By Sam Aina

I do not always agree with Reuben Abati. 

I tend to find his views at a differential with what he represented when he was Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. To be fair to him, he has returned to the media world and tried, to the best of his abilities, to be non-partial. He has often failed at this, but his last piece released on the 24th of August titled “Tinubu vs Bello and Others” rolled back his years as a columnist on “The Guardian”, a Nigerian newspaper. 

It was robust, detailed and illuminating. 

It explained the dichotomy between the expectations of those who have claimed the leadership of a country meant for all and the desires of a generation intent on writing a different story. It painted the picture of the depths to which the morals of many have plunged, such that the audacity of aspiration has now become an abomination. 

However, I do not merely read to pass the time. I try my best to find the root cause of issues, especially relating to the Nigerian people, and embark on an inquisitive quest for answers. I read that article three times in a row and grew increasingly annoyed at the repetitive nature by which the Nigerian youth have been used to lick the spittle of retired elders. Leaders of tomorrow turned to mere errand boys, doing the bidding of men who promised to deliver the same future that has still, in the year 2021, refused to materialize. 

Typical of a young man, I consider myself to be at an age where curiosity should get the better of me and not the other way around; which is why I am asking this very important question. 

When did it become a crime for young people to run “with intent” for the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria? Is Nigeria’s leadership a roulette, to be passed around like a shisha pipe?

Some might say the term “crime” sounds a little bit far-fetched, but it fits perfectly into the scenario playing out around us as we speak. If you have taken the time to study the trend these past few months, whatever I am saying right now will not come as a surprise to you. There has, in a subtle but deliberate manner, been an intention to rubbish, by all accounts, the persona of the only Nigerian youth with the capacity to give the golden oldies a run for their money come 2023. 

What hurts me the most, is to see the Nigerian youths used as instruments to actualize this, again. 
The Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello has neither confirmed nor denied his intention to run for the highest seat in the land, but it is without a shadow of a doubt that apart from his sterling attributes and strengths lying akin to what is sorely lacking in Nigeria at the moment, he has become the voice of the youth.

Do not get me wrong, in the past three Presidential elections, some young Nigerians have attempted to make a dent in the well-structured armour guarding the interests of the so-called “owners” of this country. Needless to say, they have failed woefully. 

Yahaya Bello is approaching with a different proposition, standing strong on tangible results of leadership and forging ahead with the stubbornness of a Lion which, like a Warri man would say, “dey burst head.”

He is causing problems. 

He is causing problems to the ambitions of those who think that the seat of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is theirs by right. He has simply emerged out of the blue and is threatening to upend years of scheming and plotting. These people do not care about the problems that we, as everyday Nigerians, experience. They just want to lounge at the Villa, sip champagne and bask in the revel of being addressed as “Your Excellency.” 

Nigeria has had enough of these sorts of people. A President whose aim is to use the Villa as a retirement home should be last on the list of successors to President Muhammadu Buhari. We need results in many areas, and we need them fast.

Unfortunately, Nigeria has always possessed Presidents who have had specific strengths and many weaknesses in other crucial areas. While they might have had the political will to solve one or two of Nigeria’s problems, they lacked the desire to accomplish the rest, leaving millions of Nigerians disgruntled and dissatisfied. This has only served to increase the pain of Nigerians. 

Critics will argue that the Obasanjo administration increased Nigeria’s external reserves and facilitated the installation of phone and internet services, while President Yar’adua will be commended for, at a crucial time in Nigeria’s history, finding a solution to the ravaging histrionics of the Niger Delta militants. Goodluck Jonathan will be commended for turning Nigeria into Africa’s largest economy, while Muhammadu Buhari will bank on his exploits in infrastructure as a major high of his rule. 

A few highs, too many lows. 

We, as Nigerians, have become used to that. You often hear the typical Nigerian saying “if he can tackle ONLY health/security/corruption etc, I will be happy with him.” A wrong mindset which encourages a lack of ambition, leaving many in the gloom. Like I said before, we need results in many areas, and we need them fast. Whoever must become Nigeria’s next President must possess the capability of proffering solutions that will severely curb insecurity, drastically improve our economy, clog the massive infrastructural vacuum, reduce Nigeria’s debt profile and most importantly, unite the country. After all, no one will speak about infrastructure or the economy if war breaks out. 

Ask Afghanistan.

