Not until his emergence as Kogi State Governor in 2016, not a few citizens of Kogi State were in doubt over the possibility of having a Messiah that would help bailing out Kogi State from its over three decades quagmire of gross underdevelopment and extreme poverty which cut across all the strata of the state; at least not so soon! They easily resigned to fate. But the emergence of Yahaya Bello as Governor of Kogi State, no one would have reckoned with any soothsayer about the impressive change of fortune for Kogi State and its huge population.
Yahaya Bello’s coming was divinely ordained. No one saw it coming. And ever since it has been a resounding kind of sooth balm and consolation for several years of Suffering and hardship of citizens of Kogi state. In conformity with the promises of his administration, Bello has ensured that all he promised the citizens of Kogi State has been fully accomplished to the fullest.
Apparently becase of the complementary relationship between security and development, Governor Bello had thought it wise to accord security of the state a premium attention, and this explains why immediately after his swearing in ceremony he went full swing into war with virtually all the armed robbers, criminals and their allies in the state.
Determined to achieve this, Governor Bello had to unleash all the intrumentalities of security in the state and at the federal level on kidnap kingpins who had terrorized the people of the state for years.
After running them out of the state, he forged ahead by destroying their buildings and hideouts. Aimed at achieving maximum results, Governor Bello ensured a robust synergy between his government and the Nigerian Army by single handedly constructing and commissioning in July 2017 the Army Forward Operational Base in Okenne with a view to halting criminal activities that had almost enveloped that jurisdiction of the state.
In demonstration of his concern for the good health and general well-being of the people of the state, Governor Bello on assumption of duties established Kogi State Health Insurance Agency, in order to help reduce out of pocket expenditure, and in demonstration andprovide financial risk protection to the people of Kogi State, irrespective of their socio-economic status and ethnic/religious affiliation.
So far since its the establishment of the Agency it has among other enrolled 35,000 vulnerable in the Agency’s insurance scheme including 700 pregnant women. In order to fix the infrastructural deficiencies inherited by his administration, Governor Yahaya Bello built a top of the class Reference Hospital of global standard, and further replicated same in Okene. As at last count, Governor Bello administration in Kogi State has renovated and remodeled virtually all the state-owned general hospitals in all the Local Governments of the State including College of Nursing and Mid-wifery, Obangede; College of Health Science & Technology, Idah; Kogi State Specialist Hospital, Lokoja and Ultral-Modern General Hospitals in Eganyi, Ajaokta Local Government.
In the area of food production, Yahaya Bello administration has been quite examplary in his desire to ensure massive food production and employment for the younger ones in the agricultural sector, Governor Bello expended a whooping sum of N4 billion to establish Kogi Rice Milling Factory in Ejiba, Yagba Local Government Area of the state.
While commissioning the factory in September 2019, Governor Bello described the rice mill as first of its kind in North Central part of Nigeria with capacity to employ over 5000 indegenes of Kogi State. The Rice Mill according to the Governor would produce more than 1000 bags of high quality rice per day when flly operational.
Speaking on behalf of all the Civil Servants in Kogi State, the Head of Service in the State, Mrs. Odiyo O. Hannah could not help but espressed her immense gratitude to Governor Yahaya Bello for his consistent concern for the welfare of Civil Servants in Kogi State.
Only recently, the Governor approved among others: resucitation of vehicle refurbishment loans; conduct of up to date promotions; cash backing of promotions up to 2018 and the adoption of the federal public service upward review of duty for allowance (DTA) for Kogi State Civil Servants. All these are in addition to the implementation of the N30,000 minimum wage.
Because of the peculiarity and uniqueness coupled with vibrant population of all the 21 local governments of the state and its economic potentialities, Bello’s passion for road construction and rehabilitation is indeed ineviatable.
The construction of the Ibana-Ikeje-Ette road and that of the Idah-Umomi-Anyigba road for example in the Eastern axis of the state has been completed. The Dekina – Anyigba Road has also been reconstructed.
Other roads that are undergoing construction in Okene town are Agassa-Irucheba Road; Ozuwaya- Idozuni Road; Idozumi- Idoji Road; Spurs-Ahache – Enyinare Road; Ateba – Idozumi Road; Spurs, Obehira-Makaranta Road; Library – Inike Road; Agassa- Ekuku – Dam Road and Agassa- Anyava Road.
Lokoja, the capital city of Kogi State looked like an overrated, rustic countryside settlement before the coming of Governor Bello. The rapid transformation of the city in recent years is very clear for anyone who is familiar with the state capital.
The asphalt overlay of Taiwo road, the Lokoja Township Stadium, the Muhammadu Buhari Civic Centre, the Inland Revenue Office etc are few out of the legion of physical infrastructural projects provided by the Bello administration. But roads have played the major part in beautifying the city under Governor Bello.
The emergency facelift given to portions of the road between Ganaja junction and Ganaja village in Lokoja, and the rehabilitation of SUBEB road, Lokoja are also very key. Most of the visible road projects around Ganaja are forced by the ongoing construction of the massive, unprecedented flyover, a signature, legacy project of the administration that is nearing completion.
Other road projects in Lokoja township include Bishop Court – Kasuwa Hotel-Ganaja Junction Road; Adankolo Cemetery- Zenith Bank Road;
Dunamis Junction- Federal University Road; UBA Adankolo- Housing Estate Road; Cemetery-Baptist Church Road; Kewon Hotel – Lokoja LGA/Federal Road Safety road; Sardauna Junction – Cemetery /Maigari Palace Road; and asphalt overlay of Paparanda Square- Nataco Junction.
Others crucial road projects receiving attention across the state include Umomi-Ejule – Anyigba Road; Dekina Township road; Ibana-Okpo-Ogugu-Ete Road; Old Egwume Road; Ofejikpi Road and Ankpa-Abejukolo Road.
Governor Bello has a little over two years to round off his maximum term of eight years. He has raised the stake of governance and
demystified the complexities of office. Whoever will come after him will have his job cut out for him, in terms of being able to meet up with the work rate, work ethic and dedication of Governor Bello.
By Lucynda Magazine
