Kogi state Chairman of Advanced Peoples Democratic Alliance (APDA), Hon. Abdulmumini Ibrahim has rated Governor Yahaya Bello as the worst in the political history of the state.
In a chat with newsmen at the state secretariat of the party, Abdulmumini said the performance and activities of the Yahaya Bello-led administration has left no one in doubt that he has no vision for the state.
Abdulmumini, a former member of All Progressives Congress (APC), said the state governor has not added value to any sector of the state’s economy since he took over power eighteen months ago.
“Governor Bello is clearly vision-less. As a young man much was expected from him but he has failed woefully. He has not added any value to the state, rather, the state is retrogressing under his watch.
“Take a look at the health sector in the state, what has he done in this all-important sector? His only achievement here is repeated strike action embarked upon by health workers in the state. He is re-surfacing some roads across the state but work on these roads are on snail speed. All together, he has not re-surfaced more than 15kilometers. This is a sad tale.
“Education is on standstill in Kogi state. All state-owned tertiary institutions were under lock and key for about five months this year. As we speak, primary and secondary schools are on strike because of untold hardship meted on them by the state government. Clearly, Bello has come to waste our time in Kogi state.
“His achievement in agric sector is zero, no single new industry has been established. Yes, he bought cars for security agencies. This is a good move but crime is still prevalent in the state. His plan for improved internally generated revenue looks good on the paper but I don’t see how he intend to tax a sick economy that he created by failing to pay salaries and pension. Today, all civil servants in the state are on strike and the governor has not deemed it fit to negotiate with labour,” he said.
He counseled Bello to engage the services of labour relations experts to help him resolve the dispute between Kogi government and civil servant to save the state from collapse and further ridicule.
“Kogi state government need to be guided on issues relating to civil service system as her past actions shows they know little about labour relations. Under this administration almost all segments of the civil service have gone on strike. From health workers to lecturers and now all civil servants. All of them cannot be wrong. Government must understand the demands of workers and take conscious steps to be on the same page with them. These frequent industrial action is tarnishing the image of the state.”
Abdulmumini, who won election into Kogi State House of Assembly to represent Ankpa I constituency before Appeal court barred him from rerun election due to issues relating to conduct of APC primaries, said he left the ruling party for APDA because the he cannot celebrate failure.
“When we went round Kogi state in 2015 canvassing for votes we promised Kogites good governance. We promised accelerated infrastructural development, job creation, improved healthcare system and the people trusted us with their votes but today they are disappointed. We have tested PDP but we were not satisfied. We have tried APC and, again, we are not satisfied with her performance. The APDA is made up of people of like-minds.
“Progressive politicians in Kogi state decided to join APDA to actualize the dreams of Kogites. We need a platform that has blueprint for rapid development and good governance. We have identified the cause of continual failure of government in Kogi state and we are equipped to turn this situation around.
“We will indigenize the party in the state and promote grassroot democracy. This will help keep in touch with reality. The interest of Kogi people and development of the state is our topmost priority. It is crystal clear that the time has come for us to take our destinies in our hands. I call on all patriotic Kogite to join APDA now so we can collectively recover all that the locusts has eaten in the state”.
