"The Case Against Yahaya Bello Should be Viewed as a Case Against the Entire North Central Region"

… Tinubu needs more time to settle down, he inherited a lot of rot in the system –

Rt. Hon. Prince Mathew Kolawole, is the immediate past Speaker, Kogi State House of Assembly. In this interview he speaks on wide range of National issues regarding the administration of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress and the face-off between Former Gov Yahaya Bello and the Economic and Financial Crime Commission.

Assessing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration in the last one year?

The APC government has come to stay to the best of my knowledge. I also strongly believe that we are in a trying moment as far as the nation’s economy and Nigerians are concern. In actual sense, President Tinubu needs more time to settle down fully because of the rot in the system from where we as a nation are coming from. It will take awhile for us as a nation to come out of our challenges. The ongoing reforms maybe biting hard, but it is a process to take us to our dream land.
In the last one year we have been going through a lot in this country. We have been going through economic reforms though it been very harsh on the citizens, but the truth is that every man who has contested for one position or the other has his own policy to implement. He has his own objectives and reasons for contesting. The roadmap of President Tinubu, I can assure will take us out of the woods. When we were running up and down for President Tinubu during the electioneering campaigns, he told us without mincing words that he will reform Nigeria, but as it is today every thing we are passing through today are part of the reform. So I believe very strongly that Nigeria in no distance time will witness more development, more food production that will put food on our tables.

Rating Achievements of Tinubu?.

In the last one year the present administration has achieved so much in concrete terms that are visible. I will say his performance is excellent. So far so good, because we can see some development in some areas. I think the only complain Nigerians are having today is in the areas of petroleum and electricity. But when you take a look at most developed nations, people pay heavily for petroleum and electricity. I just returned from Canada and United State of America (USA). A litre of petrol in USA is over nine dollars and by the time you convert that to Nigeria’s naira it will be far more than the amount we are buying here. Though in those countries they use tax payers money to develop the country and the citizens are enjoying it.
I believe very strongly that Nigerians will also enjoy very soon considering so many laudable policies that the present administration has brought. Very soon, Nigerians will begin to enjoy the dividends of democracy. Nigerians should give President Tinubu more time and also support him because from all indications the President meant well for the citizenry.

On Edo Governorship election won by APC.

The Edo Governorship Election has juxtaposed the fact that the people are happy and appreciative of the APC. You can see that even with what you call challenging reforms, with the current hardship faced by people, the victory shows that the APC is a formidable party and President Tinubu is driving the vehicle of the party in the right direction. Whatever is happening in the country in terms of reform for a better Nigeria, has nothing to do with the party. APC remains APC and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu remains Bola Ahmed Tinubu. That does not mean that when there is election tomorrow in Kogi APC will not win, no the party will win with large margin in Kogi because we have a structure that is not comparable.
Edo governorship election is a litmus test to prove to Nigerians that APC is a party to beat as far as Nigeria is concern come 2027. Today you can not talk of PDP or any other political parties that is as strong as APC. So the only party we have in Nigeria for now is APC and I am assuring you that the forthcoming Ondo governorship election slated for November, the APC will definitely claim the State again even though the APC is the ruling party in the State. So any where there is election today in Nigeria, APC will win and it has nothing to do with the driver of the vehicle who is President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The president has come to transform Nigeria through his numerous policies. Few people have been taking money from the oil sector for which he felt it is not good enough for the country. The president came and stopped the idea of fuel and electricity subsidiary. These are subsidies that had been hindering government in power to do certain things that can profit Nigerians and regrettably the subsidy money end up in the hands of very few people that live buoyant lives at the detriment of millions of Nigerians.
President Tinubu came and wanted to change the narrative for better because the subsidies is actually not benefitting Nigerians. This idea has nothing to do with APC, he is just a driver of the party and the leader of APC in Nigeria while the APC National Chairman is Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje and as the party Chairman he wants to win more states in the governorship election, more sits at both state and national assemblies including local government elections. So I see Nigeria turning to one party system in no distance time.

Former Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi state, worked for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, but today he is passing through a lot of travails. What is your comment on this?

