Opinion: Kogi at The Risk of Humanitarian Crisis Under Yahaya Bello

“Mr President in his magnanimity, at any point in time, when either I as Governor of Kogi State or all governors in Nigeria are running into trouble, he will always bail us out. He has graciously given me N6billion. And I have sourced for another N10billion; with this we are going to clear all the civil servants salaries before the end of the year. Both the civil servants and the pensioners will be paid. We are not going into the new year with salary arrears,” the Governor assured.

So it is now clear that the Yahaya Bello administration has ran down the socio-economic apparatus of the state up to the extend that the state government cannot pay workers their salaries without any form of bailout from the federal government or resort external borrowing.

His admittance that he borrowed the sum of 10 billion naira to be used to clear workers salaries before the end of the year shows that the administration has embezzled and mis-appropriated the Paris Club Refund, FG Bailout and monthly statutory allocations.

This is plus the internally generated revenue which the government puts at 1 Billion naira monthly. Whoa all these disappeared into the thin air or building of personal houses, religious centers, organizing rallies and welcoming alleged decampees, sponsoring of recall process and most disgracefully lobbying the members of the State Assembly.

For a government to come out and say its owing workers in the state, in less than 2 years , the sum of 16 billion naira plus is a a clear acceptance and by law of implication in simple logical analysis ,that is responsible for the hunger, poverty, deaths, insecurity and humanitarian crises that has romanced the state.

This is a devilish and Pharaoh approach to governance. A governor/government who has no feeling for the people that its expected to serve, a compendium of anti-masses policies is daily been hashed into the State. The current handlers of the state can cripple down the economy of the United States of America talk less of that of Nigeria or my dear State.

My worries is not the workers and the entire socio-economic fabric of the state, what happens next? It is not about payment of 2015, 2016, and 2017 salaries, but what of that of 2018 and beyond. If their is no more refunds and bailouts or borrowing, it simply means the state cannot pay workers salaries again? Or carryout some of its basic functional responsibilities again? Does it mean that Kogi state will be among the economic non-viable state that were envisaged and recommended to be merge with other economic viable state in order to sustain their socio-political existence.

As a matter of urgency, it high time for the government to look into ways of making the state more independent economically by looking at ways of boosting the socio- economic fabric of the state, instead of relying on borrowing and tying the economic future and viability of the state to unknown political economic forces.

Finally, its one thing to have democracy, and it is another thing for its functional operation, the political economy disaster that is happening in the state is just and error in the concept of operational democracy were the concept of LEGITIMACY IS NOT ADHERE TO. For a government to function effectively, it must have the support and acceptance of the people which it wants to govern which is usually gotten via been voted for by the people via election.

But unfortunately, the Kogi state is that of having a government that was not voted for by the people, the political umbilical cord between the government and the people is missing. While the people see government as an institution for the promotion and promotion of their basic socio-economic existence, the government sees the people as political rivals, opportunist and oppositions.

Just as the saying goes, “the mills of God grainds slowly, but most finely”. 2019 is by the corner, lets endeavor and ensure that the best of all is elected to govern us, leaders with political umbilical cord connection to us as humans and to our socio -economic aspiration and yearning.