By Mudiaga Affe
If achievement were horses, a governor will like to have a ride to the presidency. This is the scenario in Nigeria’s confluence state, Kogi, where youthful Governor Yahaya Bello (GYB) is remodelling development, on a template of youthfulness and hope.
At the second annual GYB seminar for Nigeria’s politics and crime editors/correspondents which was held recently in Abuja, the governor showcased his drive towards national growth.
Having governed a diverse and complex state for almost two terms, Bello, who took time to answer questions posed to him by participants at the two-day event on issues of governance in Kogi State, the state of the nation, and his presidential ambition, was unequivocal on why he joined the presidential race.
Taking a cue from the ‘Hope ’93’ mantra of the late Chief MKO Abiola, nearly thirty years later, Bello is resonating with the hope that, with youth in the corridors of power, Nigeria can say farewell to hunger and poverty.
There, the forward-looking governor of the central Nigerian state noted that, in today’s Nigeria, the greatest challenge is one of security of lives and property.
Bello espoused the philosophy behind his Hope 2023 vision, as a leader who holds dear the primacy of security.
The 46-year-old governor, who is one of the leading contenders in the race for the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC), regretted that the country is still reeling in wanton hunger and poverty, amid the inability to expand job creation, grow infrastructure, as well as tackle security, provide energy and power.
Nigeria, he added, is also still facing the challenges of resource control, devolution of power, true fiscal federalism, and the diversification of the economy.
Bello noted that Nigerians are now craving the rebirth of HOPE, “and that is why we are here today”.
As he aptly noted, the focus of his hope project is to bridge the “existential gaps” in Nigeria’s body politics.
This, according to him, was in furtherance of his vision as highlighted at the occasion where he declared for Nigeria’s presidency at Eagle Square, Abuja, on Saturday, April 2, 2022.
He highlighted those things he considered important qualities “which I consider imperative in our next commander-in-chief” in the race to 2023: youthfulness, courage, security, and diversity.
According to him, “Natural force and physical energy cannot be abated if performance is to be elevated. I am 46 and a half years old and by the grace of God, I am fit in all physical and mental faculties.”
Kogi State, the governor added, “is a microcosm of Nigeria and possesses the same diversities that often mismanaged, have caused us so much trouble in Nigeria.
“However, I mobilised my people and together we are working through our differences. Is it any wonder that the brutal personality cults, tribal clashes, farmer/herdsmen conflict, and religious upheavals we inherited have ceased.
Bello said one of his most outstanding achievements as a governor, “and one that I am very proud of indeed is the dismantling of these age-long dichotomies.” He added that the elevation of inclusivity was a cardinal point in the compass of governance.
The governor recalled his achievement in the 35 per cent affirmative action threshold for women.
He stated that 54 Nigerians from every state and the Federal Capital Territory had been appointed to his government, ranging from cabinet seats to clerical and administrative positions. “Moreover, I am gratified that these new Kogites continue to add incredible value to Kogi State,” he said, substituting the ‘place of domicile for ‘place of origin’ in determining who is a son or daughter of the soil.
Harping on the need for cooperation and Integration, he said Nigerians must be able to live and contribute anywhere in this nation “with the guarantee that they will not be called strangers there one day.”
“I promise that under a Yahaya Bello Presidency, Nigerians of every extraction will know what it means to be free of the principles of exclusion that currently demean our very existence. All of us deserve to belong in our country without discrimination or marginalisation and to receive our full and valuable parts in the national scheme of affairs.
“I am Ebira and as a person who overcame the ‘minority syndrome’ with much difficulty to be where I am today, I want every Nigerian, especially the youth, to live in a country where no tribe or religion or gender is ever considered a ‘minority’ again, particularly by the things leaders do or fail to do in government.
“Just like I have done in Kogi State, I will ensure that we apply a lot more empathy in how Nigerian society is run. Equity, fairness, and justice must undergird government actions in the distribution of national resources and opportunities, including in the recruitment procedures of public entities. listen to all sides,” Bello added, promising to redefine leadership at the national level.”
A Yahaya Bello presidency, like his governorship, he promised, will be tough on crime and tackle poverty.
Bello, being Nigeria’s youngest governor, stated his vision of a Nigerian government and economy that is open, inclusive, and honest.
“Leaders like me and governments such as mine have a duty to manage the economy so that it operates with a human face and transparent processes. Kogi State under my leadership has consistently led others in the World Bank’s States Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) indices. It is a result I want to mainstream to the nation as a whole,” he said.
In a citation by Prof. Chris Mustapha Nwaokobia Jnr, Yahaya Bello’s campaign organisation is committed to making real the promises of democracy, “which must translate simply into a better life for the masses of our people.
