Meet the Man – Yahaya Bello, the Executive Governor of Kogi State.
If there is anything expected from those already in their legal/political menopause, it should be words of encouragement for the younger generation having woefully failed them. This is the generation that will not just inherit the mess created and being created by the older generation, they are the ones mostly affected by the mess, always blamed for the mess, and expected to bring Nigeria out of the mess.
The statement that “Niggaz will hate you for whatever you do” is a famous line from the best rapper ever, in the person of Tupac Amaru Shakur. The truism of this statement struck me very recently following the ‘protests’ that greeted the ‘simple’ birthday celebration of Governor Yahaya Bello, the Executive Governor of Kogi State. Just a birthday celebration!
We recall that on June 18, 2021, Governor Bello was celebrated by the people of the Kogi State on the occasion of his 46th birthday anniversary as a mark of appreciation for the uncommon developmental stride being witnessed in the State. It was celebrated in a grand style amidst fanfare. And as expected of occasions celebrating greats, it was not going to be for the Kogi people alone as the party was literarily hijacked by people from outside of the state, most especially accomplished celebrities who continued to troop in one after the other to felicitate with the Governor.
Prominent among these included John Mikel Obi (former Super Eagles Skipper and European Champions League Winner with Chelsea FC), Kelechi Iheanacho (2021 FA Cup winner with Leicester City), Kamarudeen ‘Kamaru’ Usman (the famed Mixed Martial Artist), Odion Jude Ighalo and Ahmed Musa (of Super Eagles), Austin ‘JJ’ Okocha (one of the mentors of Ronaldinho), E-money, Kcee, Destiny Etiko, Cubana Chief Priest. As it turned out, the celebrities also used the occasion as an opportunity to pledge support for the political aspirations of Governor Bello.
Recall also that Governor Yahaya Bello recently indicated an interest in contesting the presidential elections in 2023 following pressure from his supporters nationwide. As he noted, “Nigerians, the youth and women, and all Nigerians, including very objective elites are asking me to run for President in 2023”. This statement which has earned the quintessence governor more support among the youths of the country, who have all but gotten tired of the gerontocracy being witnessed since 1999.
In fact, according to the former Super Eagles Skipper, the youths of this country should be given a chance to get the change Nigerians long for. Mikel Obi added that Nigerians want a youth to contest for the president in 2023 and publicly endorsed Yahaya Bello as the right candidate.
But the birthday of the Governor and the political support by the celebrities have not been totally approved by some persons in the society, most of whom have been part of the mess needing clean-up or have been among the impotent spectators who prefer to watch passively from their holes. Or what Tupac referred to as “scavengers, waiting to take a hustler’s place”. The most vocal was, Dino Melaye (a former Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria), who berated Governor Bello for inviting celebrities to his birthday instead of inviting politicians [like him] to commission projects! To Melaye, “when other governors are inviting President, V.P., Governors and Eminent personalities to commission projects, Yahaya Bello is inviting celebrities and jekinje individuals to endorse him and party ….”
Well, I quite understand the well-founded grievance of Melaye having been deliberately ignored; I mean, how could Governor Bello throw such a big party without inviting SDM – Mr. Flamboyant – a former Senator – from Kogi State and Bello’s ‘only capital project in the state’? Such is not fair by any standard, and I must say, Bros no try at all.
That notwithstanding, Melaye addressed the issue wrongly, particularly with his language. One should ask Senator Melaye, wherein the developed world, politicians invite people to commission projects carried out for the state, with state funds and by persons elected to do just that? Providing amenities and infrastructure are part of governance, and nothing more. How does a father celebrate buying a TV set for his home or sending his kids to school or providing accommodation for his family? In any case, we have always known that little things are great to little men!
