By Benson Aduku.
It has emerged that the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, is currently on the blacklist of the Chief of Staff (COS) to President Buhari, Abba Kyari. The COS is stifling the Governor’s hitherto unhindered access to the State House and to President Muhammadu Buhari in order to protect the image and reputation of the President.
For much of his administration, Governor Yahaya Bello has been embroiled in the controversy of nonpayment of salary and pensions, percentage payment leading to untold suffering and death of workers and pensioners in Kogi state. He has been accused of embezzling the enormous funds that his administration has received so far: statutory monthly allocations, Paris Refunds, Bail out funds, etc. and this situation, the COS reckons, does not look good on the President’s stance of non-tolerance to corruption and maltreatment of workers.
President Muhammadu Buhari has sternly urged all the Governor’s to use funds disbursed to them judiciously and emphasised that they pay workers in the states their entitlements promptly, a presidential proclamation Governor Bello seems to have gone against for most part of his administration.
A top government official in the presidency who spoke on condition of anonymity lamented that Yahaya Bello is bad market for the APC in Kogi State. He described Bello’s administration as typical of a plague on the Kogi people and a disaster of epic magnitude for the party. Governor Yahaya Bello has battered the image of the APC in Kogi to the extent that it defies every attempt at rehabilitation. Without mincing words, Bello is the worst dreg of convoluted avarice and indefatigable selfishness.
Recently, the Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Simon Achuba, came out to reveal that he is being owed salaries and imprests for two years and gave the government an ultimatum to pay the dues or risk litigation. An embarrassing situation that required the intervention of the Presidency as Mr. Achuba was invited to the State House for a meeting behind closed doors to discuss the matter.
Yahaya Bello’s style of leadership and the complaints of Kogites emanating from the state is causing Abba Kyari a great deal of concern and he has moved to distance the Governor from the President as much as possible, including restricting his hitherto unbridled access to the State House and this is causing jitters down the spines powers that be in Lugard House in relation to the upcoming guber election.