“HOPE 2023 holds great promise for a nation in dire need of new values and tendencies in governance. Hope 2023 is about politics and business. Hope 2023 is about youth inclusiveness and gender parity.
“Hope 2023 is about improved national security and brotherhood. Hope 2023 is about improved infrastructure, healthcare, job creation, and improved energy. Hope 2023 is about the overhaul and the rework of our educational sector and the curriculum. And hope 2023 is about creating the enabling environment for a 21st-century compliant Agricultural sector. Indeed Hope 2023 is about a ballot-based people’s revolution for the good of our dear nation, Nigeria.
“Hope 2023 is a clarion call to our nation to wake up, to rise, and to work along with Governor Yahaya Bello as we birth and berth the Country of our dreams. Hope 2023 is a commitment to new thinking in leadership. Hope 2023 is GYB’s unalterable commitment and passion for a new, prosperous Nigeria.
He said, in today’s Nigeria, the greatest challenge is one of security of lives and property. “Having done profound in this sector, the Hope 2023 vision of GYB holds dear the primacy of lives and property, and GYB is committed to being true to what he says on paper. Compatriots, with Hope 2023 we shall have a safer Nigeria.”
Other issues to be tackled by GYB, according to the academic, include improved healthcare, as well revitalisation of agriculture and sports.
“With Hope 2023 we shall be bidding farewell to the epileptic power supply. GYB is committed to doing anything and everything necessary to improve the energy sector. He is passionate about seeing new players emerge in the energy sector who will use not only hydro but coal, wind, waste, and solar in the generation of power.
“The Hope 2023 vision of GYB is committed to creating a Federalism that works. The call for resource control and devolution of power shall be addressed under GYB’s watch by the Nigerian people, and together we must create federalism that works, he added.
The Hope 2023 vision for Sports and Youth Development is profound. We shall engage our young people in sporting activities and shall rebuild school sports whilst creating the enabling environment for the business of sports to thrive. GYB will not only revolutionize the Sports sector to create jobs but will use the sector to successfully engage the otherwise idle.
Nwaokobia, who is the national coordinator of GOT YOUR BACK NIGERIA, and a leadership and mentorship instructor, said with the Hope 2023 vision of GYB is the commitment to massive infrastructural development.
“Not only shall we judiciously spend resources meant for Infrastructural development, but we shall also deepen on private and public sector partnership for Infrastructural development. And GYB shall explore viable Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) initiatives in the Infrastructural sector.
“Hope 2023, like Hope 1993, is about the abolition of POVERTY. We shall create jobs through robust engagement with the Private Sector. And shall make human capital development a matter of primacy.
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The GYB Hope 2023 mantra is not just another political promise, but a commitment to a new deal for the masses of our people. In Hope 2023 ladies and gentlemen is Country first, in Hope 2023 is Nigeria first, and in Hope 2023 is a new and a boisterous deal for all Nigerians indiscriminate of region or religion,” he said.
Quoting Frantz Fanon, the governor said “every generation out of relative obscurity discovers its mission, fulfils it or betrays it.”
And so, Bello stressed that “to every story, there is a beginning. For governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Adoza Bello, politics begin with a selfless mission for the resurgence of Hope, translating into farewell to hunger and poverty”
The seminar dwelt on papers such as “Impact of Youthful Government on the Development of a State/Country” by Chief of Staff to the Kogi governor, Abdulkareem Asuku; “Succeeding in the Fight Against Insecurity, Terrorism; The Kogi Example” by Navy Commander Jerry Omodara.
Others include “Setting Agenda for 2023 Elections by Senior Vice-Chairman/Editor-In-Chief, Leadership, Newspaper, Azubuike Ishiekwene; “Constructive Reporting in Crisis Situation by former presidential spokesman Dr Reuben Abati; “Achieving Unity and Bridging the Gap in a Multi-ethnic, Multi-religious Society; The Kogi Story,” by Moses Okezie, among others.
The Kogi State Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo, concluded the event, which had a gala night and presentation of the second GYB Media Merit Award certificates to participants.
The annual GYB Seminar aims at empowering the relevant sections of the local and international media with a deeper knowledge of the peculiarities of Nigeria as a nation, intending to deliver authoritative reports on the political environment as well as crime without harming the essence of Nigeria’s unity.
The first of these series was entitled, ‘Reporting Nigeria for Nigeria’. The second seminar, with the theme, ‘Setting the Agenda for 2023’, given the fast-approaching general elections in Nigeria, and the need for the media to shape the process through patriotic, professional, and unbiased reportage.