The former Senator also mentioned, “jekinje individuals to endorse him”! It is difficult to see who Melaye was referring to as jekinje individuals. I mean, among the dignitaries stated to have graced the glamorous occasion were Chief Femi Fani Kayode, Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, AGF Abubakar Malami, Buba Marwa, Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege amongst many others. Maybe I do not know the real meaning of jekinje! Never mind, Governor Yahaya Bello will have you in mind when next he’s celebrating! I mean, birthday nor fit cause problem nau, another one go com!
But while it is okay to sympathise with Melaye, even though he went about the protest wrongly, the recent comments made by Professor Itse Sagay that, he “did not see what record Yahaya Bello will campaign with”; apparently referring to Bello’s presidential campaign, is somewhat uninformed and bias.
With due respect my learned Professor of Law, such comments are not just uncalled for and wrongly timed, they are capable of increasing the already visible divide between the older generation and the younger ones. If there is anything expected from those already in their legal/political menopause, it should be words of encouragement for the younger generation having woefully failed them. This is the generation that will not just inherit the mess created and being created by the older generation, they are the ones mostly affected by the mess, always blamed for the mess, and expected to bring Nigeria out of the mess. I mean, Prof. – respect does not diminish as a result of silence.
Also, we do not know how many previous presidential aspirants have campaigned with impressive records. It is not definitely Fela Durotoye or Omoyele Sowore or other very obscure individuals who took shots at the presidency in 2019. Yet, they were not discouraged or aspersed simply because they were ambitious, even though most had no record to show or business being there anyway. Or even worse, what records did Prof. Sagay’s present principal show before contesting the presidential elections?
In any case, and for the record, Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State is the youngest governor in Nigeria. This alone is a record sufficient to campaign. Put simply: Yahaya Bello can start by stating that: If I am able to govern Kogi State from the age of 41; I have the stamina to pilot the affairs of this country come 2023 without going out of the country for regular medical check-ups. And I must add, Yahaya Bello is the only governor that is not afraid of the media-scientific community hyped Covid-19. To him, “whether medical experts and scientists, believe it or not, COVID-19 is out to shorten the lifestyle of the people, it is a disease propagated by force for Nigerians to accept.” Little wonder Pastor Enoch Adeboye described Governor Bello as “a man of faith whose handling of the coronavirus pandemic was an inspiring indication of stoic faith”. Who knows what the expected variants of the virus would bring in the coming period?
He is therefore not expected to force Western vaccines through our veins for virus which has some of its effects less devastating as the endemic diseases we battle as a nation. A vaccine that we know will not prevent the next variant of virus being manufactured!
Let us input another meaning to Professor Sagay’s notion of record’. Did he mean visible achievements of the Yahaya Bello as the Governor of Kogi State. Well, discernment is relative, depending on the individual, environment, and of course, age. You choose what you want to acknowledge, it’s a human choice.
In other words, just because Governor Bello does not call people to commission projects in the state does not mean he has been idle. Far from those notions. If anything, with a few exceptions, Kogi State ranks as the fastest-developing state in Nigeria, relative of its resources.
Let us meet the man – Governor Yahaya Bello, the young Executive Governor of Kogi State.
The Man Yahaya Bello
Described as “the elephant of Nigeria’s political space”, Governor Yahaya Bello is truly a gift to the Nigerian youths that are in search of political direction. Born in Okene, Kogi State on June 18, 1975, and the youngest of six children, Bello holds a B.Sc. in Accounting, and Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the Ahmadu Bello University. Bello became a chartered fellow of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria in 2004.
As a Corp member, Bello made significant strides worth noting while working with Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) in the early 2000s, where he was later offered automatic employment after the completion of his compulsory service.
Yahaya Bello entered political limelight in 2015 when he was declared winner of the Kogi gubernatorial election after he was chosen on the platform of the All Progressives Congress as the replacement for the late Abubakar Audu who originally won the election but died before the result was declared. On the 16th of November 2019, Bello was re-elected after he defeated the PDP opposition by over 200,000 votes.
