Yahaya Bello By Issa Saliyu Yahaya Bello unveiled his government’s agenda for the next four years at his swearing-in ceremony, which too...
By Issa Saliyu
Yahaya Bello unveiled his government’s agenda for the next four years at his swearing-in ceremony, which took place at the Government House on Monday, January 27. As part of the activities at the event was the surprise announcement of seventeen commissioner-designates who would head some government commissions.
The announcement of appointees at the swearing-in ceremony came as a surprise as it countered the assumption by many that such appointments would drag for some time while many lobbied to be rewarded for their political support. For observers, Bello scored a key political point with this move as many would see it as an indication of his government’s preparedness to commence the task of governance.
Bello also got the attention of many pundits with his speech, which gave an overview of his work in the last four years and lucidly outlined his government’s aims and objectives for the next four years.
Among the areas he highlighted as part of the significant strides recorded in his first term were his government’s efforts in ending entrenched corruption in the state, a challenge that had stifled growth for many years and which had plagued the state civil service with administrative burdens.
Bello captured his initial attempts at shaming the narrative of governance thus: “The story of our stewardship in the term just ended is the classic tale of choosing a new direction and confronting whatever challenges it brings with courage, no matter how overwhelming they might become”.
Bello’s challenges in confronting what many considered being major impediments to development became viral news item. He faced criticisms from several quarters for what many described as his below-expected performance in managing the fiscal challenges in the state.
READ ALSO: Kogi Gov, Yahaya Bello presents N176bn 2020 budget
However, the reality, reported by several observers and supporters, seemed different from the perceptions created. As Bello succinctly captures it, “We are not ashamed to admit that we lost the propaganda war during our first term, but neither are we shy to say that we won the battle for truth, which is more important”.
Bello’s responses to claims of less than perfect score in fiscal management were lucidly detailed in his speech: “We worked hard to improve our fiscal responsibility and sustainability capacities as a state… The results have been great. Our Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) has grown from about N350m monthly, when we took office in January 2016, to about N1.4bn per month now… Our IGR figures since 2016 are in themselves a metaphor for the steady development which we have achieved in most areas…”
For Bello, the struggle to counter the false narratives with the facts. while at the same time, focusing on the task of providing the dividends of democracy, defined the style and substance of his leadership. In the end, according to him, “We were able to empower the people to resist such. Our people are now less inclined to mortgage their welfare to gain some fleeting patronage. In fact, we are now seeing more and more individuals, families and even whole communities across Kogi State rising up and freeing themselves from social, economic and political subservience to a few individuals and their entrenched interests”.
Achieving cultural reorientation, like Bello speaks of, is one of the toughest tasks of any government, so it should be commended, say the pundits. On the issues of social and infrastructural development, the records clearly speak volumes of the government’s efforts to change the indices.
With the development of a well-drafted plan, the New Direction Blueprint, which was the roadmap for accelerated development of Kogi State in all her constituencies. Bello’s administration focused on 7-key thematic areas.
These were education, health , infrastructure, job creation, civil service reforms, agriculture and security. Today, the results speak for themselves.
Bello’s speech pointed out that, because of the initiatives taken by his government, the state has enjoyed equity in the spread of government appointments and projects. He also noted his government’s achievements in the area of security, pointing out that in less than 6 months into his tenure, the numbers of robberies and kidnappings dropped drastically. He pointed out that “For a 6-month period from July, 2016 to early January, 2018, we recorded no kidnappings at all”.
This is one significant success that many in Kogi readily attest to. It is not a coincidence that, under Bello’s leadership, as he explains, “the state has been rated the second most peaceful state in the federation after Osun in 2018, and the most peaceful in northern Nigeria by the National Peace Index (NPI)”.
Another proof of Bello’s strides come from the many accolades his government has won for its initiatives, and Bello captured this explicitly in his speech, mentioning a 2019 World Bank Group recognition as the top performer in World Bank Portfolio.
He also mentions recognition by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as one of only four states in the federation deemed success stories in the SDGS and the fact that the state was ranked the 7th top performer among all the states and FCT in basic education funding according to the records of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).
With the renovation and construction of over 375 classroom blocks in basic education (primary) schools across the state and the provision of enhanced learning materials and development of physical infrastructure in secondary and tertiary institutions, captured in his speech, Bello’s government has scored key successes in changing the dynamics in the state’s education sector also.
So, when Bello says, “We shall not relent in our efforts” during this second term, it is best believed, as his antecedents suggest.
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