By Kingsley Fanwo.
The emergence of Alhaji Yahaya Bello, a man who rose from the dusts of Agassa in Okene Local Government Area of Kogi State to become the 4th democratically elected Governor of Kogi State has torn into shreds, the science of predictions and postulations.
A new history crept in, a son of nobody mounted the historic saddle to sail the bigger and diverse waters of the Confluence State. No wonder he surrounds himself with other children of nobody in the society, but which shared his vision of prosperous and united State with limitless opportunities to become the epicentre of greatness in the nation-state called Nigeria.
Like a revolutionist that Governor Yahaya Bello is, resistance is inevitable. For 25 years, we have lived with the same unwritten polemic against unity, we have watched our leaders gang-raped our common patrimony. We do not complain, not because we are satisfied. Not because we believe that it’s our ladder to greatness. But because the kleptomania was so strong that our mentality was getting used to the brazenness of the boundless stealing.
The leaders were smart: They played up the ethnic card and create a false impression of tribalism. While they claim to be working for their ethics cleavages, they nursed an underpinning stealing of barbaric proportion, thereby mortgaging the future of the generation-next.
And God struck!
The emergence of Alhaji Yahaya Bello is a lesson to all that God is interested in the Kogi case. The serialized fate symphony played out a perfect interchange to produce a fearless leader, detribalized missionary, an Apostle of development and an architect of an egalitarian society.
On January 27, 2016, history was made in the State. A Governor emerged. What the ordinary mind saw were, another Governor, another era. But what the big minds saw was a big picture of a bigger Kogi State. A lion that had been trembling before a rat was about to roar and herald its presence in the economic and political forest of Nigeria.
To the ethnic chauvinist, it is time to victimize Kogi East which had hitherto, produced all the governors of the State. Albeit, they were shocked as the Governor dazed history by appointing someone outside of his tribe and Senatorial District to become his Chief of Staff. As if that was not enough declaration of intent to repudiate ethnocentrism, the Governor ensured even distribution of appointments across the three Senatorial Districts of the State. That heralded the beginning of the manifestation of the big picture.
Characteristic of every great leader, Governor Yahaya Bello has declared war on every factor that has been a cog in the wheels of progress in Kogi State. One of the drain pipes over the years has been the unchecked thriving of ghost workers in the State, promoted by a powerful cabal. Hundreds of millions of naira were lost to the cabal. The evil cabal is powerful enough to finance the “civil society” and Media-for-money organizations to raise insurrection against any attempt at arresting the menace.
Previous administrations had been limited from breaking up the system because of the seeming threat to their political ambitions. They were caught between weeding out the cabal and their ghost names or keeping the cabal happy to win elections. They choose the latter.
But to the statesman in GYB, he decided to confront the cabal, tame the vigour of the cabal and weed ghost workers out of the system. In the last few months, mind-boggling revelations have emerged. In the next few weeks, we will appreciate what the Governor has done.
Let me make this clear, Governor Yahaya Bello is not mindless. He understands the plight of some genuine workers and pensioners who have not been paid in the process of this all-necessary exercise. He is your Governor. He feels for you. A tick is a parasite. When it is removed from an animal, the process of removal is painful to the animal. Ghost workers are like ticks on the genuine workers. They must leave for genuine workers to enjoy their salaries. We appeal for more patience as the process is winding up. We will tell the world what has been saved from this brazen stealing and sin against the genuine workers who serve the State everyday.
Moving over to the area of revenue generation, the State has not been able to tap effectively into his bountiful benefits of her natural resources and nodal nature. Pastries were paid as revenue accruable to the State from Forestry and Produce tariffs. With the inception of the present administration, forestry activities have been banned to pave way for regeneration and attraction of investments in the areas of wood processing. It is believed that in a couple of years, Kogi State will begin to benefit from the Carbon Credit Fund of the United Nations. Government is also generating more revenue from duty posts across the State as efforts are also on for the State to register a company in order to compete in mineral exploration since she is blessed with scores of mineral resources.
In as much as the State would be desirous of living harmoniously with neighbors, she will also explore the possibilities that are inherently manifest in the State to boost her revenue and status placements for economic advantages.
It is time for Kogi State to roar.
The Fair Health Scheme is pro-poor. It is aimed at leaving more money in the pockets of the poor to take care of other needs as government takes care of the health needs of children and women.
At 25, Kogi State has not been able to match the achievements of other states created along with it. Our roads are bad. Our hospitals are in shambles. Our schools are nothing to write home about. Toilets in our only Polytechnic are like rat holes.
As we use our two hands to fix the rots of the past, it is wise to use our voices to demand explanations from those who super-intended on our days of boom. What did they do with the boom? How come our roads are in shameful state of disrepair? Why are we where we are? Despite the decision of corruption to fight back, Governor Yahaya Bello will continue to fight on the side of the people to demand explanations for the past.
The New Direction Blueprint has started impacting on the State with many roads under construction and many hospitals going through massive reconstruction and renovation. Our education is going through unprecedented transformation and we are becoming united against the political class that has impoverished and divided us. This is the story of a new Kogi State.
Yahaya Bello has done the unthinkable because he unthinkably became Governor without being one of the unthinking conventional politicians who think only of how to unthankfully win elections rather than win the people.
His manner of emergence has enamored him to be brave, uncompromising, unperturbed by crocodile patriotism of the traducers of our commonwealth. He was ordained to spark a change that will change the Confluence State. And that change has begun.
What we need as a people is a pact with our Governor, a stern support for our Governor, brave pieces of advice for our Governor and a bond of destiny. The 2015 elections was a Red Sea. Some people passed on dry land. Some were perished.
The Pharoahs we saw yesterday, we shall see them no more!
I have said before and I will say it again, in 2019, judge Governor Yahaya Bello by his performance If he comes out again. His plans are of good. Kogi is witnessing greatness under his leadership.
I won’t stop this piece without making mention of the Ondo governorship poll. As our neighbours, Kogi enjoys high-level sociological and economic relationship with Ondo State. Again, we are sharing a destiny of defeating every Pharaoh that is against our progress.
Omo Akin niyin l’Ondo. Edibo fun ominira, edibo fun Aketi!
Thank you and God bless Kogi State.
