Writing With Senses On Holiday, A Reaction To The Unwarranted Attack On Governor Yahaya Bello »

By Tom Ohikere

It was with a sense of shock that I read an article in the Kogi reports section of This Day Newspaper of March 21, 2021 with the title “An Error Called Bello’

I was surprised that such a vituperative and uncouth piece could find its way into an otherwise respectable platform as This Day.. Apparently, it was written by a political mercenary who has absolutely no regard for the personality, achievement or the rights of other personalities.

The writer threw decorum to the winds and descended into the gutter just to denigrate the person of His excellency, Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State.

It is amazing that a respectable and responsible medium could be used as a launchpad for unrelenting attacks of His Excellency for the simple fact that he is aspiring to be President of this great country, which he is constitutionally entitled to..

Anytime I see a piece written against the Governor by someone that seems as if he/she has been recently operated upon by a drunken neurosurgeon, I feel that as Yahaya Bello’s Secretary of Media and Publicity during his election time , and a two-time Commissioner of Information in Kogi State, it behooves me to put the records straight.

Please, Nigerians should note the following language as used in This Day:: “It is not surprising that the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, has been playing stupid and constituting humongous nuisance since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic last year.
His persuasions about leadership and governance seem troubled by the age of his ideas. He simply lacks all it takes to be in his current station.”

The faceless writer continues…”For a man, who hardly understands the needs of his state and is yet clowning around in the name of aspiring to lead a complex nation like Nigeria, his alleged rejection of the vaccines recently, is the final curtain call.

“This sustained self-abnegation constitutes serious menace to the society and as such, Bello should be kept on a special watch list. Indeed, a disaster!”

This writer, whose name was not given, seems to have simply rehashed a back page piece by Eniola Bello on Sunday March 8, 2021, with the title: “Yahaya Bello: The Ugly Face of APC”. I believe that stakeholders in the media (especially reputable ones like This Day), should abstain from using the platform for unnecessary attacks seemingly orchestrated by the opposition -because it seems Eniola Bello, the supposed Managing Director of This Day and a host of others are working for the PDP.
They should remember that nothing lasts forever, no position is permanent, the platform will out live them. People that cannot win the position of Councillorship in their home States should not delude themselves they’re the political encyclopedia of the country.

This Day, that is the flagship of journalism in the country should not be brought into disrepute just because some elements want to make quick money or deliberately out for some political gains

Anyone pained by Yahaya Bello’s rising profile should pick a form and try his/her popularity at the polls and stop throwing barbs from corners.

Governor Yahaya Bello’s position on Covid -19 has been vindicated in terms of the number of virus’ mortality being exaggerated and politicized. Also, the vaccine’s potency and safety quotient is being questioned by doctors across many countries including the US, UK, Germany, and other foreign countries, even in Africa. Some even claimed that the virus and events stemming from it (lockdowns et al) is all a scam!

The number of deaths so far from the much-touted vaccine, AstraZeneca-Oxford has been given as over a hundred and there. were those blinded as a result of having taken the jab. All these are being kept secret.

And even recently, some countries including France, Denmark, Ireland, and Thailand have temporarily suspended their use of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine because of reports that some people developed blood clots, and these claims are still being investigated. So, Yahaya Bello’s skepticism is well-founded. He did not discountenance the virus, he’s just calling for caution and should be applauded.
Like or hate him, Governor Yahaya Bello who has become an emissary of the Nigerian youths, as demonstrated recently with the quality of youths representation in his support can not be gagged by unwarranted media attacks .

Tom Ohikere writes from Abuja.