By Abdullateef Bamgbose<\/p>\n
The spectacle witnessed in Otukpo on October 30, 2026, was more than a ceremony. It was a powerful commentary on the state of political leadership and public service in Benue South.
\nFor decades, the General Hospital, Otukpo, built in the early 1970s, has shared a boundary with Jesus College, Otukpo, and Ikobi village. The residents and students around the hospital have not only shared its physical boundaries; they have also shared the pains associated with it\u2014the wailing of bereaved families, the blaring sirens of ambulances and the movement of hearses whenever patients die.<\/p>\n
But on October 30, the familiar atmosphere of mourning was temporarily replaced by dancing, singing and celebration.<\/p>\n
Chief Godwin Obla, SAN, alongside Abuja-based engineer Agaba Ikwue and other philanthropists, brought hope to a community accustomed to grief.<\/p>\n
Women danced. People sang. The hospital premises became a place of celebration rather than mourning.
\nThe symbolism could not have been more powerful: where politicians have repeatedly promised, private citizens are delivering. Where political leaders have sought votes, philanthropists have provided services.<\/p>\n
The Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Agida, reportedly confirmed the scale of the transformation, recalling that when he assumed office about two years ago, there was virtually nothing on the ground.<\/p>\n
The conversion of the General Hospital into a teaching hospital and the establishment of the Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo, represented a historic development for Benue South and Idomaland.<\/p>\n
Many politicians, from former Senate President David Mark to Senator Abba Moro, can legitimately point to legislative efforts that contributed to the establishment of the university.
\nBut legislation alone does not constitute service.
\nPassing a bill, securing political approval or taking credit for the establishment of an institution cannot be the end of leadership. The real test begins when the institution requires infrastructure, equipment, personnel and sustained support to serve the people.<\/p>\n
That is where the political class appears to have failed woefully.<\/p>\n
While Chief Obla, Agaba Ikwue, Adapoyi and other individuals were commissioning a paediatric unit, amenity facilities and children’s wards built through private intervention, many politicians were busy preparing for the 2027 elections.<\/p>\n
The question is unavoidable: where are the politicians when the people need them?<\/p>\n
Where are the serving and former senators? Where are the serving and former members of the House of Representatives? Where are the local government chairmen, serving and former? Where are the political leaders who have spent decades asking these same people for their votes?
\nThe absence of prominent political figures at an event of such importance speaks volumes.<\/p>\n
Senator David Mark’s absence, in particular, was noticeable given his long political association with Benue South and his 16 years in the Senate, including eight years as President of the Senate.
\nThe same question applies to Senator Abba Moro, who has consistently highlighted his role in the legislative process that culminated in the
\n establishment of the Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo.
\nIf political leaders can claim credit for institutions, they should also be prepared to take responsibility for ensuring that those institutions function effectively.
\nLeadership cannot be reduced to commissioning ceremonies, political rallies, campaign posters and election-day promises.
\nThe irony is particularly painful in a state confronting insecurity, poor infrastructure and inadequate healthcare.<\/p>\n
Even the arrival of the 35 Artillery Brigade in Otukpo, which should have been a major security development for the people, reportedly required private individuals, including General Adoga and Chief Godwin Obla, to provide accommodation and other facilities for the brigade’s take-off.<\/p>\n
This raises a fundamental question about the meaning of public service.
\nIf individuals can provide hospital wards, equip medical facilities, support security formations and invest their personal resources in communities, what exactly are elected representatives doing with the enormous political influence and public resources entrusted to them?<\/p>\n
The answer cannot always be another election.
\nThe people of Zone C deserve more than politicians who appear only when elections are approaching.
\nThey deserve representatives who will be present when hospitals are struggling, when schools lack facilities, when communities are threatened by insecurity and when young people have no opportunities.<\/p>\n
They deserve leaders who understand that political office is a responsibility, not an inheritance.<\/p>\n
It is therefore difficult not to condemn the attitude of politicians who spend years in public office but become suddenly visible only when they need another mandate.<\/p>\n
The 2027 elections should not be another season of empty promises.
\nPoliticians seeking the votes of the people of Benue South should first explain what they have done with the mandates they previously received.<\/p>\n
They should tell the people how many hospitals they built, how many schools they equipped, how many communities they supported and how many lives they transformed\u2014not merely how many political rallies they attended.<\/p>\n
The lesson from Otukpo on October 30 is clear.
\nService does not always require a political office.
\nChief Godwin Obla, Agaba Ikwue and others demonstrated that individuals can make meaningful interventions when they choose to put humanity above politics.
\nAnd perhaps the most embarrassing part for the political class is this:
\nIn a place known for death and mourning, ordinary citizens came together and made hope dance\u2014while many politicians were busy dancing around the next election.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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