Kogi State governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, on Monday, dismissed as untrue, allegations in some quarters that the people of Kogi State were against the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said the people were in support of the anti-corruption initiative of the present administration led by President Buhari.
The governor, who spoke through his director General, Media and Publicity, Kingsley Fanwo, was reacting to a statement credited to the deputy speaker of the state house of assembly, Aliyu Akuh, on the state of the economy in the country.
According to him, the statement was a “personal observation” of the deputy speaker, but not the general view of the people of Kogi State.
He said, “The deputy speaker of the house of assembly, Honourable Aliyu Akuh, is a respected leader in the state. What he was credited to have said about the economy of the nation was his personal observation. Though I don’t speak for the House, I am sure his views would best be described as a personal observation which no one can deprive him from expressing. He has the right to his speech.
“It is easy for many to view his observation from the political point of view, just because the deputy speaker is of the Peoples Democratic Party. If you ask me if we are going through economic challenges, I will answer you with a ‘yes’, but if you ask me if the President is only giving excuses, I will answer you with a ‘no’.
“President Muhammadu Buhari knew what he was coming to inherit. He aspired to stop the rot that was almost consuming the nation. So he was abundantly aware of the challenges before him.
“The blind stealing of the past is responsible for where we are today. Tough decisions would be taken, some have already been taken. Efforts are ongoing to arrest the situation, stabilise the condition and roll back the nation to a prosperous giant state.
“Kogi State is a microcosm of a bigger Nigeria. The past few years saw the state in financial boom, but we are yet to see the impact on the people. The present administration of Alhaji Yahaya Bello has come in to take drastic steps to save Kogi State from total annihilation.
“With efforts at all levels to salvage the nation through agricultural revolution, which will be our pathfinder towards economic renaissance, politicising the situation will not help our revival. Buhari will save us from the impact of the misrule of the past.”
Bello said the people of Kogi State believed in the capacity of the President to revive the nation’s economy within the shortest possible time, urging PDP leaders to join hands in rescuing the nation from cancerous corruption that has brought her to economic strains.
In his words, “now is the wrong time to blame the present for the misdeeds of the past. Everyone must come on board to support the roadmap of the President and the All Progressives Congress for economic rediscovery. We are gradually coming into life as a nation.”
Credits: Yinka Oladoyinbo | Tribune
