Kingsley Fanwo is the Chief Press Secretary to Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello. In this interview with Kogireports, he answered pertinent questions in the mind of Kogi peope. Excerpts.
The governor has been in office for 26 days, how do rate his policies and programmes so far?
Let me start by thanking Kogi Reports for being one of the most informative information platforms in the state.
On the policies and programs of the Governor Yahaya Bello administration, it has been a situation of ‘so far, so fair’ as the Governor has been fair in his appointments. His first three appointments were spread across the three Senatorial Districts of the state.
His ability to ensure the industrial crisis which predated his administration was resolved within the first week of his administration is also plausible.
However, his most popular decision was the abolition of obnoxious deductions from Local Councils’ allocations to enable them pay full salaries to their workers for the first time in four years.
Also, the Governor has moved to sanitize the civil service and make them more result-oriented. To have a proper appraisal of the situation on ground, the Governor has been meeting with many agencies and parastatals. This had imbued the Governor with good knowledge on the challenges the agencies are facing with a view to kick-starting the drive towards a New Direction.
Abolition of the obnoxious deductions from Local Government allocations is a welcome development but Basic Education Teachers and the long-suffering Council workers are yet to feel the impact of this great action. What, or who is responsible for this?
The system is adjusting to the new reality and that may be the reason for the short delay in salary payment. The Local Government Councils in the state are working round the clock to ensure the directive is effectively carried out. Very soon, the people will start reaping the fruits of that courageous decision.
State government asked workers to provide some documents before payment of October salary but the Governor ordered immediate payment because he is sympathetic to the plight of civil servant. Another month end is fast approaching, will he pay again without screening?
The Government is putting machinery in motion to ensure verification exercise doesn’t take physical and mental toll on the civil servants. Their welfare is paramount to this government but verification is important to help re-position the civil service.
Past screening exercises by the state govt did not yield expected goals, will this planned exercise be different from past episodes?
This is going to be a different verification exercise. We have a tech-savvy Governor who is versed in public accounting and administration. The aim of the verification is to determine the actual number of workers who should legitimately be on the payroll of government. If other verification exercise reports had not been acted upon, this promises to be different.
What is the fate of ongoing/inherited projects under the current administration?
The Governor is still taking stock and will soon make policy statements on some of the projects. However, the Governor will always act in the interest of the Kogi people.
It is 26 days already, by the time the Governor celebrates 100 days in office what should Kogites expect from this administration in terms of projects, programmes and policies?
I won’t let the cat out of the bag but the Governor has gone a lot already and many more will be done. Also of importance is the fact that Kogi people now have a Governor they can trust; a Governor who will revolutionize development and give government back to the people. The first 100 days in office will give a tip of the massive development lined up between now and 2020.
