By Abiodun Akinsanya

Against negative impression by a section of population mainly from outside Kogi State, a concerted effort was made by an interested Nigerian to unravel the mystery behind such damaging reports about state of Kogi State under Governor Yahaya Bello. In the end, he succeeded in bringing out a long hidden fact about why the White Lion, as Bello is fondly called, can continue to win elections till eternity as Kogi Governor, if the Constitution permits. Although this writer did not title the piece but we provide one for our yearning increasing readers who want to know the truth, which defence is our essence in journalism. Excerpts:

Truth is, PDP never stood a chance in Kogi state. Bello uprooted whatever structures they had & replaced them with young people. He took charge of insecurity & empowered most minority groups. To seal it, PDP picked the poorest candidate possible, who publicity promoted ethnicism.

Musa Wada is the younger brother of Idris Wada, immediate former governor, who is an inlaw to Ibrahim Idris, another former governor. While Gov. Bello is Ebira, those 3 – including late Prince Audu Abubakar – are Igala. Yet, Bello has done enough to win the hearts of Igala people.

While the opposition took advantage of the Gov’s reluctance to spend heavily on media to plant so much falsehood in the media. They took advantage of the many court cases he was facing & his drama with Dino to paint a picture of failure and disappointment. However, Kogites know.

2015, Kogi lost many people to flooding disasters. 2016 after Gov. Bello was sworn in, Kogi lost only one little girl. Why? Advocacy and more attention to environmental issues. But, will that win you accolades? Nope. Y’all wanna see huge hospitals and bridges. Lol.

Wada applied for bailout loan and N52.5b was approved. But, no bank would give the loan because of his fiscal irresponsibility. When Bello came, the state of Kogi’s account was so bad, only two banks agreed to give N10b each, with strict conditions. So, salaries were still owed.

Until 5 months ago, the balance was never given. The moment it was, and given the state had completed its staff verification process, salaries were fully paid and became regular. In four years, IGR has quadrupled. Employment State has grown marginally; even @nigerianstat said so
Before Bello, Kogi had reported kidnapping rate of 18 per month. Today, it’s down to nearly zero. From about 70 expatriates to over 400 today. Huge rice mill in Egiba. Water works in Okene. Hundreds of classrooms renovated. New roads built.

Could he have done better? Certainly. There’s always room for advancement. But, Twitter influencers wanted to sell him as the worst thing since the beginning of time. Thankfully, he didn’t allow the distraction and today, he is sweeping in the votes.

He faced blackmail from within and outside the party. He was sabotaged. Betrayed. Cast out. Ignored. He stood his ground. Remained loyal to the president and his party. I’m truly happy for him. Na man you be, Gov. Yahaya Bello. Congratulations!!

Just Want To Share This With Those Who Will Learn Not To Trust Wailers.