Comrade Usman Okai Austin has described Kogi Governor Yahaya Bello’s one year in office as a disaster foretold, dismissing his administration as a ‘one chance government’.
According to Okai, Kogi state has never had it so bad since its creation in 1991. The outspoken public opinion analyst said Governor’s tenure so far is worse than the worst military regime in the state.
“20Billion Naira Bailout Fund and 11.2 Naira Billion Parish Club Excess Refund cannot be accounted for by this coronated governor. Former governor of the state, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, built Federal Government roads and the money worth N16 Billion was refunded back to the state under Yahaya Bello for the Ajaokuta-Lokoja road. 700 Million Naira ecological funds and December 2015 allocation left behind by the Captain Wada administration, and minimum of N600 million Naira monthly internally generated revenue.
“This is the highest inflow of monies by any governor so far in Kogi state; much more than what Governor Wada received in his entire four years in office.
“The question is, what has Alhaji Yahaya Bello used all these resources to achieve for the State?
“It is on record that instead of improving on the legacies of his predecessors in managing the Civil Servants, he instead chose to destroy them. Over thousands of the workers and pensioners are labeled ghost workers based on the policy of Bello Administration.
“Modern primary and secondary constructed by the previous administration have now been turned into dens of criminals and kidnappers due to the lingering strike orchestrated by non payment of teachers.
“Our health sector has gone from bad to worst within one years as the capable hands are labeled ghost Doctors and Nurses and hospital denied of modern equipment to the extent that the patient has to go and buy syringe from chemist themselves. Kogi state Diagnostic Hospital Lokoja is more of mortuary as so many dead corpse are seeing on bed due to poor health facilities.
“Our Agriculture sector that was revolutionised through the establishment of the modern Agricultural Development Projects (ADP), the Palm Fruits and the Rice Production Centres have either been scrapped or rendered useless by Bello Administration.
The opposition youth leader bemoaned the high level of violence in the State in the past one year that Bello has been in power.
“Today, the Confluence State under Yahaya Bello’s watch is termed as Confluence of blood where kidnappers, assassins, cultists, robbers not only hold sway but are empowered through patronage.
“A lecturer from Benue state was kidnapped and her dead body found, last week. So many were abducted along Ajaokuta, Itobe Road among them is Hassan Ado the former Chairman of the PDP Dekina and others. The kidnappers collected millions from their victims. The paramount traditional ruler in Ajaokuta spent his new year eve with kidnappers as the victims are left alone with their fate. The state government cannot beat her chest and tell us of any effort put in place to secure the state as there is an influx of kidnappers into Kogi state because Bello has made Kogi state the safe haven for the kidnappers and the armed robbers. Everyday, people are being kidnapped as the government seems careless or clueless.
“Based on the above sad and pathetic scenario, is now obvious that the Confluence State has nothing to celebrate, especially having ensured that one year in office the state civil servants are treated like slave due to his obnoxious policy as Kogi State is no longer safe even for the passers-by.
“Alhaji Yahaya Bello’s performance in several other aspects of the lives of Kogi people has also been woeful. Till today, Alhaji Yahaya Bello administration has no concrete policies on Agriculture, Education, Industrial Development, Manufacturing, Tourism, Employment Generation, State Security, etc. This man is a total disaster.
“The only visible achievement by Bello and his gang of confused minds is repackaging and commissioning of class rooms built by the management of the School Health Technology, Idah, repainting of street light poles in Lokoja and the heavy taxation and levies being imposed on trailers passing through the state on Federal roads.
