After steering the Kogi State ship for eight years, without a shipwreck and creating innovations, Governor Yahaya Bello has stepped forward to recreate his leadership success story at the national level. JULIANA FRANCIS reports not just his achievements as governor, but his attempt to use instruments that had hitherto divided Nigeria to bind and fix it.
Bello displays three aces to use in fixing Nigeria
Chinua Achebe in his novel: “Things Fall Apart,” says of the white man perceived to be destroying the values of the community and then causing anarchy: “He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.”
Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State on April 2, 2022 at Eagle Square, Abuja, declared his intention to vie for the position of the president in the forthcoming 2023 elections. Bello, seemingly borrowing from the words of Achebe, although ironic in context, highlighted how he was going to use issues that had repeatedly divided Nigeria and Nigerians, to unify and fix the ailing country.
These same issues and promises were x-rayed by Bello during a two-day “Second Governor Yahaya Bello (GYB) Seminar for Political and Crime Correspondents” with the theme: “Setting the Agenda for 2023,” held in Abuja between April 8 and 9, 2022.
According to him, he would look at fixing the country, using three major instruments, which are his aces. He opined that these major factors were the crux of the country’s challenges at the national level. They are security, unity and progress.
The 46-year-old presidential aspirant, vying on the All Progressives Congress platform, seemed to have a purpose and determination. His words: “I am not running for President apologetically but on a solid record of verifiable achievements in my current assignment as Governor of Kogi State. I have proven antecedents in the very areas that Nigerians crave for succour urgently, that is, security, unity, and progress. I would therefore say that I possess the academic qualifications and hands-on experience to be the next Nigerian President on merit.”
It is not a secret that Nigeria as a country has been devilled by socio-economic, political, and insecurity problems like insurgency, herdsmen, separatist agitations, terrorists, kidnapping, religious and ethnicity biases, displacement, unemployment, poverty and education, marginalisation, health, and infrastructural decay to mention but a few.
However, the few mentioned above are issues that had continually kept Nigerians divided and at loggerheads. Indeed, many political and security experts and analysts have argued that Nigeria and Nigerians had never been more divided than they are today. Bello, who said that he cherished the privilege of being a Nigerian, he would be running on a broad political philosophy of progressive activism through social action and political reforms.
Explaining that he had taken time to monitor and understood the factors ailing Nigeria at the national level, opined that he would be able to replicate his socio-economic, security, health, and other reforms at the national level.
He said that although Nigeria is a blessed nation, events happening around it, make it difficult to agree so. Thus, he was coming as the next president “to restore Hope by providing firm guarantees of Security, Unity, and Progress to all Nigerians. Our focus will be on proper management of our great diversity so that it can really be an advantage. We will foster more cooperation and integration among citizens and make sure that progress is made steadily across all sectors and indicators.”
He added: “Despite the dire challenges facing Nigeria today, no one can deny that President Muhammadu Buhari, has given our country the greatest achievements in public works, government housing, and social services since this 4th Republic began. In addition, this administration has invested heavily in our national security. The war against insecurity may be taking longer than earlier expected but President Buhari has ensured that we have the combat resources to keep hitting our foes hard until victory is achieved. It can also not be denied that under this APC government, Nigeria is pushing forward the most comprehensive proposals for restructuring since Independence. The sum of government policies, the Electoral Act and other statutes enacted and the ongoing amendment of our Constitution are fundamentally changing the way we do things.”
Bello stressed that he has seen a bright light shining at the end of the tunnel for the nation, adding: “I am not one of those who only see doom and gloom. It is my intention to take custody of that light, to pierce the dark spots in our past and present with it, to illuminate every gap in our nationhood, and fix them. I will ensure that this light is handed over in due course to successors who will be trustworthy stewards of the great future that a federal government led by me will build for our nation.”
Replicating Kogi’s template at national level
He explained that he was not a novice when it comes to handling the mantle of leadership, reminding Nigerians that he had been Governor of Kogi State since January 27, 2016. He invited Nigerians to assess his suitability to be president on the scorecard of his performance as a governor.
