Unfortunately, the trending imagination of a frail ambition of Yahaya Bello seeking to be Nigeria’s president in 2023 has continued to create strings to negative reactions from every strata of the Nigerian society but not without praise singing from sycophants who continue to praise-sing a man who has made his mark within the Nigerian political space as one of the most corrupt youngest governor in Nigeria.
What exactly is wrong with Nigeria as a country is reflected in Yahaya Bello. This is so because, a man who is charged constitutionally with the responsibility of providing infrastructural and human capacity development of Kogi State has characterised failure in such a manner which creates an odious stench to what sane leadership is all about even though he was not legitimately elected in the first place.
There are handful of unanswered questions being asked for long to Yahaya Bello. While this fellow continues to point accusing fingers to his predecessors as the excuse for his own failure, let me remind him that we are all aware that the immediate past Governor of the Kogi State, H.E Capt. Idris Wada inherited a very absurd salary payment structure in percentages when he was elected Governor of the State. To solve this problem once and for all, he did sought a 50Billion Naira loan from the Federal Government. The said loan was approved but disbursement was stalled due to selfish political interference from the APC led Federal Government.
The 50Billion Naira was released to Yahaya Bello. But this fellow bluntly and in a clandestine manner, refused to use the money for it’s original purpose. The question is, where is our 50Billion Naira Yahaya Bello?
If Yahaya Bello cannot manage a State as small as Kogi, what the hell can he do to fix a divided, and polarised nation as Nigeria? He absolutely lack in its entirety the capacity and leadership qualities to manage Nigeria. I am not surprised that such a person seek to be Nigeria’s president, after all, this is Nigeria. A country where criminals with deep pockets under political guise are awarded and celebrated publicly. Sadly by the same people who they steal from and of course, also by the people who benefit from their loot and steals.
The records and facts are clear. Yahaya Bello has received over 400Billion Naira since he assumed Kogi State Governor. Yet, Kogi suffers from one of the most fractured Education and Health care systems in Nigeria. Not to mention the weak security system, and weakened civil service system.
How long are we going to be pretending that we don’t know all these? Could it be a case of if you speak out, you will be the next target of a hit or it is the same pay to pretend syndrome? While we keep silent, do we have an understanding of the battered future being created for our children to inherit? No, I don’t think we understand. Because if we do, we will all wake up to the sad reality that rouge politicians have held the future of Nigeria hostage in a choke mode.
But one thing we are demanding from Yahaya Bello is to simply explain what he has done with Kogi State’s resources. His continuous hibernation under the immunity clause for State Governors won’t last forever.
Austeen Anibe Otene writes from Abuja
