Yahaya Bello: Go And Verify »

We are all knee-deep in election fever.

I wake up every day to yet another trending debate. Just in the past two weeks alone, we have been besieged with the AMVCA worthy script of Bola Tinubu’s life history, where he has (just like the Jibril of Sudan absurdity) been alleged to have had a different name to the one he bears today. During the same timeframe, we have seen Nigerians bash the rationale behind Peter Obi’s European tour, where attendees were charged between $250-$1,000, depending on, like a musical or comedic concert, the table of “executiveness” (permit the grammar) you sit on. In the last few weeks, Abubakar Atiku has also not been left out of the frenzy, as a deleted tweet on the unfortunate death of a Christian girl, Deborah Samuel in Sokoto, followed by a terse explanation on facebook in Hausa language spurred Nigerians into anger and despair at a behaviour they termed, un-Presidential.

This same electoral fever has seen the emergence of catchphrases now more than ever before. Even before the presidential primaries, we were treated to an emotional rendition by Bola Ahmed Tinubu on a consultation visit to the stakeholders of the APC in Ogun state, where he declared, rather poignantly, “Emi Lokan” which, in English, means “it is my turn”. In a wave that shocked even the progenitor of the phrase, it has gone on to inspire various songs and prayer points.

At the advent of his campaign, Peter Obi also launched his own reply to people who questioned his projects and achievements as Governor of Anambra State, often urging them to “Go and Verify”. His supporters have taken to this catchphrase like Ducks to water, and it is often the first thing they say whenever anyone tries to delve into an inquisition. No facts, no figures. Even when they are provided and you go on to “verify’, it is often found to be fabricated figures and non-existent projects.

Question this and you will be fed with a bucketful of insults.

It is the typical situation in every political season – the use of emotions to ride the wave of the Nigerian people. We have seen this used before. Paint every contestant bad and an even more terrible candidate is made to look good because of it. Emotions begin to fly and common sense becomes extremely uncommon to find, especially amongst the seemingly educated folks. The Nigerian people have always, like the Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Chief Edward David Onoja opined in a radio interview a few weeks ago, voted based on emotions and not facts. Emotions have never helped us. It has only plunged us into a far more chaotic system of governance which we often find extremely difficult to get out of.

However, if we are to get it right going forward, we must face facts. No matter the pressure to be on the so-called “right side” of history, you must ask the hard questions. We must put antecedents on the table before making choices that have the ability to either better or destroy the futures of our children. In essence, we must go on and verify every statement, every claim and every achievement with which these candidates will use to campaign.

I am not here to tell you who to vote for. When you place the candidates side by side and scrutinize their legacies (not fantasies), it will become an easy decision.

Peter Obi however, is a curious case.

A campaign that has been built around the pomposity of belief in the utterances and past achievements of the Labour Party candidate has begun to witness unraveling moments in recent time. Whilst Nigeria is far from what we expect it to be, it has certainly made progress in many regard. Obi’s campaign thrives on belittling or, in many cases, disregarding these progresses, whilst manipulating figures, dismissing obvious truths and wallowing in an alternate reality filled with fantasies on achievements which, when fact checked, are often shoddy in their claims or a figment of a collusive imagination.

Obi is a master of prevarication, and whilst someone who aims to becomes the president of the largest black nation in the world ought to display some level of perspicacity, Obi simply conjures numbers and events and if you were to correct such claims, you are immediately tagged an enemy of Nigeria. I came to this realization because I did one thing which many Nigerians are taking for granted in the course of this campaign so far.

I verified.

I could reel out a spate of examples to support my position, but it would be stating the obvious which the reader of this piece is already conversant about. It had me thinking about how difficult it is to find, in the current Nigerian state, politicians who say what they mean and mean what they say. Despite becoming Governor before Obi, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has videos and pictures to support all the projects he claims to have completed or spearheaded. Legacies are not hard to find if they actually exist. For the current Nigeria and the emerging leaders which she possesses, only a few of them can actually match their words with action, and their claims with tangible proof.

Step forward, Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello, the Governor of Kogi State.

The White Lion leads a new wave of politicians whose desire it is to usher in a different wave of leadership for the benefit of the Nigerian people. For Bello, good governance is represented not only by tangible projects, but by the impact you make on the people themselves. His governance has broken whatever divide existed between Kogites of different tribes and religion, establishing a new culture of togetherness and peace, security and progress.

For Bello, leading is an opportunity, not a right, and he is determined to make the most of it.

Kogi is a heterogeneous state. Apart from her three major indigenous tribes, there is hardly any tribe you seek that you will not find in the Confluence state. Different tribes mean different cultures and religious inclinations. However, in its 31-year existence, Kogi has always had Muslim Governors. At the seat of its power, the government house, Christians have borne the weight of marginalization over the years due to the absence of a place of worship and appropriate representation in government. Yahaya Bello stepped into government and changed that anomaly immediately. Bello rules over a state where the Deputy Governor is a Christian, the Speaker is a Christian, the Secretary to the State Government is a Christian and the Head of Service as well. Under Bello, all tribes, indigenous and residential are represented in government appointments. In the year 2019 and after 28 years of Kogi’s existence, Bello built the first-of-its-kind Chapel at the government house just as he promised.