The governor, who felt that journalists do not speak more of his success and achievements in Kogi State, believes that it has to do with sin committed. His words: “Since we took office, we have committed the unpardonable political sin in Nigeria, which is, refusal to have godfathers and kowtow to them. As a result, we have had to work extra hard to receive a fair comment, not to talk of accolades or credit for our many achievements. Before now, we have not cared much for biased reportage. Actually, we have gone ahead to record huge successes in spite of it. However, the 2023 Presidential Election is actually a battle for the survival of Nigeria and I am passionate enough about my country to fight for the privilege of leading her. In this race, I am adamant that the truth and nothing, but the truth shall count for any assessment of Yahaya Bello, as a man, as a Governor, and as a presidential aspirant.”
Bello seized the opportunity to urge Nigerians, who were likely doubting his antecedents in Kogi State, to check out an e-Compendium, which would showcase what he achieved in Kogi State, domiciled at: www. kogipedia.net, covering the period 2016 to date. He argued that it was imperative that sincere Nigerians who truly love their country were given every resource they needed to make informed voting decisions ahead of the 2023 General Elections, and not just the weaponised stories so ubiquitous in electioneering seasons. He maintained that in Kogipedia, everyone would see his strong efforts in education, health, infrastructure and utilities, job creation and youth empowerment, civil service, and pension reforms, agriculture, security, human capital development as well as cooperation and integration.
He also opined that the most important qualities the next president needed, amongst others, were youthfulness, courage, security, and diversity. Attributing these qualities to himself, Bello said he was youthful and fit in all physical and mental faculties, he also insisted that he has courage and foresight in the pursuit of the overall best interests of the people and the nation.
Speaking on security, Bello said: “Proven ability to enforce security, unity, and peace in a large territory with difficult terrain. Citizens must be safe in their homes and assets. We must be able to safely go where we want in Nigeria when we want. What God has helped us to do in Kogi, I am persuaded He will help us to do in Nigeria.”
Harnessing Nigeria’s diversity for success story
On diversity, he stated that the next president must possess excellent records in successfully managing diversity. Bello said: “We were able to take a polarized Kogi and forge it into a society that is both diverse and inclusive today. We genuinely demonstrated that every tribe, religion, gender, age, class, and physical ability among us is unique and possesses intrinsic value. We distributed projects and appointments fairly and made room at the table of government for everyone. Today we have a Kogi State where the youth are predominantly the ones in office, the women have crossed the 35% Affirmative Action threshold, and People Living with Disabilities (PLWD) have adequate representation in government. Kogi State 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 and herdsmen conflict, and religious upheavals we inherited have ceased? One of my most outstanding achievements as Governor, and one that I am very proud of indeed, is the dismantling of these agelong dichotomies. Another is the elevation of inclusivity as a cardinal point in the compass of governance. Increasingly, the measure of an individual among us is their humanity and their merit, that is, the sum of their own character and contribution, nothing else.”
Bello explained that when he talks about inclusivity within the Nigerian context, then the leader must also recognized that it cannot be fully functional without cooperation and integration. He said that Nigerians must be able to live and contribute anywhere in this nation with the guarantee that they would not be called strangers there one day. He noted: “To achieve this, we must make sure that ‘place of domicile’ gives way for ‘place of origin’ in determining who is a son or daughter of the soil. Our citizenship must no longer be diminished by indigeneship. This is the next level in what it means to be a Nigerian which I will actively champion as President. Nigerians of every extraction will know what it means to be free of the principles of exclusion that currently demeans their 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.”
Bello’s promises after the declaration
He further said: “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. As president, I will make sure that each and every Nigerian becomes mentally and physically empowered with the unshakeable conviction and practical proof that they are not inferior to any other person for any reason. I believe that such conviction, fully internalised, frees people in their own minds and allows them to grow to heights of achievement previously thought impossible. Leadership can lead one into some lonely places where you may have to stand on your own against other people. I have had to do that aplenty in the course of my own journey as a Governor. A Yahaya Bello Presidency, like his Governorship, will be tough on crime. I believe that crime is a crime and all crimes are inexcusable and I have demonstrated a strong capacity to neutralize crimes and criminals in Kogi State. Most Nigerians probably do not know this, but we went from being the state where violent crime was most endemic in 2015 to become one of the safest states in Nigeria from 2017 till date. Our crime rate has been one of the lowest in the country for years now. Terrorism, kidnapping, banditry and other violent crimes will not be tolerated when, by the help of God, I am Nigeria’s President and Commander-in-Chief.”