Since then, Governor Bello has steered Kogi State in a positive direction. Until 2016, “Kogi State was known to be the least developing despite being the most endowed naturally among all the States of the Federation. With over 42 mineral resources available in the State before the ascendancy of Governor Yahaya Bello, Kogi State was described as backwardly and retrogressing in the committee of States. Despite being strategically located and viable for prosperity, the State was economically comatose, socially torpid, business-wise sluggish and politically volatile as killings, maims and arsons were the other of the day. The emergence of Yahaya Bello was a blessing in disguise to Kogites as he swung into action immediately he was sworn into the office by putting up a blueprint that would put the State on a path of steady progress.” His administration has touched important areas plaguing the state including Security, Education, Health, etc.
In the area of security, Governor Bello has moved Kogi from being among the least secured state to now seat among the most secured in Nigeria. He is not referred to as the Lion just like that; he knows his responsibility to secure his territory. Recall that until 2016, Kogi was the hub of inter-state criminal activities in Nigeria owing to its strategic features having boundaries with about ten states including the FCT. Governor Bello recognised this problem and had to act immediately on his assumption of office in 2016. Bello believed that, an efficiently secured state is crucial for sustainable development. With this in mind, the governor has committed considerable resources in providing security equipment for the state security forces, including the provision of over 200 operational patrol vehicles, 200 motorcycles and other gadgets to boost security of the state. He also included local vigilantes in the task of securing Kogi State amounting to about 3000 tutored by 44 instructors for 8 weeks. 260 motorcycles and 10 Hilux vans were given to them for their operations.
Education is also a priority of Governor Yahaya Bello. The governor has made efforts to attract seasoned teachers from within and outside of the state to improve the standard of education of Kogi citizens. The governor has successfully completed the Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH), Osara in Kogi State. It has the administrative block, blocks of classrooms, Auditorium, Library, Multipurpose and workshop laboratories. It recently commenced registration of students offered admission to read various courses at the institution. Adverts have been placed for qualified teachers to help improve the manpower of the school, regardless of their origin, and that in itself speaks highly of a man who is regardless of tribes or place. Also, there is the construction of Library Extension at Kogi State College of Education (Technical), Kabba; and completion of the hostel accommodation project at Government Science Secondary School, Icheke, Omala Local Government Area in the state.
In the area of healthcare, the governor has been very responsive to the plight of the people of the state, particularly pregnant women and nursing mothers. The governor introduced Healthcare Plus as an intervention mechanism introduced to help pregnant women and nursing mothers. The program has made it possible for pregnant women to have access to no-cost medical services across the State. The administration has done lots of recruitment, training and re-training of Health Workers on various specialities. Medical facilities have been renovated across the state in order to achieve the goals of Healthcare Plus programme.
Of importance is Governor Yahaya Bello’s administration agenda of inclusion known as the Ebigo Agenda. Governor Yahaya Bello believes that Kogi State is the microcosm of Nigeria and such reflect same in area of appointments, recognition, etc. It is not surprising that unlike most other states of the Federation where appointments are the exclusive reserve of the indigenes or a particular group in the state, Governor Bello relies on merit in diversity to make appointments. So we find person from the core ethnic groups and other groups as political appointees in the state.
Gender equality is in Bello’s consciousness. To date, Bello is the only governor in Nigeria with a female Aide de Camp (ADC). He does not see any difference between a male and a female. In fact, he has recently clamoured for equal bonuses for both male and female footballers at the national team which currently stands at $3,000 as winning bonuses for female compared to the men’s $10,000.
Who Does the Cap Now Fit?
The more you bear the burden of leadership, the more you realize that people, and not things, events or places, matter the most. This places on you a demand to place your people and their welfare at the heart of your leadership”- Alhaji Yahaya Bello.
