Governor Yahaya Bello: THE JOURNEY SO FAR

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By: Idris Isah Itopa, mnim
Arewa Trust Newspaper, Abuja
[08035130045]

Politics in Nigeria means many things to different people for some, the platform presents an opportunity to meet the expectations of the people who have given them the mandate to serve. But for others, it is once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get their share of the national cake. Certainly, Governor Yahaya Bello, falls in the first category. His track records since inauguration into office seven and half years into office has not only become a reference point in good governance, fast resounding across all sections in Kogi state.
Immediately after his inauguration as the fourth Executive governor of Kogi state, governor Bello, undoubtedly, was not new to the challenges facing the 33-year old state, having being passionately being following up the developmental slow stride of the past administrations in the state. He left no one in doubt that he already had his job well cut for him to propel the state towards the path of rapid development.

The accountant and a pragmatic political leader was burning in an unquenchable desire to deliver on his campaign promises. He promised to bring about changes in the gamut of approach, perception in government/people relationship as he identifies certain areas his administration considered as priority, that is youth empowerment, agriculture, harnessing the untapped mineral resources to diversity the economy of the state, infrastructure, security and rural development. While many governors seem to relent in their second term in office, governor Yahaya Bello show no sign of slow-down in project executions. In the last seven and half years in office, the governor has recorded over 100 legacy projects and commissioned.
Interestingly, Governor Interestingly, Governor Yahaya Bello has brought his vision, passion, humanity, pedigree and above all, his dexterity and Midas Touch to bear on governance in the state’s socio-economic landscape of the state. Across the 21 local government area of the state, there is a congruence of opinion that governor Bello is a detribalized leader that never was in the state. He has so far met the expectations of the people through visionary leadership. Within the seven and half years of being in the office, even his staunch critics would not hesitate to disavow their rather ill-informed criticism of the Kogi state on his watch.
Yahaya Bello’s prudence leadership character and credibility are the coming of various development partners to the state, and the results are so far remarkable, Kogi is now in the ease of doing business in Nigeria and has been adjudged the safest and most peaceful state in the North-central geopolitical zone of the country.
From agriculture, health, security, education to the remodeling mentality of creating an enabling environment and instituting clear-headed policies in line with the required development goals, governor Bello has mapped out informed key policies and programmes in these major sectors. On education, Governor Yahaya Bello and of course, the establishment of two citadels learning, Confluence University of Science and Technology and the recently established Kogi state University, Kabba, are unbeatable legacies and landmark achievements of Governor Yahaya Bello.
The primary role of every government, both federal, state, even local government, is protection of life and property of the people he governs. In Nigeria, however, this primary responsibility has seemed herculean; most governments seem unable to fulfill this mandate, especially in the Northern part of the country where insecurity has become endemic. It is common to hear of banditry and terrorist attacks in almost all states in the North, but not in Bello’s Kogi state. The pro-active governor, rather than throw up his hands in the air and wait for the federal government, he developed a home-grown solution that has served the state well and warded off marauders from wreaking havoc on his compatriots.
The Secret? While other governors are still awaiting the outcome of the debate over the contentious issue of state police, the Kogi state government has installed a community policing system that has made Kogi state unarguably the safest state today in the insecurity endemic region of the country. He assembled and registered over 10,000 hunters and vigilantes from across the 21 local government areas of the state to help other security agencies in fighting the menace of the banditry, kidnapping and other crimes in the state which has being yielding fruitful results.
This programme, undoubtedly, achieve two things: apart from tackling criminals, it is also providing youths employment to reduce restiveness in the society. For, as the saying goes that, “idle brain, they say, is the devil’s workshop”. The hunters not only provide intelligence to security agencies, they engage with and chase of the suspected bandits from their camps, arrest them and hand them over to the security forces.
Working in collaboration with security agencies, the registered hunters also carry out routine patrols in every nook and cranny of the state and dislodge suspected bandits camp in the bush. In this way the people of Kogi state and travelers largely spared from attacks, intimidation or harassment by criminal gangs in the state.
Governor Bello has continued to point the way forward and raised the bar, quietly challenging leaders at all tiers of government to realize the difference that vision, creativity, focus and persistence can make in the life of a state. In every part of the state, the mark of good governance is all too striking, road construction with zonal spread, re-engineering schools, rehabilitated and well-equipped hospitals, economic empowerment, infrastructural development and agricultural transformation.
Furthermore, the remodeling and urban renewal of the capital city speak volumes of the vision of Governor Yahaya Bello giant stride achievement in the state. The first flyover in the state has been watered to fruition by the pragmatic governor. The project has complimented the beauty and rating of Lokoja in terms of aesthetics.
Mindful of the fact that a good network of roads is critical to the economic revival and development of a state like Kogi, which is an agrarian state, governor Yahaya Bello, embarked on execution of road projects as part of efforts to industrialize the state. A sight to behold now is a New Kogi where various parts are well linked up via good road. The people of Kogi state now attest to the fact that road construction and rehabilitation is indeed an initiative that is relative to their economic value.
The health sector which hitherto has terribly neglected by the previous administration, is now enjoying better funding, adequate facilities and programmes for the people’s good health. Apart from the state-of-the-art State Specialist Hospital; the Referral Hospital in Okene, that was recently commissioned by the immediate past President of Federal Republic of Nigeria, Alhaji Muhammadu Buhari (GCFN), this crucial sector has been given a new lease of life under the watchful of governor Yahaya Bello, as witnessed in the various Collage hospitals, general hospitals, state primary care programme and revitalization of at least one primary health centre in each local government of the state, and of course the introduction of the State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency, which will no doubt improve access to good healthcare in the state. All these visionary measures largely contributed to rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the state which ensured Kogi state had one of the least incidence and fatality throughout the country.
One other focal point of governor Yahaya Bello’s landmark achievement is in the upliftment of educational standard in the state, of course the establishment of two citadels of learning, the Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUST), Okene, Kogi Central and the recent established Kogi State University, Kabba, Kogi West, an unbeatable legacy and landmark achievement of governor Yahaya Bello on education sector in the state.
One of the Governor Bello’s watch, is agriculture which is the mainstay of the state has been redefined and benefitted from the state government’s proactive management through generous funding, contrary to what obtained in the past. Farmers have benefitted tremendously from the state’s procurement and distribution of subsidized fertilizers to farmers. The state government has also built research centres and adopted modern techniques to increase yields and productivity in both animal production and fisheries.
One other area of the far-reaching reforms that represent major and challenged achievements of the governor Yahaya Bello administration is the Civil Service Reform in the state. While the reform ensured an invigorated and high-performing bureaucracy to reposition the civil service for properly tackle and ensure effective service delivery.
Interestingly, before the emergence of Yahaya Bello, as the 4th civilian governor of the state, there was strong existence of mutual suspicion, tribal sentiment and indifference among the diverse ethnic group in the state, but as Alhaji Yahaya Bello came on board, he came with the change Barton; the issue of tribal and ethnic sentiments was completely buried and thrown out to the dogs. In order to demonstrate deep in his interest to unit the good people of Kogi state, the desired interest have achieved, Kogi state is now a united entity.
No doubt, with what Governor Yahaya Bello has achieved in the last seven years in all sectors of the state and coupled with his determination not to rest on his oars, it is certain that before the next six months when he would be expected to wind up of his administration, holds greater prosperity and development for the people of the state.

 

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