Governor Bello’s 30 Days in Office: So Far, Fairplus Has Achieved a Great Feat!

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Let’s revisit his inaugural speech on the day of his swearing-in ceremony on January 27th, 2016:

“Prince Abubakar Audu, the late icon whose foresight and doggedness paved the way for the Victory we are celebrating today. Continue to rest in peace my leader.

My Core Team, especially the Progressive Youth of Kogi State led by my right-hand man, Edward Onoja. Their doggedness and forthrightness brought home to me in a very personal way that popular line ‘Though tribes and tongues may differ, in brotherhood we stand…’ They are the apostles of this broad-minded Change.

The APC Family. The APC in Kogi State wanted Change for their dear State and worked hard to bring it. The APC at the National Level provided the Platform.

The entire People of Kogi State. Irrespective of who you are or where you stood during the elections, Na God Win.

We are all united today, celebrating the outcome. My People, you are my one big Constituency, and I am responsible for, and to each and every one of you.

Nigeria has a rich diversity of traditions, cultures and history but it is instructive that in searching for a philosophy for this New Direction my Team and I did not have to go very far to locate the perfect response for our times:

Ladies and Gentlemen, I wish to reiterate what President Muhammadu Buhari said in his celebrated Swearing-In Speech on May 29, 2015: “I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody!”

This quote is a complete worldview which defines the PURPOSE and METHODOLOGY of my Administration, and sets an AGENDA OF INCLUSIVENESS, which I am determined will characterize my tenure.

In this single sentence, Mr. President summarized the restorative force of the CHANGE ideology with which our great party, the APC, has swept Nigeria. I now declare it our guiding principle for fair action and equitable governance in Kogi State.

My Administration shall exist for the sole purpose of serving the superseding interests of the people of Kogi State to the very best of its capabilities. We also undertake to never lend our capacities to servicing the avarice of anyone or group–whether from Kogi State or elsewhere.

There is no greater evil than Corruption and nothing champions that evil more than Impunity…Corruption and Impunity made sure our people repeatedly arrived at a promised future and found it bereft of substance, or the promised better life.

Let it be recorded today that future generations will not be given reason to count the incoming Administration among those who reveled in Corruption or Impunity. We will be different by the Grace of God. We must and will be that generation of Leaders who made the entirety of Kogi’s Resources work for the entirety of Kogi’s People.

Accordingly, I hereby declare and affirm that the Yahaya Bello Administration will have ZERO TOLERANCE for Corruption and Impunity. I will lead Kogi State by honest and humble example. So help me God.

To reinforce our commitment to accountability, the incoming Administration will employ technology and a multilayered system of checks and balances to block all leakages in our financial processes and improve our wealth creation and retention capacities.

The rule of law is key to effective governance. We intend to work hand in hand with the Judicial Arm of Government and the Legislature to deliver the best governance possible to Kogi State. In this regard, we shall be guided by both legislations and binding judicial decisions.

Peace is key for prosperity. The sudden events that culminated in my emergence as Governor are beyond any mortal man. The sudden death of our leader, Prince Abubakar Audu remains a great mystery. This Administration shall liaise with the Kogi State House of Assembly for legislation to immortalise him in some meaningful way. I therefore extend my hand of brotherhood to all and sundry.

In the course of this journey we met and interacted with families, kindred, clans, hamlets, villages, towns and cities, traversing the length and breadth of Kogi State and the picture we came away with is a depressing one. Everywhere, our People live in deprivation despite our abundant natural endowments.

The statistics as they apply to Kogi State are not rosy. As we step into Office today, we are at once excited and tremulous. Excited at the great opportunities but tremulous at the massive challenges. One thing is clear, positive and decisive action must be taken quickly to rescue Kogi State. We are ready for action.

We are conscious that to fail in this task is to fail in everything else. But take it from me, we will not fail because, apart from our preparations and resolve, God and good is on our side.

We have conceived a socio-economic blueprint that we trust God will rapidly develop our State and radically empower our People. The said Blueprint will rank as a sort of Marshall Plan for rebuilding Kogi State on every index of Development.

Under this Plan, Education and Health Infrastructure, State of the Art Security Coverage, Roads, Rural Water Schemes, Farm and Agricultural Communes, heavy Investments in Solid Minerals, Artisanal Mining Collectives, repositioning of Kogi State as a preferred tourist destination, etc. are projected to play lead, often overlapping, roles.

We will run this Blueprint along with Civil Service reforms to change the orientation of our workers and improve their productivity. To show that we are ready to work and not just talking, the Blueprint contains ‘Action Plans’ for developing each sector. We expect that we will see begin to see increase in our Internally Generated Revenue.

For ease of monitoring by Kogi People my Team and I have distributed our Projects into the 100-Day Accomplishments, the First Year Results, the Halfway Marks and the Final Milestones. When our full Blueprint is published, anyone can predict where we will be, developmentally, in 100 days, and after each year of our Administration.

Nothing engenders skepticism, even cynicism, in the citizen than lackluster leadership of the sort that we have experienced in the Confluence State. I am aware that with some notable exceptions successive Administrations have posted largely unimpressive performances. The cumulative effect is that the average Kogi Person has developed an acute distrust of Government.

