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The Director General on Media and Publicity to the Governor of Kogi State, Kingsley Fanwo has described as a “travesty of truth”, claims by Hon. James Abiodun Faleke that Governor Yahaya Bello was not prepared to govern Kogi State, saying the Governor picked the Nomination Form to contest the Governorship of the State because he was prepared.
The Governor’s spokesman said Nigerians know those who heated up the polity of the state through what he called “the media war against the government of Kogi State”, saying the Governor will continue to concentrate on the actualization of the New Direction Agenda to serve the people of the state.
“In as much as we won’t want to join issues with our brother, Hon. James Abiodun Faleke out of respect for the peace process set up by the national leadership of our dear party, it is pertinent to set the record straight by addressing the travesty of truth published on page 33 of their paper, The Nation on May 24, 2017.
“It is unfortunate to say that Governor Yahaya Bello was not prepared to govern Kogi State, especially when such is coming from Hon. James Abiodun Faleke, who was in Lagos when Governor Yahaya Bello mobilized Kogites through the Kogi Youth Arise Group to deliver Kogi State to the APC in the 2015 General Elections. The Governor did that because of his faith in President Muhammadu Buhari to turn Nigeria around.
“Where was Hon. Faleke when the Governor went to Abuja to pick the nomination form to contest the Governorship Primaries of the APC? Where was Hon. Faleke when the Governor went round the entire state to sell his New Direction Agenda to the party delegates? Where was Hon. Faleke when Governor Yahaya Bello supported each House of Assembly aspirant then of the APC with a million naira to boost their campaigns? He came from Lagos when he was made the running mate to the late Prince Abubakar Audu amidst protests by party chieftains who saw him as a stranger in Kogi APC.
“Yet, Faleke dragged the Governor to the tribunals, up to the Supreme Court. Is he telling us that even while Audu was alive, he was preparing to be Governor? The truth will be told one day.
“We are not against his seeking redress from the law courts. But we are against his failure to give up after the Apex Court declared him unfit to be Governor. His media wars and scheming against the state showed something different from what he wants to make Kogites believe today. The opposition’s campaign today has been the issue of salaries.
We have paid majority of cleared workers. We are processing the arrears of those recently cleared and they will be paid soon. We are not owing majority of genuine workers in the state. We have published what we paid each worker, month by month on our website. It is shocking that despite the overwhelming facts, Hon. Faleke was still trying to score political goals with the issue. The Staff Verification Exercise which the administration embarked upon and midwived successfully, was inevitable. We needed to get to the root of the humongous fraud to which the State Government had lost millions. We have remained a transparent and accountable government”.
Fanwo said the Governor is prepared to work with anyone who is prepared to help him achieve his agenda of a “better, secured and more prosperous Kogi State”, insisting that those who think the Governor will be ‘matured enough’ to share the resources of the state should have a rethink.
“The allegation that the Chief of Staff manages the resources of the Local Government Councils is false, unfounded, uncharitable and an attempt to defame him. The Kogi State Government has granted financial autonomy to Local Government Councils and Faleke needs to know that graft is no more a culture in the administration of Kogi State.
He is not more Audu than Prof. Stephen Ocheni who has been cleared by the Senate to become a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
On the demolished roundabouts in Lokoja, the spokesman said they were pulled down because they have become “relics of the old Lokoja”, saying the State Government will soon construct modern roundabouts in the state capital.
“We are working on a plan to make Lokoja one of the most attractive state capitals in Nigeria. We are getting the sanitation right, we have put streetlights in place, we have put traffic lights in place and we shall follow the process through with modern roundabouts. We don’t believe in the metaphysics of fetish powers.
“The New Direction Blueprint is capable of bringing Kogi State out of the woods. Plans are in place to actualize our dream Kogi State. We shall follow our plans and very soon, our detractors will be shocked by what we shall achieve with the Blueprint. If Faleke is saying the past is in the past, he should also act it by thanking the Governor for the award of the road linking his community to Ife-Olukotun”.
He called on the people of the state to remain steadfastly behind the Governor’s plans and programs to rebuild Kogi State as has been “manifestly shown in the past 15 months, saying government will not be distracted by the few opposition leader, “who are waging war against the state after their botched political dreams”.
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