Bello said that he would not tolerate non-state actors who take up arms against the nation whatever their grievances, but he would be willing to listen to all sides and address all agitations fairly, especially those which were borne out of genuine imbalances in the treatment of citizens by the system. He also promised that he would put a stop to existential mistreatment of any people, if agitators were willing to give peace a chance and threats of harm to the Nigerian Nation and People were not brought to the table as leverage.
His master plan on the economy
In his take on the economy after he becomes president, Bello said that the health or disease of the Nigerian economy was crucial to the health of the country. He said: “According to a BBC News report of February 13, 2012, over 100 million Nigerians lived in extreme poverty during the PDP era. In 2018, with APC in the saddle, that figure had dropped to about 87 million people, yet Nigeria overtook India as the poverty capital of the world. Just this month Nigeria, through the valiant efforts of the Buhari Administration, relinquished the ignoble title back to India, having brought the numbers down to about 70.6 million. This means that as of today, we have at least 70.6 million Nigerians living in extreme poverty, which is defined as living on less than N855 per day. It is therefore clear that our path to national prosperity lies in pulling tens of millions of Nigerians out of poverty. We must make our citizens our greatest resource for economic growth and wealth creation. The Buhari administration has a target of lifting 100m Nigerians out of poverty by 2030. A Yahaya Bello Presidency will have an additional target of creating at least 20 million Naira millionaires by the same year 2030, with the aim that each of them will employ or otherwise empower at least five other citizens. In this regard, we are going to learn a lot from the South-East. The apprenticeship model by which a boy, from an indigent or affluent background, is taken, trained, and turned into a millionaire businessman in as little as 10 years is one we have to understudy and invest in. Harvard University already studies it and the Nigerian Government must do no less.”
He noted that he had personally observed that this model works on average 50 per cent of the time with at least five out of 10 boys who apprenticed with various Igbo friends of his, have become millionaires today in their own rights. He said: “I also observed that it is not the line of business but the underlying principles and practices that work so well. This is because this amazing phenomenon is repeated sector after sector whether they deal in vehicle spare parts, electrical, pharmaceuticals, clothing, or even foodstuffs, etc. This means it is a system that can be replicated. We will explore methods to do so.”
He said that he has a vision of a Nigerian government and economy that was open, inclusive, and honest. He added that leaders like him have a duty to manage the economy so that it operates with a human face and transparent processes. According to him, Kogi State under his leadership has consistently led others in the World Bank’s States Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) indices. It was a result he wanted to mainstream at the nation level.
He said: “As President, I will foster an economy in which every citizen can maximize their potential as wealth creators and change agents. We will work towards a democracy of the economy which places equal access to the factors of productivity within the grasp of any citizen who is ready to work hard and to work smart in pursuit of their own dreams. Being Nigeria’s youngest Governor comes with its own challenges, particularly the burden of being constantly held up as a yardstick to measure the past and predict the future of youth participation in politics and governance. The expectations are rife, and some are frankly unreasonable, but in the main, I am challenged to prove that leaders can be simultaneously youthful and useful in high Office. While my approach to resolving this conundrum may not be loud or popular, it has certainly proved effective. My Presidency will pursue a clearly defined strategy on broadening the footprint of new technology in our economy. We know how important this is to youth enterprise in today’s world. We will set up a National BlockChain Taskforce (NBT) to develop a trailblazing policy for the nation in cryptos, the metaverse, NFTs, and blockchain technology. This emergent field can certainly not be ignored and outrightly banned or completely outlawed. We must help our youth to keep pace with their generation in a lawful manner.”
Bello announced that the slogan for his campaign was Hope. He said: “All we want to do is bring hope to our nation and people while bridging the gaps in our body politics. This is only possible with the support of my party and the Nigerian people. This is why MKO Abiola of blessed memory once said, ‘People of Nigeria, our time is now. You are the repository of power in the land. Enough of square pegs in round holes.”
