
He moved several motions under matter of urgent public importance in his bid to draw attention of various government Agencies and MDAs to the growth and development of Ibaji and the need to bring an end to perennial communal clashes in the area.
Notable amongst this was his motion calling on the Federal Government to declare Ibaji as an oil producing area.
At the plenary sitting, he would introduce himself as member representing the most backward local government area in the state.
His love for Ibaji was overwhelming and he would go to any length to meet with people at the helms of affairs to see that resolutions of the House of Assembly on Ibaji are implemented.
One incident remains indelible in my memory. After one of plenary sittings, I was told that he was looking for me.When I eventually met him,he wanted me to write a story to draw the attention of the State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Belllo to the plight and sufferings of his people He did not stop at that..He wanted the story to lead our next Edition of the Newspaper I reported for..I jokingly told him that I will write a news story and caption it “.Ibaji submerge by flood,renders monarch homeless,thousands of people missing”.He laughed and stated not the type of this bad news.I finally wrote a story from on his several motions on bordering on the need to address the problems of his constituents .Thou it was not a lead story but adored the front page. He was happy. This is just to portray his love for his people.
A very humble man .He died with his dreams of making Ibaji move from the most backward local government area in Kogi state to one of the best in the state
.
His death was tragic against the circumstance of his demise,very painful, heartbreaking, a big loss to Ibaji Constituency ,Kogi State Government and Kogi State House of Assembly. May God forgive his shortcomings and grant him eternal rest.