Two Years Disastrous Outing Under Yahaya Bello’s Misdirection and Inexperience – Olumoroti

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Today precisely made it two years when Alhaji Yahaya Bello under most controversial circumstances was installed governor of Kogi state. That day, Kogi experienced political volcanic eruption that consumed everything logical on its path, since then Kogi and Kogites have not known peace nor make progress.
Many kogites were excited and celebrated the emergence of AYB for various reasons ranging from power-shift agitation, tribal sentiments to emergence of a young man as governor. Many of us received the development with  caution for obvious reasons; AYB was neither prepared for the arduous task ahead nor possess the requisite administrative experience. He never participated in the rigorous campaign effort that preceded the election, which provides an opportunity to cross-fertilise ideas with other team members and learn things that would have helped, he was not on the campaign tours which would have avail him opportunity to see things for himself and to have understood the basis of our campaign promises,  an outlook required to succeed as a governor.
But the excitement that a young man from another senatorial district is been inaugurated as a governor overwhelmed other rational thinking and considerations. Not long after the inauguration tell tale signs abound that forces outside Kogi state had imposed an incompetent and vision-less man who finds himself wearing over-sized shoes of governance. He finds himself doing a job he was least prepared for. In less than one year in office it was obvious that he will fail as governor, and to compound the situation he was not ready to listen to superior arguments nor give room for productive engagement before decisions are taken or policy statements are made.
Despite the abundant human resources and pool of experienced administrators available to him, AYB chose to hire unqualified and inexperienced people into his cabinet, they end up trivializing serious business of governance like juvenile indulging in extravagance and arrogance, lacking in strategic thinking and initiative.
The administration is bogged down with unending staff screening exercise, which despite their claim to have substantially discovered and eliminated thousands of ghost workers, leaving many civil servants and pensioners unpaid for several months with many in limbo as they cannot ascertain their employment status till date, the current wage bill remain the same with previous administration or even higher.
Despite the huge resources accessed by AYB (Paris refunds, bailout fund, federal allocations, ecological fund and refund for road projects executed under Wada) there is nothing to show for it; no visible capital projects executed in two years, salaries and pensions remained largely unpaid, our tertiary institutions and labour are constantly at loggerheads with government with many months lost to unnecessary strike action over unpaid salaries and wages, educational funding is almost non-existent as teachers don’t get paid fully, with near zero investment on educational infrastructure at all levels, roads across the state have completely collapsed and yearning for attention, the security situation is worrisome as evidenced with constant kidnapping and armed robbery attacks across the state.
In contrast the same government is quick to release funds for mega rallies, cash and vehicle donation to masquerades, repainting of already commissioned projects, demolition of roundabouts and appointment of hordes of SA and SSA most of them without portfolio, how does these efforts add value to the life of the common man on the street?
The consequence is what we see and experience in Kogi today; instead of enjoying dividends of democracy inline with our campaign promises, Kogites are inflicted with pain, distress, agony, misery, torture, despair, deaths  and even suicides. Impunity, harassment, terror and bad governance has become the guiding principles for AYB administration. Never in the history of the state have Kogites been subjected to hardship and humiliation of the magnitude they are currently experiencing, it has never been this bad. The cries, anguish, complaints and murmurings in the land are unprecedented and regrettable.
It is really sad that instead of delivering on  campaign promises made by us to Kogites before the November 2015 gubernatorial election and consolidating on the political gain for APC, AYB has succeeded in eroding the goodwill and support freely given to us through bad governance, arrogance and recklessness.
Recent developments in the Nigeria political landscape has confirmed that future electoral victory will be driven solely by achievement recorded while in office, the case of Kogi state will not be different in 2019. He who have ears, let them hear and be guided appropriately.
– Engr. Olushola George Olumoroti
2015 Kogi Governorship Aspirant

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