Without mincing words, Nigeria is pointing towards the direction of a failed state short of the vibrant youth, the oil from the Niger Delta still running the engine of the nation, and especially the Grace of God. The United States need not rub it on our face; we see it, we feel it. President Muhammadu Buhari has obviously done what he deems best for the country, just that the country is moving backward in terms of development. The only thing that is striving in Nigeria right now is CORRUPTION – being the mother of every other malaise plaguing this nation, including insecurity. However, we do not need to go too far tracing how we got to this point; even though it is tempting to point to the first general election in 1959 that was compromised by the British, and the overzealous posture of the January 15, 1966 coup. We should leave this part of our history for now, and let us fast-forward to 1999.
The emergence of Democracy in Nigeria in 1999 was greeted with much euphoria akin to that accompanying Independence in October in 1960. It ended a lengthy period of military rule and series of political experiments. Then again, it failed before it even started. Gen Olusegun Obasanjo (rtd.) emerged as winner of the 1999 presidential election! I mean, of all the political candidates that graced that fateful election, he was about the least qualified/intelligent. Even worse, he was just fresh out of jail and in normal climes needed rehab. Yet, he defeated Olu Falae! But you can make effort to mock Democracy, but you cannot cheat on it. We saw how Obasanjo contributed his own share at building the nation by manipulating the 2003 elections and making effort to prolong his stay in power by forcing the hands of the Legislature to twist the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Let us not mention other instances of executive recklessness which were witnessed in the said period. The whole thing resulted from the simple fact that Olusegun Obasanjo was not cut out for governance at that age as a civilian ruler! He did not conceive it talk less of planning such. He emerged as a candidate, as a compromise (over what I do not know), and the power that be helped him win the election. As otherwise, how could Lagos vote Olu Falae to the tune of over one million, while Obasanjo got that figure in Kano? In any case, since Obasanjo showed the way, we have had rulers that were either not ready for the task or too old and sick for the task.
Now for the first time in our recent history, a vibrant, young and educated nationalist has indicated interest in running for the presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and we have people rationalising the possibility, quality, clout, etc., of Yahaya Bello! I thought section 131 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 is clear on the qualification for the office president of Nigeria. In fact, of all the persons that has ruled this country since 1999, who among them is better qualified than Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State? None that I know of, and as MI stated, we are not saying that Yahaya Bello is the best, just show us who is better than him.
Governor Yahaya Bello has more than enough credentials to pilot the affairs of this great but corruption-crippled country if given the opportunity. He has the experience and he is also a team player. At least, nepotism would not be part of his administration, recourse to the Ebigo Agenda currently at play in Kogi State. We all know that most administration in Nigeria since 1999 have been operated according to the principle of nepotism – favouring friends, clansmen for positions needing people with merits. Again, Governor Yahaya Bello is most likely going to work with serious-minded and accomplished people who have made their mark in different endeavours. Just imagine ‘JJ’ Okocha as NFF President Who do we have there now?
Also, Governor Yahaya Bello understands the task that awaits him, flowing from the yearnings/suffering of the Nigerian youths. As he noted, “I believe it is high time that we looked into capacity, who can do the job, who is going to unify this country. And I think they are seeing something in me that they are asking me to come and unite and fix this country”. The task of governance is not an easy task that can be undertaken on a part-time basis. It is a task needing all attention and capable hands to undertake, and Governor Bello has demonstrated this as governor of his state evident in the pace of development in the State [see, www.kogipedia.net]. It is on record that no state has progressed at such pace in recent times. Replicating same at the national level would not be much of a problem, having like-minded people with him.
Therefore, the haters should park to one because for now, there is no other candidate that is half convincing as Governor Yahaya Bello. Maybe in due course others will come out to indicate interest, but until then Governor Yahaya Bello is the BOLD man for the rescue mission. We need such boldness at this critical junction of world’s history when Cancel Culture is the new order. Let us imagine that the Federal government kept everybody at home for another year over a virus that is incapable of competing with malaria just because SCIENCE said so? We never really appreciate the challenges ahead of us until we become neck-deep into it. May God help us.
