KOGI STATE: HISTORY, GOVERNANCE AND THE CHALLENGE OF BUILDING A NEW NIGERIA After participating in the inauguration of the Presidential Campaign Council of our party, the NDC, yesterday, I travelled to Kogi State today, 27th October 2026, as part of my ongoing series of town hall meetings across the country. In Lokoja, I paid a courtesy visit to the Maigari of Lokoja, His Royal Highness Dr. Alhaji Ibrahim Gambo Kabir Maikarfi IV. I sincerely thank His Royal Highness for receiving us at such short notice. I informed him of our town hall meeting in Lokoja, after which he graciously took time to share with us some of the history of the city. He told us about the historic Holy Trinity Primary School, which was established in 1865 by the Most Reverend Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther and missionaries of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion. It is regarded as the oldest primary school in Northern Nigeria. He also told us about the historic 'Iron of Liberty' monument. Visiting these historic sites was both enlightening and sobering. The Holy Trinity Primary School reminded me that, 161 years after its establishment, Nigeria still has the highest number of out-of-school children in the world. It is concerning that we have not done enough to preserve these legacies or build on the foundations laid by those who came before us. At the 'Iron of Liberty,' I was reminded of the historic collaboration between missionaries and the authorities in the struggle to end the slave trade in Nigeria. My visits to these sites reinforce my comments yesterday about spending all my holidays as President in Nigeria. They also highlight the abundant tourism potential of Kogi State and Nigeria as a whole. From these historic sites, I proceeded to our town hall meeting, organised by our party and candidates, where we had a lengthy and engaging conversation about the contemporary challenges facing our country. During the interaction, we discussed several issues affecting our nation, including corruption, agriculture, tourism in Kogi State, the moribund Ajaokuta Steel Company and other important matters. My response was to reiterate our position that endemic, entrenched and institutional corruption remains at the core of many of the challenges confronting Nigeria today and must be decisively addressed. I reiterated my commitment to uniting and securing our country around a common purpose: investing in health and education, strengthening our productive capacity and pulling our people out of pervasive poverty. I concluded my visit by consoling a business owner whose complex was recently gutted by fire. I also visited traders at Kpata Market, where I interacted with them and received first-hand information about the prevailing economic situation, including the rising cost of goods. The traders complained of low patronage due to reduced disposable income among consumers. I thank the large crowd that attended the event for their warm reception and the fruitful interaction we had. My sincere gratitude goes to the organisers of our town hall meeting in Lokoja, our candidates, and all our party members and participants. A New Nigeria is Possible, and Nigeria will be OK. -PO