The autocratic regime that we are currently witnessing under Yahaya Bello stands out as a watershed in the history of Kogi State. Kogi’s darkest years since the creation of the state in 1991 resulted from his unrestrained personal rule: very close to the features associated with Warlodism, Nepotism, Corruption, Violation of human rights, Inflicting hardship on the people.
It is amusing, if not very disturbing to see the number of people the Bello administration has brought out of the woodwork to sing praises of his government on daily basis.
Having arrested key members of the opposition, intimidate the press into silence, disobeyed court orders and even arrested his critics, such as Usman Okai Austin, on trumped up charges, the government has become confident that it has a free pass to feed Kogites with lies about it’s woeful performance in office.
Having won a “divine” election by inheriting the votes and benefiting from the death of Late Abubakar Audu, the government continues to believe it can also govern by continuing to tell lies. Thus, assessing his performance in office over the past one year, the governor even went as far as to boast that it has been a year of success. This shows conclusively that truth has fallen in the street of this misguided Bello administration, so much so that abject failure has been camouflaged as its success.
In all my years of living in Kogi State, I can say along with the overwhelming majority of Kogites that we have never had it so bad.
Only one thing explains the extremities of Kogi’s predicament today: we have in office a government so singularly inept and incompetent, it has triumphed in making a bad situation so much worse.
Just take a look at the following anomalies: Bello promised to create jobs in Kogi State, however, in over one year in office, his administration has created no new jobs. Instead, he has sacked legitimate workers under the guise that they are ghost workers. Our educational system is in shambles, All state tertiary institutions have been on strike since the 16th of January 2017 (with the exception of Kogi State University which joined on the 3rd of February due to Examinations going on at the time) over arrears of salary owed them by the government and the governor is not even bothered.
Bello’s government has inflicted hardship on Kogites. No wonder a pensioner in the state liken him to Joseph Stalin of old Russia. Civil servants and pensioners who retired from Kogi State civil service are being owed Salaries and arrears of up to 17 months. On 25th April 2017, vanguard newspaper reported “Kogi highest indebted with 15 months unpaid salaries”. Wasting tax payers money on roads flag up just to make front pages of newspapers.
Major Gen. Bello-led Kogi state government is an anti-people government that has no regard for public education or the welfare of workers.
It should now be abundantly clear that Bello is not qualified to be governor of this 21st century Kogi State. The governor has neither agenda nor direction. His party (APC) desperately needs to organise an intervention before Bello drives the state into the ditch. It is time to admit it, Electing Bello as governor was a big blunder.
– ‘Folorunsho Olumide
