This write-up was provoked by a statement credited to respected Senator Adeyemi Smart who declared in a recent solidarity visit to Governor Yahaya Bello in government house that the activities of the governor and other policies were being under-reported in the media after he was conducted round some ongoing projects in the State. Remember that Sen. Smart had a very successful career in Journalism before he veered into active politics. This opinion is also shared by a cross-section of Kogites in their responses to some of my recent write-ups published in the media recently.
So I ask if not for Yahaya Bello, who would have known that it is possible to enthrone the culture of accountability, discipline, and transparency in the civil service system and local government administration in the State.
Who would have known that it is possible for Kogi State to generate over one billion naira IGR monthly compared to a paltry sum of 250 million naira monthly been generated by previous regimes.
Who would have known that it is possible for the security agencies in the State to secure the entire State from the nefarious activities of criminal elements, as witnessed before the coming on-board of Governor Yahaya Bello. Recall that this unprecedented achievement earned Yahaya Bello a well-deserved award by the authorities of the Nigerian Police Force as the best Governor in Nigeria in the area of security. Just recently too, a statistics on crime rates nationwide named Kogi State among the three States in the country with low crime rates. If you ask me, all these achievements in the area of security are direct evidence that Governor Yahaya Bello has invested heavily to achieve the desired results.
Who would have known that it is possible for a sitting government to carry out a holistic civil service screening exercise that has led to the weeding out of ghost workers and other corrupt practices from the State and local government payrolls. It is evidently clear that billions of naira have been freed from this unwholesome practice in the past.
Who would have known that it is possible for Kogi State government to run an efficient and effective public transportation system as being witnessed today with the success story of ‘Kogi Travellers Company’.
Who would have known that it is possible to give Lokoja and its environs a seamless and uninterrupted water supply as being witnessed since the assumption of office of Governor Yahaya Bello.
Who would have known that it is possible for the State government to holistically put in place a workable measures in the area of sanitation and environmental management. We can all testify that Governor Yahaya Bello has been able to change the sad narrative associated with our environment in the past. Today, Lokoja has been catapulted to join the league of the cleanliest State capitals in the country, as the government invested heavily to achieve this heart-warming status.
Who would have known that it is possible for a State governor to perform wonders in the area of infrastructural development as the case today, where almost all the local government areas have been turned to sustainable construction sites, in a bid to change the landscape of these areas.
Who would have known that it is possible to attract foreign and local investors to the State without the governor embarking on frequent overseas trips in the guise of wooing prospective investors as was the case in the past.
Today, Governor Yahaya Bello led government have signed no fewer than twenty MOUs with prospective investors and have also reactivated some dormant MOUs he inherited from previous administrations.
Who would have known that it is possible to improve the health care delivery system in the State, as being witnessed today as several hospitals and clinics, across the three senatorial districts have either been upgraded, renovated, and fully equipped with necessary facilities in a bid to change their former status as ordinary consulting clinics devoid of necessary drugs and other consumables.
Who would have known that it is possible for the issue of agriculture to be handled profitably by a sitting governor beyond lip service and rhetoric’s as was the case before the coming on-board of Governor Yahaya Bello. The involvement of Kogi State government in agriculture has become a huge success story as many farmers in the State are reaping bountifully from this project, while many of them are now smiling to the Bank due to bountiful harvest. It is on record that fertilizers and other farming inputs are no longer diverted by unscrupulous civil servants as was the case in the past.
Who would have known that job creation, youth and women empowerment schemes can be handled as a veritable source of wealth creation as compared to the provision of our youths and women with motorcycles, tricycles, clippers, hairdryers, and sewing machines as was the case in the past.
Who would have known that it is possible for the State government to reduce cost of governance by not giving employments to special advisers and other political appointees who cannot add value to the system, but all in the name of settling political interests.
Who would have known that it is possible for the State government to restore our lost cultural values and traditions as witnessed recently when Governor Yahaya Bello resuscitated some ancient cultures in Igala kingdom and brought a new face to the celebration of some banned festivals in Ebira land under the previous regimes.
Who would have known that it is possible for the State government to enhance the status and prestige of our traditional rulers as being witnessed today through the office of the Kogi State local government and chieftaincy affairs under the watchful eyes of Engr. Ohere, a pragmatic and purposeful political appointee.
Against this background therefore, I wish to make it abundantly clear that all these aforementioned achievements are a product of intense research by this independent Journalist/PR Consultant and could as well pass as a tip of the iceberg.
For those who have been asking, what has Yahaya Bello been doing with what they called ‘the billions of naira’ that have accrued to the State since his assumption of office, I think they can now have a clear idea of what and how the Governor has been running the affairs of the State with the scarce resources at his disposal.
My last word. I wish to enjoin Kogites to continue to be patient and keep faith with our youthful governor who is more than ever before, determined to fulfill his campaign promises in line with his new direction mantra. If you ask me, I think two and a half years is a short period to pass a conclusive and definite performance assessment of a State governor.
– Otori Ozigi is a retired Public Servant, Journalist/PR Consultant.