We cannot succeed, in our Blueprint or anything else, without the co-operation of our People and our friends. Co-operation is difficult if trust is withheld. My people, we shall build rapport, and by delivering on our proposed array of people-centered projects, we shall earn your trust. I would appreciate, and I ask for nothing, other than that you give me the benefit of the doubt as we set off. Let the taste of this pudding be in the eating.

We know salaries have not been paid to some of our Civil Servants for some months now. We propose to commence paying as promptly as possible while implementing strategies to gradually defray the arrears. While doing this we shall count on the understanding of all the good people of Kogi State.

We shall immediately commence consultations with all stakeholders to get the buy-in of every progress-minded individual into every agenda that we have designed to move Kogi State in the New Direction. I see this as a Challenge and I am resolved to win your trust.

Today is indeed an auspicious day. We will not fail to appreciate those who made it possible. My predecessor, Captain Idris Ichalla Wada, has been most gracious. We appreciate your service sir. The Transition Committees on both sides have acted with dignity and cooperation. We thank you. The Inauguration Committee has really worked hard to make this day a success. Thank you very much indeed.

Change has come to Kogi State. I may be the Torchbearer, and Custodian of it, but you, the great united people of Kogi State, are its Owners and Proprietors. Let us arise together, take our Collective Destiny in our hands and go forth excitedly to chart our New Direction. Kogi, THIS CHANGE IS YOURS.

Distinguished Listeners, this speech is an overview, it is not intended to say everything that we have to say, or plan to do, in Government. That being the case, I hasten to conclude.

God bless The Federal Republic of Nigeria.

God bless Kogi State of Nigeria.

God bless you.

Thank you for listening”

And after that historic speech of January 27, 2016 before hundreds of thousands of Kogites, Governor Yahaya Bello has walked the talk. Below are some of his his superlative achievements within his first 30 days in office:

1. The first three political appointments he did was equitably shared or rather spread across the three senatorial districts in the State. His Chief of Staff is an Igala man from the east; his Special Adviser on Media and Strategy is an Ebira man from Kogi central, while his Chief Press Secretary is an Okun man from the west. By and large, this is considerably fair.

2. This Governor on assumption of office, demonstrated his love for equity and justice by reinstating all Local Government Council Chairmen who were sacked on political grounds by the previous administration. By and large, this is considerably fair.

3. Kogi workers were on strike before his assumption of office. After holding talks and properly negotiating with the Labour Unions, the industrial action was called off. By and large, this is considerably a great start with the labour community.

4. Governor Bello came on board and put an end to what could best be referred to as “onion salaries”. When you cut an onion, what comes out of your eyes is nothing but tears. Under the tutelage of his predecessor, almost all Kogi workers would always shed tears each time they get their monthly salaries because it is either half, thirty percent, twenty percent, or even ten percent of their monthly earnings. But this governor came on board and jettisoned the worrisome, pitiable, and lamentable phenomenon of half salaries. Under this administration, Kogi workers are to get their full salaries on the 25th day of every month. To every clean mind devoid of any form of jaundice, this is considerably fair and so good!

5. Prior to this administration, 500 million naira was being deducted every month from monthly allocations meant for the 21 Local Government Areas in Kogi State. To say the least, the previous administration committed a progressive range of unpardonable rape on justice, equity and good conscience as it engaged in a gargantuan but deregulated heist of Local Government funds. But today under Governor Bello, no more illicit deductions from Local Government allocations as they are now to get their full allocations every month. By and large, this is considerably fair and so good.

6. To ensure a virile and robust economy in Kogi, Governor Bello has taken a decisive step and ordered staff verification of the state Civil Service to expunge ghost workers. This is considerably fair.

7. To ensure a clean environment, Gov Bello ordered the removal of all campaign billboards which has become an eyesore visible throughout the State capital starting from his own campaign billboards. Lokoja metropolis is now a city without blemish!

8. In his commitment to build the monument that truly represents the image of the ancient city of Lokoja, the Governor ordered the demolition of the roundabout in front of Kogi Government House in order to put up befitting monument. This is a prudent action by GYB!

9. As a prudent manager of resources who harbours naked hatred for frittering away public funds, he has drastically reduced the appointments of SAs by his predecessor from 63 to 23.

10. His recent appointment of special aides has shown that this government is a youth friendly government as 90% of the appointees are brilliant and intellectually proficient youths with the zeal, capacity and expertise to deliver.

11. For many months, a drive through Kogi State,especially the State Capital reminds one of a state without governance. Every where was littered with waste and filth a major eye saw. 30 days after Lokoja is wearing a new face.Political bill boards including that of His Excellency are gone, Lokoja is looking clean right from January 27th.

We now have a New Lokoja facing a new direction.

12.The Governor not a globe trotter; he is a sedentary but active governor who has rolled up his sleeve and settled down to work and is working assiduously to making Kogi a better place for all!

Governor Yahaya Bello started his government on a right footing — playing fair politics accompanied with some philosophy and so far, has not in any way abandoned governance to the whims and caprices, avarice, unflappability, and egocentric hedonism!

In 30 days, Governor Yahaya Bello has performed considerably well!

Courtesy: Kogi Congress of Democrats


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