In the process, he cut years of pain and despair, promoted inclusiveness which amazed many Nigerian Christian leaders such as Pastor E.A. Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Lazarus Mouka of the Lord’s Chosen, His Eminence Supo Ayokunle, the CAN National President and many others to come and bless the altar, earning him the title of “a friend of the church” due to his promotion of religious inclusivity. This is not a farce.

Go and verify.

Yahaya Bello stepped into government to see a state where women had next to no influence in politics. He reiterated his stance on the need for women to take their stand in society due to their sagacity and ability to make whatever they handle better. He led the line by appointing the first female Secretary to the State Government in Kogi state history, Dr. Mrs. Folashade Arike Ayoade. She has gone on to become the longest serving female SSG in Nigerian history. Throughout his government, all his Heads of the Civil Service have been women. He is the only Nigerian Governor with a female ADC. Through his leadership, all the Vice Chairperson positions in Kogi State are occupied by women. All the council leaders are women. Women occupy the leadership of four out of nine educational institutions in Kogi state, including the head of the Kogi State University, Anyigba.

Kogi has the highest number of female Permanent Secretaries in her history, even as women lead many other ministries in the state. His actions attracted the commendation of the United Nations, which bestowed upon him the “HeForShe” award for surpassing the 35% slated affirmation for women in government.

Go and verify.

Kogi was a terrorist hub pre-2016. Boko Haram enclaves were found in portions of Okene in Kogi Central, even as SIXTEEN bank robberies were recorded within a two year period. Kidnappers spent the proceeds of their crime amidst the people with impunity, and seemed to be beyond the powers of the government. Bello came in and changed all that. All the places that housed these criminals are now destroyed, the security architecture has been greatly empowered, kidnappings have been reduced to the barest minimum and bank robberies have become a thing of the past. Kogi now ranks as the safest state in the North and the second safest in Nigeria. This is not mere talk.

Go and verify.

Kogi used to rank amongst the states with the worst primary healthcare delivery in Nigeria. It also possessed some of the highest number of child-mother mortality rate. Bello stepped in and signed a bill to accord far more revenue to healthcare facilities and personnel. He recently launched the “BelloCare” program that will provide heavily subsidized healthcare for 15,000 residents of Kogi state, even after inspiring . He has, within the past two years, built the largest General Hospital in the North, invested heavily in the acquisition of top notch medical appliances such as the first Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment Center in Nigeria and is superintending over the construction of NINE other Ultra Modern healthcare centers in the Nine Federal constituencies of Kogi State. These are not mere insinuations. They exist.

Go and verify.

Yahaya Bello has built the first of its kind flyover in Kogi state, with the Ganaja flyover becoming the face of an infrastructural revamp spearheaded by his administration. Go and verify. Yahaya Bello has awarded and is currently ongoing the construction of all the roads within the state capital, Lokoja. Go and verify. Yahaya Bello has, since his ascension into government, ensured that peace and tranquility has become commonplace in Kogi state where hitherto, clannish and tribal discord was the order of the day. Go and verify. Yahaya Bello is the Governor to the most youthful administration in Nigeria today, with the average age of appointees and elected official standing at a staggering 35 years. Go and verify. Yahaya Bello is changing the face of public schools in Kogi, with over 700 schools remodeled, refitted and rebranded in a bid to improve learning and groom future leaders in a space that is conducive. He is also building three gigantic “GYB Model schools” in the three Senatorial districts of Kogi state and initiated and established the Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH) in Osara. Go and verify.
Yahaya Bello built the second largest Rice mill in the North in Ejiba, Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State. Go and verify. He has been recognized severally by the World Bank for good leadership and the return of refund of over $4.63 Million surplus funds under the Nigerian Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP), an agency that has constantly come up tops in performance levels in Nigeria under his leadership. Go and verify.
I could go and on, but Yahaya Bello’s legacy is one that will stand the test of time.

He has succeeded in uniting the people, elevating infrastructure and bridging the poverty gap. Under his leadership, Kogi fell down the ladder on the poverty rate by states in Nigeria. Go and veify. Under Bello, Lokoja has become the second fastest growing cities in Nigeria after Gwagwalada. Go and verify. Under his leadership, the students of the state owned Universities have experienced seamless education, with commendations pouring in from Nigeria and beyond on the Governor on his refusal to allow the educational institutions partake in ceaseless strikes. Due to this, students who study in Kogi are assured of a stable calendar and are aware of when they will graduate from the day they get admitted. You do not believe?

Go and verify.

Like Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, a good leader does not follow where the path may lead, he instead goes where there is no pat and leaves a trail. Yahaya Bello has left a verifiable train in his time in government, and Kogi State citizens and residents will be forever grateful that he has come to lead a paradigm shift which will, till the end of time, define has one should lead and effectively, lead aright.
He does not have projects or actions that are difficult to trace. If you intend to be educated, a few clicks of your button or a visit to kogipedia.net will illuminate your mind on the actions of this transgenerational leader. I challenge you to go and verify all the claims I have made in this article.

You will not be disappointed.

Shalom.

Written by Sam Aina