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Direction is simply defined as “The path or course of a given movement, or moving body; an indication of the point toward or from which an object is moving”.
From the foregoing definition, it is crystal clear that the pupil governor of Kogi State, Lie-Lie Pharaoh (sorry don’t mind my keyboard, sometimes it malfunction) Alhaji Yahaya Bello do not know the meaning of the word. New Direction as his government is called, ought to be a total deviation from the old order or ways, a new better path to greatness. To the chagrin of a fertile mind, the reverse is the case, as the state is experiencing unprecedented hardship under the SIWES Governor of the state.
Yeye Bello rose to power through the controversial process of substitution which enabled him to inherit the votes of the late political icon, Prince Abubakar Audu (RIP) – a man he fought his candidature to the Federal High Court and arrested his first son with other 14 members of his family recently. Expectant of a man who’s enjoying what he never laboured for, is, total socioeconomic turn around of the state for good, massive road and water construction across the state, renovation/construction of our health facilities, youth empowerment and job creation, etc. All these and more was the people’s expectation, most especially, the youth whose constituency he’s said to have emanated from.
Now, let’s take on the new direction from day one.
Bello on assumption of office allegedly re-applied for the bailout, he said, the govt of Capt Idris Ichalla Wada “wrongly” applied for it. While the bailout was in process, the screening committee was commissioned to ascertain the total workforce of the state and weed out the ghost workers which was alleged to be gulping the state’s lean resources to the tune of 30 million naira monthly. The committee, on completion of the mandate, presented their report to the govt with over 16000 ghost workers detected and removed from the payroll. If Bello reapplied for the bailout before the staff audit report, one wonders the data submitted to CBN before accessing the 1st tranche of the bailout, how come after weeding out over 16000 ghost workers the amount reapplied for is still same as the old one applied by Wada, why total cost of salary payment still the same? I cannot begin to discuss the controversies that trailed the 1st screening as it was obvious the job was a shoddy one and an attempt by the heartless governor to deprive some legitimate workers of their pay in order for the governor and his cronies to loot the state as it is obvious today.
Legitimate workers who was deliberately removed from the payroll by the Okuntimo led committee took to the street to protest what they called “man inhumanity to humanity”, the workers numbering in thousands protested across the state. While those at other LGs protested freely, their counterpart in Lokoja were beaten, arrested and detained by Bello Police for demanding their legitimate entitlement. What a direction?
Posing a crocodile dissatisfaction, the governor sacked Okuntimo and commissioned another committee to look into the various cases of deliberate removal and irregularities found in the screening report. Note, this action has rendered the Okuntimo committee useless and a waste of tax payers money thereby creating a new screening. Ever since the 1st screening, it has been one screening after the other. Where’s the direction in this?
At my last count, over ten lives have been lost to accidents, 2 people from Iboko in Ofu LGA, 1 from Ijumu LGA, 2 from Ibaji LGA, 1 from Agaliga Etukwo in Olamaboro LGA, 2 from Bassa LGA, 2 from Okene LGA and the last is Aunty Peace from Dekina LGA who slumped, vomited blood and died at Lokoja. These are victims of the Pharaoh’s unending screening who have died, not to talk of those that sustained varying degree of injuries, ranging from minor to major, some people had their hand(s) or leg(s) amputated. Is Lie-Lie Bello sacrificing the blood of our brothers and sisters to his cult for court’s victories? Dear kogites, is this the new direction?
In the face of all these anomalies and hardships our “Lord of the Manor” as called by Phrank Shaibu went on a spending spree. First was spending over a billion naira to acquire exotic cars for himself and aides, spending over 300 million naira to celebrate his birthday, another 50 million naira for the Governor 2 (Edward Onoja’s) wedding, over 1.5 billion naira was alleged to have gone to Abuja for the Tribunal favourable judgment, another 2 billion naira for the appeal court judgment, 25 million naira for Governor 2 (Edward) reception at Okpo by the Ogugu Development Initiative, over 300 million naira for the Kogi at 25 Silver Jubilee celebration and many more other frivolities. By the way, what are we celebrating? Celebrating nothing is the new direction?
Earlier, the No Direction govt announced the re-awarding of the construction of Idah road and Ankpa township roads and drainage. Months gone down the line, no contractor or workers on site or is this another Bello Media Contract just like the Bello Media Alert?
Aside the bailout, allocations for all the months came yet Pharaoh could not pay salaries. Typical of a surreptitious, deceptive, arrogant, heartless, mischievous, cheeky and wicked set of people, Yeye Pharaoh and cohorts subjects the workers to untold hardships at the bank. Workers were sent “Media Alert” – a peculiar kind of credit alert you get from Bank but your account isn’t truly funded.
Workers who go to the bank either discovered the account is empty or their name is not on the list, in order to prove Bello’s deliberate wickedness. How can one received “alert” and on getting to the bank discovers his/her account is either not funded or declared ghost.
Bello’s sojourn as Kogi State governor isn’t older, yet, he’s got many negative credit to himself. Bello took up Ebira-replacing-sacking marauding, the action saw the removal and immediate replacement of the following offices and officers, the Provost Kogi State school of Nursing and Midwife, the provost Kogi state college of Education Ankpa, Bursar Kogi state University, Anyigba and the Dean Kogi State University, Dr. Usman Ogbo, except that of Kogi State Broadcasting Corporation which he reversed. All these never happened without strong objective criticism and condemnation as his action is in gross violation of the civil service rule and terms of engagement. As if a man on the devil sent mission, he was never dissuaded in his quest to create crack and plant the seed of discord among the people of Kogi State. Lest I forget, has the permanent secretaries and LGs treasurers sent on a compulsory 1 month leave recalled or they were asked to take the violating and disgraceful New Direction out of service?
My late father would say, “to destroy the African society, destroy their morals”. The Kogi State Council of Ulamau and Imams rekindled our hopes in our morality when it was reported that they rejected the rice and rams donated by the apostates for this year’s eidel kabir. Allah does not accept such saddaqqa (alms or charity) when the workers could not afford a cup of rice.
Are these the new direction or the rumoured meeting with the local government administrators to sign that he has paid 9 months salary arrears to the local govt staffs?
As many mouth that could not be fed well throughout the state, as many household that could not perform the Islamic injunction (killing of ram during sallah – Ileya), as many as the total state’s population undergoing unprecedented hardships, so are the curses of Yeye Bello.
Pharaoh’s atrocities against the people of Kogi State can take months to write, but the consolation is in the fact that the people are better informed. Stoning the devil part 2 may have been averted because of the heavy security presence which almost turned the Eid ground to war front but there’s always another time (he won’t see it coming just like the Juma’at prayer).
Let it be recorded that instead of a governor, the people of Kogi State was ruled by the Pharaoh worse than that of Moses era.
– Sufyan Adam, a political analyst write from Anyigba in Kogi State.
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