Why then is Yahaya Bello, one of 14 potential successors to President Muhammadu Buhari according to the famous This Day headline, the only one who is constantly under attack? Why is it that Yahaya Bello, who has, so far, shown great leadership in all of these core areas of governance constantly maligned? Why is it that whatever he says is met with so much bile from all sorts of overnight groups? Do his attackers know something about this man that other Nigerians have yet refused to recognize? Is he the villain they paint him to be, or is he in possession of a certain skillset capable of altering the leadership challenge that has bedevilled Nigeria?

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Believe it or not, that last line is the beginning and end of all the chaos.

Yahaya Bello is built different. It is a wonder how he has been able to keep a focused head amidst the barrage of concoctions that the media constantly comes up with. He has, since the beginning of his tenure, been the Governor most maligned by the press, and yet he has remained the friendliest to the media. He regularly has to deal with one accusation or the other and has still managed to shine. Naturally, his achievements have led to a rousing call from the youths, challenging him to push for a run at the soon-to-be-vacant seat at the Villa. They have pointed out repeatedly how his capabilities fit seamlessly with the problems experienced by Nigeria today. 

According to them, Nigeria has obvious problems and Yahaya Bello has shown, practically, that he has the solutions. 

Shouldn’t it then be a match made in political heaven?

In an attempt to derail his aspirations, the media has often come up with falsehoods that should have, by this stage, crippled other candidates. They have lied about him owing salaries. They have lied about a purported lack of infrastructural development. They have lied many things, but one thing about the truth, as Arthur Schopenhauer once stated, is that it passes through three stages. It is first ridiculed, then it is violently opposed. Lastly, it is accepted as being self-evident. 

After weathering the first two storms, we can arguably say that Yahaya Bello’s achievements as Governor of Kogi State are now self-evident. 

A few weeks ago, Channels TV projected five states that had the highest number of months without paying their state doctors. Leading from the top, rather ignominiously, was Abia state (20 months). Imo State was next with 6 months, then Ekiti (6 months), Ondo (5 months) and Kaduna state (2 months). I wondered to myself, rather humorously, why a state which has been propagated by lovers of evil and many media outlets to be owing 36 months salaries could not make the list. Was it an oversight on the part of the same media that has constantly lied against the man, or is the truth becoming self-evident?

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I will leave you to decide. 

Just last week, Zamfara State had to shut down its entire telecom operations in an attempt to curb the communication of ravaging bandits along her borders and villages and also banned the selling of petrol in jerry cans. A traditional ruler was kidnapped in Niger State and Adamawa state had to shut down thirty of its schools. Kaduna banned the transportation of livestock from other states and also shut down five weekly markets. Katsina also ordered an immediate closure of some major highways and suspended activities at livestock markets.  To cap it off, thousands are reported to be emigrating from these regions because of insecurity.

Unfortunate, to say the least, but I must point out that during the same timeframe when these reports were filed, Lokoja, Kogi’s capital, was ranked by Visual Capitalist, a respected Canadian media and news firm, amongst one of the fastest-growing cities in the world with a population growth index of 5.93%. This, as explained, is a result of the safety nest which Kogi has become, alongside her rapidly improving infrastructure. 

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This should, under normal circumstances, be headline news on many newspapers and a point of discussion on early morning talk shows, but when the bearer of gifts is considered an enemy of an evil cause, the doorstep becomes his last bus stop. Is it, I ask again, an oversight on the part of the media, or will we allow posterity to promote the self-evidence of Yahaya Bello’s truth? 

I’ll leave you to decide. 

Fortunately for Kogites, Yahaya Bello has shown over time that he is not a man who cares much about what people say. He prefers action.

Even though he was welcomed into office in 2016 to face over a 4-month backlog of salaries, underdevelopment, insecurity, disunity, a huge infrastructural gap and a crumbling health sector, Yahaya Bello did not falter. He simply went about his job, and the self-evidence of it is mind-boggling. All the inner and major roads in Lokoja have been awarded for reconstruction. At the heart of the city, even as you read this, is an ongoing construction of the first of its kind Ganaja flyover which will cut down on congestion, and give the state capital a facelift. The number of roads initiated and completed under his administration is twice the number as any other previous administration in the past, and he still has two years left. 

Alongside the road projects in Lokoja and across the state, billions have been invested into key infrastructure in health with the Reference Hospital in Okene and specialist Hospitals in Isanlu, Anyigba and Gegu; billions invested into electrification projects in over 200 communities in Kogi East, Irepeni and many others, the CUSTECH university which has recently received 100% accreditation with lecturing already underway and many more. 

