First, I want to correct the nationwide notion that ‘Kogi is always in the news for bad reasons’. This is not totally true as the correct notion should be; ‘Yahaya Bello is always in the news for bad reasons’
From the blast of the whistle, Bello’s eyes was fixated on making money and his first move was to reduce the monthly recurrent expenditure of government. He launched a vicious screening exercise that had a pre-determined outcome before its commencement. The entire state workforce is still writhing in pains as we speak. It is noteworthy that we have a category of civil servants in Kogi State who have not been paid a dime since Governor Yahaya Bello came on board on 27th January, 2016. Yes, 37 months without salary. It is equally worth mentioning that most of these workers and others being owed between five and twenty months salary arrears have remained faithful workers on their respective ministries, classrooms, departments and agencies. Yes, they still go to work and discharge their duties despite being owed 5-37 months salaries! Anyone in doubt can send independent investigators to confirm this.
During the two year long screening exercise, Yahaya Bello honoured the fact that state judiciary workers are not under the state government, but state judiciary service commission, hence, they were excluded from the inglorious exercise. All of a sudden, Yahaya Bello decided to turn his ‘weapon of mass destruction’ on the state judiciary workers. As expected, the judiciary union and heads lectured the unlearned Bello on the principles of separation of powers. No, he can’t be lectured! Yahaya Bello cannot be stopped from doing anything he set his mind upon. A valid court order to garnishee Kogi state government account was disregarded. Judiciary workers embark on industrial action, shutting down all courts in the state but the unrepentant Bello launched move to remove the Chief Judge, Nasiru Ajanah. He ordered his SSG to write the state assembly that is actually an assemblage of ‘Bello is always right’ boys. The assemblage of Bello boys immediately set up a committee to work on the impending removal of Ajanah. As we speak, Bello has criminally withheld the money meant for the judiciary in Kogi state since June 2018. Magistrates and other judges are owed 8 months salary. Courts remain shut in Kogi.
When Bello assumed office in 2016, APC boasts of having the three senators from the state in its fold. He worked to get Mohammed Ohiare of Kogi Central and Abubakar Abdulrahaman ‘Railway’ out of the red chambers. The remaining APC senator, Dino Melaye became the hunted. He hunted Dino till he got tired and decamped to PDP. He fought the party leadership he met in the state. The Haddy Ametuo-led party executives were declared persona non grata in their own state. He succeeded in pushing them out of the party. The deputy governorship candidate of the party in the November 2015 governorship election, Hon. James Faleke was equally ostracized. Curiously, while Yahaya Bello succeeded in decimating his own party members, every effort to reduce the lowest member of PDP failed. His attempts to probe former governors are yet to see the light of the day. While Dino was been hunted by gunmen anytime his visited the state, PDP chieftains move around without regards for Bello.
On October 20, 2017, a 54-year old Grade Level 16 Officer in the Kogi State Teaching Service Commission, Edward Sodje committed suicide by hanging himself somewhere in the state capital. He was being owed 11 months’ salary arrears as at the time he took his life. The news shook the entire nation. Two days later, the state government denied owing Sodje eleven months salary arrears. In a press statement signed by the state Head of Service, Deaconess Deborah Ogunmola, government said the deceased civil servant was owed nine months salary arrears only. What a shameless government! Edward Sodje’s unfortunate suicide is coming eight months after four Mopamuro local government workers were kidnapped while traveling to meet up with screening exercise. One of the four abducted Mopamuro local government workers, Mrs Olubunmi Abraham, was later found dead in a bush. The kidnap victims were reportedly heading to Obajana, to get bank statements of account requested for by the Kogi State Staff Audit Appeal and Complaints Committee sitting in Lokoja, when they ran into men of the underworld.
In December 2017, Yahaya Bello was again in the news for bad reasons. He was involved in double voters registration. He first registration was in Abuja and he did not transfer his voters card to Kogi state as at the time he was coronated by Malami-induced INEC as Governor and it was a major part of litigation against his qualification to become governor. To shut his enemies up, his top aides displayed his picture re-registering for voters card right inside Government House, Lokoja, an undesignated point for the exercise. INEC dismissed two of its officials for their roles in the electoral scandal but later buried the case to save Bello.
March 2018, news broke out that imported military ware have been intercepted by the Nigerian Customs. The militray wares which include sewn military camouflages with bola hats, many bullet proof vests, night vision googles, tactical boots, tactical knapsacks, training canvas, boxing gloves etc, were reportedly imported by Yahaya Bello and were intercepted by the Nigerian Customs because they did not come with end user certificates.
According to reports, upon seizure of these items, one Jerry Omadara, who is the S.A security to governor of Kogi state went to the Customs officers and told them that the items belonged to the Kogi state government and even gave them his complimentary card. Jerry Omadara presented himself physically before Customs. Till today, nothing is heard about the imported wares.
Before I round up the part one of Yahaya Bello’s catalogue of catastrophies, I have it on good authority that he summoned all Directors of MDAs in the state on Friday night (eve of postponed February 16, 2019 general elections). They were called on phone to report with original letters of their last promotion. They submitted photocopies of these letters while they were given N50,000 each to go and deliver their polling units for APC! It is all about desperation to win an undeserved election but why did they collect photocopies of their letter of promotion? To witch-hunt any Director that fails to deliver his/her polling units to APC? Or, to know the Directors that failed to show up so they can be dealt with?
It is worth mentioning that the only thing emboldening Bello’s impunity in Kogi state is his closeness to President Muhammadu Buhari. Quite saddening, Buhari has repeatedly turned a deaf ear to our cries, instead, he is empowering Bello to further terrorize us. The day of reckoning is near.
To be continued…
– Adamu Ojonugwa writes from Lokoja.
