YAHAYA BELLO: Demystifying His Critics With Undeniable Performances In Kogi State By Precious Eze.

Yahaya Bello of Kogi State.

In recent times, I have been wondering why the governor of Kogi State, His Excellency, Yahaya Bello has not been in the news, and when I say, has not been in the news, I am not talking about news that are favorable to him, but NEWS, that is, stories and articles written to malign, castigate and insult his person by people who not only do not know him as a person, but do not know the story of Kogi State.

 

Yahaya Bello before the November 19, 2019 governorship election in the state, experienced or for lack of a better word, faced the worst of politically motivated campaigns of calumny against his government on all mediums of social expression in the history of the state by those who felt they owned the state, therefore, who (the hell he was) to have come from nowhere to be governor without a godfather for not just once, but was going to return for the second time, and they forgot that it is God who makes, gives and takes power?

From one accusation to another, cooked-up stories were flying across the airwaves and online platforms with people of diverse means believing without cross-checking the veracity of majority of the stories written against him in a bid to tarnish his image, malign him and make him unsellable to the people of Kogi who were already divided on party lines and to stop him from winning the election.

But the purpose of this is to examine how these enemies of Governor Yahaya Bello suddenly lost their voices and wits immediately he won the governorship election and as we all can see, there are no more false accusations, no name callings, no campaign of calumny against him. 

Two of the major accusations raised against Yahaya Bello then were the issues of non-payment workers salaries in the state and then, the blame that he was responsible for the death of those who decided to take their own lives out of frustration asides the huge insecurity challenges the state was bedeviled with before he became governor of the state.

Today, no one talks about the issue of salaries anymore in Kogi State, as the governor has succeeded in off-setting all salary areas with workers smiling to the banks, including the many months he inherited from administrations before his. The shocking revelation in this fact is that the same people who took sides with those against Yahaya Bello to malign him are not bold enough to acknowledge in public that he has done well in making sure that Kogi workers are not owed anymore, a promise he made to them during his second term campaigns that has been fulfilled to the fullest.

There are no incidence of suicide anywhere in Kogi state as the trend has shifted to Edo State where a lecturer took his own life recently and no has offered any appreciation to Yayaya Bello for this, including the transparency and freedom he accorded the agencies investigating one of his Commissioners who was accused of the abuse of a lady in the state, a fit only a governor who is drawn to women’s welfare can achieve.

During his campaigns for reelection, the Governor highlighted some of the achievements of his administration, particularly in the areas of infrastructure, security, agricultural development, youth empowerment and the creation of employment opportunities, the Ejiba rice milling factory which he said cost over four billion naira and has the capacity to employ about five thousand youth, the flagging off the 10km Kabba-Ottu-Okedayo and 40km Kabba – Oke Ofun – Ayede – Iluke roads project, the inauguration of the World Bank/Community and Social Development Project (CSDP) projects worth N500 million and others, with the promise that his second term in office would further facilitate greater projects which would be of immense benefit, particularly with focus on human capital development. 

In 2020, Kogi people now sleep with their two eyes closed as their Governor, Yahaya Bello have ensured that security is restored and peace, returned with tranquility, but the fact that those who used this as a tool against him are not talking about this is worrisome. Are they ashamed to accept the fact that the man they all stood against has demystified them in all ramifications, or they cannot just accept the fact that the governor is performing?

Referred to as White Lion by his admirers, Governor Bello’s leadership acumen has not been in question, especially since he assumed office for his second term, making mockery, the hatred from those whose dream in the wonderland never came to reality with performances they are too ashamed to acknowledge as prior to the inception of his administration in 2016, insecurity was rife, robbery and kidnapping were taking place with reckless abandon and the previous government gave up while they reign of terror in the state, a narrative that changed over time with the ingenuity of the governors brainwave, especially with the provision of over 200 utility vehicles for patrol and procured sophisticated gadgets for the Operation Total  Freedom established by the governor to stamp out criminality in the State.

The Covid-19 pandemic in Nigeria was another issue that opened up on the level politicians, especially Governors would go to ridicule the system, but the manner the governor of Kogi handled the issue in his state against all odds showed the quality of a person he is. A man who would put his people first before anything else, and would not expose them to danger in a bid to push up the revenue of the state as was the situation, stood his ground and today, he stands tall as the only Governor in Nigeria who did not allow himself be used against the people of his state.

Yahaya Bello as Governor of Kogi State, have not only proven his critics wrong, but have silenced and in the most case, converted majority of them, to the extent that they no longer have the courage to write ill of his administration especially with the evidences of developmental projects on ground which are very big threats to their credibility if they continue the misbehave as they are known for.

A role model he has become and we are very proud of him and his achievements so far in Kogi State as Governor.