A man who has successfully secured his territories, improved infrastructure and made giant steps in education, all the while solidifying the state’s health sector whilst positioning Kogi state for future financial success through a drastic rejigging of her economy and most recently, ensuring that Kogi is recognized not only for her mineral resources but for her status as an oil-producing state should, by all manner of speaking, be hailed as a genius.

Why, despite the facts on the ground, do you think these outrageous lies are often made?

Permit me to be the person who opens your eye today. 

Yahaya Bello epitomizes liberation. He has sent shivers down the spine of those that have constantly promised us freedom and yet kept it from us as Nigerian youths. It has become evident to them that if the pinnacle of Nigerian political power touches the hem of his garment, many strongholds will be broken immediately. Over the years, the Nigerian youth have been held back repeatedly, and to this moment, many remain discontent at a perceived lack of inclusion.

Yahaya Bello said, “not on my watch”.

Instead, he ensured that 95% of his government is made up of Nigerian youths. He has ensured that in the decision-making process, the generation that will be the most affected have been carried along seamlessly. 

Yahaya Bello epitomizes liberation. He has made those who have constantly put women down jittery with his actions in Kogi state. Many in the past have often shortchanged women and made it seem as though women have no place in the decision-making portion of society. Women have, in many sectors of society, been constantly maligned and shortchanged over the years.

Yahaya Bello said, “not on my watch’.

Under his watchful gaze, he has ensured the elevation of women all around him, becoming, in the process, a symbol for women empowerment in politics. He made a woman his Secretary to the State Government, Aide de Camp and heads of many ministries as well as facilitating, through his standing as the state party leader, that all the 21 LGAs in Kogi State have women accurately represented as Vice-Chairmen, councillors and council leaders. Extraordinary considering the norm in Kogi state in the past.

Yahaya Bello epitomizes liberation. Many states across the country have been subjected to massive unease and tension due to the activities of bandits and kidnappers. Some might argue that the actions of these evil men are politically motivated, whilst others will consider the denigration of Nigeria’s security architecture by armed men as an unfortunate circumstance. The herdsmen crisis have, severally, made landfall in Ondo, Ekiti, Niger and Kwara states. The IPOB crisis has also caused, to significant effect, unrest in Enugu and Anambra. At the centre of them all lies the confluence state, albeit with a different story.

Yahaya Bello said, “not on my watch”. 

It is a wonder how he has been able to achieve this feat, but Kogi, once regarded as the kidnap capital of the country, has turned into the safest state in the North and arguably the safest in Nigeria. Kogi, whose banks often closed by noon pre-2016 because of incessant and often fatal daylight robberies, has become one of the top three states with investor assurance on security. Kogi has become the darling of security agencies, with the state government providing maximum support when needed. This has fueled massive dedication to wiping out the state of crime. 

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, Yahaya Bello epitomizes the liberation from the position of “onlookers” which the Nigerian youth have been forced to settle for over the years. He has, apart from being a young person who has also empowered even younger people, been uncharacteristically (judging by antecedents of Nigerian leaders) keen on a unification agenda.

Yahaya Bello is not known to align with any sect. He is not known to be fanatical. He is not known to be tribalistic. He is not known to be socially inept, neither is he known to be a progenitor of nepotism; after all, even in Kogi state, he has appointed Igbos, Hausas and many other un-indigenous tribes. 

As far as I am concerned, a man who supports the desires of the Nigerian youth and is keen on listening to the demands of various tribes and religions to pursue lasting peace is the type of man Nigeria sorely needs. 

So I will say this to Umar Ibrahim, the Director-General of the Tinubu Support Group.

The Nigerian youth are no longer content with the consumption of half-eaten mangoes when we have a collective dream to chase. The dream of a Nigeria devoid of insecurity, religious sentiment and class divide. We are no longer content with selling our rights for peanuts. We will no longer be used as instruments to cause discord in our country, neither will we surrender ourselves as tools for the older generation, especially when younger people have shown, over the years, that they possess the skill set required to unify and prosper our nation. 

I say to you sir, that the only disgrace, failure and betrayer I see is a Nigerian youth who does not recognize the power he embodies, and is willing to sell his soul for personal rewards. It is not me, the writer of this piece, neither is it Yahaya Bello, the one who has revitalized the hope of a disgruntled generation. It is you, draped in shame and enveloped with envy. 

It is becoming clearer as days pass by that if Umar Ibrahim and his cohorts agree or not, 2023 will tell a story, and a Nigerian youth will play the lead character.

You do not need a fortune teller to tell you who it will be. 

I rest my case.

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