Baba Ojonugwa Jfo: The Euphoria of August 27, 1991, Marking The Birth of Kogi State

I can never forget that Tuesday in 1991, it was some minutes past 7 pm and we were backstage getting set to open the show for the Benue state troupe...

''WE'' were John Attah, Victor Tsetim, Innocent Idibia (2face) & myself (J.F.O).

The theatre hall of the Benue state Government house was the place & the Benue state cultural troupe had a command performance titled KPAKANYU written by a youth corps member Emman Dan Daura (who is now a professor of theatre arts at the Nassarawa state university).

The play was directed by Martin Adaji ( who was an assistant director with Benue state arts council & eventually became & retired as a director with the national troupe Iganmu Lagos).

As we waited for the arrival of Fidelis Makka the then military administrator of Benue state; Martin Adaji who knew my spontaneous composition ability called me aside & asked if I could do a song about Kogi, he handed me a Pen & paper on which I wrote the song -

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF THE PEOPLE OF KOGI STATE, 

WE USE TO BE MAKURDI BUT NOW LOKOJA, 

WE THANK YOU, 

WE THANK YOU BABANGIDA.

We were the first to open the show and I performed the song immediately the administrator was sitting with Innocent Idibia and Victor Tsetim as backup vocalists with John Attah giving us instrumental backing.

We got thunderous applause and the song became an anthem for all Kogi citizens as the exodus to Lokoja began.

Mohammed Adama of Radio Benue FM & one lady that eventually joined federal radio (whose name I can't recall ) played the song continuously till their departure to lokoja after some months.

Our musical group was popularly known back then as the Black universe, we were students of Mount Saint Gabriel's Secondary School and we were preparing to write our final exams when the Benue state arts council troupe asked that we joined them for that command performance.

The rest like they say is history.

(c) 2022 | Baba Ojonugwa J.F.O.