Frankly speaking, what is happening to former Governor Yahaya Bello today is very unfortunate. This man has sacrificed so much for APC especially during the 2023 elections. For me, there is nothing wrong for any body to aspire for any position. If he aspired to be the President of this country then, it is his own desire, that shouldn’t have been seen as reason for his recent persecution in the hands of EFCC by some people who are scared of his rising political influence.
It is a fact that immediately he lost the Presidential primary election he supported the candidate of APC which is our leader Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Former Governor Yahaya Bello was the Chairman of various Youth organizations across the country and he mobilized Nigerian Youths to vote for APC and in his State Kogi, he delivered 100% to the ruling party APC. He has done a lot for the party.
I think the problem the former governor has today was as a result of some people who are at the corridors of power who are the ones orchestrating his persecution. unknowing to them, power belongs to Almighty God. I really don’t know why some people always try to bring down a growing politician for no reason. As far as I am concerned, Yahaya Bello is a core APC member who has been sacrificing much for the party and he is still ready to do more for the victory of the party. He has paid his price, paid his dues. He made Kogi state an APC state through his commitment, doggedness and loyalty to the party.
The question I keep asking Yahaya Bello’s detractors is, the people that are persecuting the former governor, have they come to Kogi state to see his numerous achievements when he was in the office?. Before he came on board as the governor of the State, Kogi did not have a Reference Hospital, go to Okene and see world class hospital. Even the Specialist hospital in Lokoja was given a new face lift aside primary healthcare centres he established for all the local government areas of the state.
The former governor constructed the first ever flyover in Lokoja, constructed model secondary schools in the three senatorial district of the state among other projects he executed that have direct impact on the lives of the people of the State. All these achievements were recorded within eight years of his administration.
In the area of education, former Governor Yahaya Bello established two University within four years of his administration to make the state own Universities to be three and all of them are functioning at optimal level till date. Which state in Nigeria can boast of having three state Universities. All these achievements were recorded through the use of the little allocations that came to the state during his tenure in office.
Former Governor Yahaya Bello is a prudent manager of resources. He is a chartered accountant and knew how best to manage public funds. For EFCC to be running after him, to me it is a political ridicule for which a very few people are busy orchestrating, reasons why Mr. President must call them to order. Those who have hands in this continuous persecution of Yahaya Bello should know that who God did not ridicule no man can ridicule him.

What will be your appeal to EFCC Vs Former Governor Yahaya Bello and how North Central can come together to form a formidable political force?

For me, I believe that the North Central Governor’s, legislators and Political leaders should see what is happening now to former Governor Yahaya Bello as a wakeup call to all of them. A wakeup call in the sense that when the political actors are looking for something especially during elections, they will come to North Central and Campaign, but when we give them our votes, rather than translate into dividends of democracy, the North central is always forgotten and gets rewarded with witch-hunting. Take for instance, our party APC zoned National Chairmanship position to North Central, from no where after Tinubu’s emergence as President, they took the Chairmanship of the party to North West along with Speaker of House of Representative. The Deputy Senate President was taken to the South East. Today they have created the North East and North West Development Commission, but they deliberately refused to create North Central development agency for us. The fact remains that, if you are talking of Natural Resources in the country, the resources are domiciled in the North central. Look at Ajaokuta steel company after almost 50 years we are still battling with its completion and operationalization despite enormous potentials of the steel company.
So the people of North central should see that the case against Yahaya Bello is a case against the entire North central. Once any body finishes his tenure it is important to appraise him to see what he has done before coming out with plans of pulling him down. Whoever has done well while holding public office should be praised and not vilified like they are doing to former Gov Bello. Initially the EFCC claimed that former Governor Yahaya Bello embezzled 80.2 billion naira after several months they are now bringing a frivolous figures of over 110 billion naira. Can any body tell me that Kogi State in eight years made such humongous money and stolen by somebody and the state is paying salaries to workers as at when due?. The highest allocation that came to Kogi State during Yahaya Bello was 3.9 billion naira, if you multiply that by 12 and re-multiplied that by 8 years, you will know that whatever the EFCC was bringing was a case that has to do with just cooking stories. As a former Speaker of Kogi State House of Assembly for almost seven years. I can tell you that our public account committee went round the Ministries and Government House, our findings clearly indicated that the former governor Yahaya Bello did not embezzle the state funds except if there is any other money that came to the state that I and the Assembly Members did not know about.
But when you are talking of monthly federal allocations and grants. It will interest you to know that the world bank can not give you money without monitoring how you spend the money. They will bring consultants to monitor you to ensure the project is implemented. For instance if world bank gives you money for health and you divert it to another project they will never give you their money again. The same Yahaya Bello EFCC is talking about won world bank awards on transparency and accountability so it baffles me where the EFCC got their claims of embezzlement in Kogi State. What happened few days ago clearly shows that the anti-corruption agency has not done their investigation well, but only relaying on petition that can not be substantiated.
Honestly, I see the fight against Yahaya Bello as a political fight to stop him from growing politically. The situation is so absurd and calls for concern.

