The people of Ibaji Local Government Area, Kogi State’s only oil-producing community, have raised strong objections to the recently amended Kogi Oil Producing Area Development Commission (KOSOPADC) Law, describing it as a betrayal of justice and an assault on their constitutional rights.
At a news briefing on Sunday in Abuja, Mr. Apeh Abuchi, President of Ibaji Youths, said the July 2025 amendment to the law—originally enacted in December 2023—deliberately sidelined Ibaji people from leadership and decision-making in the commission set up to manage oil-producing areas.
The event, convened by the Ibaji Youths Foundation, Ibaji Unity Forum, and the National Association of Ibaji Students, framed the amendment as an attempt to erase the role of Ibaji in Kogi’s oil economy.
Abuchi recalled that the original law signed by former Governor Yahaya Bello in December 2023 recognized host communities as the core of the commission. Section Six of the law specifically guaranteed that key leadership positions within KOSOPADC would be reserved for indigenes of oil-producing areas. He noted that this framework mirrored similar commissions in Imo, Ondo, and Delta states, where laws mandate that host communities retain strategic leadership to ensure accountability and community-driven development.
“But the July 25, 2025 amendment,” Abuchi said, “has stripped away those guarantees and diluted Ibaji’s rightful representation.
According to him, the new arrangement zones the chairmanship of the board to Kogi West and the secretaryship to Kogi Central, leaving Kogi East—and Ibaji in particular—without any dedicated strategic position. He called the amendment “a legislative ploy to rob the Ibaji people of their birthright, silence their voices, and deny them the benefits accruing from resources extracted from their ancestral lands.”
Abuchi also slammed the process leading to the amendment as flawed and illegitimate, citing the absence of public hearings or community consultation.
The Ibaji people, he stressed, are demanding that the Kogi House of Assembly reject the amendment and revert to the 2023 law that guaranteed host community leadership in the commission.
“We insist that strategic leadership positions within KOSOPADC must reflect Ibaji’s unique contributions and sacrifices as the sole oil-producing Local Government Area in the state,” Abuchi declared.
Appealing directly to Governor Usman Ododo, he urged the state government and legislators to uphold equity and fairness.
“We appeal to the leadership of Gov. Usman Ododo, the conscience of leaders, the integrity of the Kogi House of Assembly, and the broader Nigerian populace to ensure that the right thing is done regarding the KOSOPADC Law,” he said.
The Ibaji people now frame their fight as not just a struggle for resource control but a battle against political exclusion and legislative injustice in Kogi State.