My loyalty to former Governor Yahaya Bello and incumbent Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo after eight months. What will you say to this insinuations?

To me, I remained eternally grateful to former Governor Yahaya Bello for the support he gave to me when I served the state in my capacity as the speaker of Kogi State House of Assembly for almost seven years. I had vowed between me and my Almighty God that I remain loyal to him no matter the situation. For Governor Ododo, he came in about eight months ago and from my personal assessment as a former legislature, I discovered that the Governor has abundant humility and that has been working for him. We are still assessing Governor Ododo, but under my personal assessment he has gotten a pass mark because the State is developing under him. Road construction is ongoing in all local government areas of the State particularly in Lokoja the State capital. Drugs are available in government hospitals. He has made stomach infrastructure as one of his cardinal point through periodic provision of palliatives to the people down to the rural areas. His prompt payment of salaries to workers remains unprecedented, that was why sometimes ago, I concluded that his second term in office is not negotiable and that is my personal opinion. Governor Ododo is really trying his best to ensure that he delivers his campaign promises to the people of the state.
I am using this medium to tell him not to allow distraction to derail him from his laudable plans for the State. His good work will definitely speak for him because for the eight years of Yahaya Bello his work speaks for him. Former Governor Yahaya Bello made children of no body to become somebody in the State and Governor Ododo is following his footsteps. I am loyal to him and I am with him in totality.
I am a member of APC, I respect Governor Ododo, I respect his position , I respect who he is and I respect his humility. I am saying it without mincing words that I and my team will continue to support him and our party APC. To my boss former Governor Yahaya Adoza Bello, my loyalty for him is undiluted and it is for ever.

You contested for House of Representative election, but lost. Are you having any regrets?

Election is a game that you either win or you loss. I put in my best and even won the election with 190 votes the scores are there, but when you entered into a fight and the referee is not too neutral, what happened to me could happened to any body. INEC supposed to play neutrality in all elections and allow the votes of people to be count. INEC was not supposed to take side in any election. For instance, I won in a polling unit with 269 votes but the man they declared winner got 15 votes while PDP candidate got 60 votes in that polling unit. The INEC man refused to take the votes to collation centre claiming that the place is dark when there is a generator set provided for the centre. To my surprise after giving us the result at the polling units and getting to INEC office they claimed that there was an over voting in the very polling unit I was leading with a landslide margin. The votes were counted and till date INEC could not prove the over voting they claimed. INEC declared the election result inconclusive but after ten days they declared my opponent as the winner of the election. I have put every thing behind me and I have moved on with my life as a politician.

As a former legislature, how will you rate the present lawmakers in the country generally?

Before we left office we fought for the financial autonomy of the legislature because one of the major challenges associated with the state legislature is lack of total independent. The Legislature is the first arm of government , but we don’t have the power. The only power we have is to make laws. The power which could have given the legislature the strength to perform their legislative work is financial backing and it is not there. Our function is just to appropriate funds, we allocate the funds to the Executive and they spend the money and they gave us what we are entitled to. To me the legislative arm of government still remains the same across the country. When I was in the office it was only two state legislatures that have full financial autonomy which are Lagos and River State. But now most state have gotten their financial autonomy base on the law signed by former president Muhammadu Buhari. The legislative arm of government are doing there best and performing their functions as required of them by law.
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