Handling oppositions
Responding to questions of whether he feared big names like Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, and others that were also in the race for the APC 2023 presidential ticket, he smiled and said: “The answer is no! This is because I trust myself and my capacity. I believe in my records and what I am going to do for the party, and I know that I will win. I believe in my capacity, I respect the founding fathers of this great party starting from President Muhammadu Buhari who is the leader of the party, down to Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, one of the founding fathers of our party, among others. They are the foundation-laying fathers and members of this great party, one cannot ever have a building without a foundation and at the same time, that building will never be completed without roofing because the foundation alone is not a complete building. I am confident that at an appropriate time if they cherish what they have started, they will look for the right young man who has a capacity for what has been laid down and I fit perfectly into that choice. Also, I know there are other champions in the race, if one wants to be a champion, the person should get ready to beat a champion. I believe I will beat other champions to become a champion. Politics, generally, is a game of numbers that includes democracy, I represent the majority as far as the politics of democracy is concerned, I represent most of the Nigerian youth, that is why they are saddling me with the responsibility to lead this great nation. It is not by mistake that the party chose me to lead the committee that drove over 41 million members into the party, which is also part of the record for us. We have recorded over 21 million Nigerians with their PVCs who are ready to vote GYB into the presidency for 2023, records are there, the data are there, these are facts that are verifiable.”
Recreating Kogi security architecture at national
The Kogi State Security Adviser, Commander Duro Omodara (retd), presented a paper on: “Succeeding in the Fight Against Insecurity, Terrorism: The Kogi Example,” which buttressed Bello’s arguments on his achievements since 2016, stressing that those feats were enough testimonies to show that he was capable of piloting the national ship. According to Omodara, some security challenges bedeviling Kogi State in 2016 when Bello took on the mantle of leadership were terrorism, high rates of kidnapping, armed robbery, bank robbery, recurrent Fulani/host community clashes, cultism, labour agitation, political unrest, and communal clashes, among others.
While enumerating these vices, Omodara explained that security was a work in progress, meaning no society could eliminate criminalities nor sleep when winning the war. He said that in the fight against insecurity, there were no two states that were the same in the application of techniques and deployment. This was more so in the Nigerian context, said Omodara, stressing such issues relate to people, typography, geographical location, access roads, infrastructures, religion, and ethnic diversity.
He explained that the root causes of such insecurity were the geographical location of Kogi State, the general security situation in Nigeria, youths being used as tools by politicians, unemployment, low-level collaboration and synergy among security agencies, lack of well-structured intelligence gathering, failure to involve the people in intelligence gathering and participation, lack of the willpower on the part of those at the helm of affairs.
Omodara, apparently expecting the journalists to bombard him on how the state was able to curtail the insecurity state, quickly revealed that data was collated and analysed, a well-structured intelligence gathering was created, identified critical stakeholders like, traditional rulers, youth leaders, market women as having roles in providing security became involved in security issues. Also, the state identified neighbourhood watch as critical to the provision of security, created the needed synergy among the security agencies, established of Kogi Vigilante Service to assist the security agencies in intelligence gathering and policing, the establishment of Operation Total Freedom in September 2016 for effective 24 hours patrols, purchase and deployment of modern technology to fight crime, purchase, and distribution of over 160 vehicles to the security agencies and vigilantes, recognition of hunters to function with vigilantes and coordinated clearance operations by security agencies in the State, amongst other actions taken.
Omodara added: “Our approach to insecurity in the State is very different, first the people must be carried along in any approach to fighting criminalities, this is so that criminals live among the people. The body language of a leader must clearly reflect the fighting spirit and the people must be convinced. This is the situation in Kogi with Governor Yahaya Bello. A leadership approach to insecurity is key to finding solutions to insecurity in the Country. Leadership and management skills must drive our performance. In Kogi State, the people understand our approach; we are fighting terrorists and other criminalities by applying our local compact system that is suitable for the State. Today Kogi remains foreign investors’ destination. This can be attested to from the records obtained from the Nigeria Immigration Service indicated increased in the number of expatriates living and working in the State. We take issues concerning security seriously including study tours of Military and Security Institutions. Their visits provide us with a lot to share and their reports are taken seriously.”
Omodara said that what the federal government could do to check insecurity in Nigeria was to recognize the peculiar nature of each State: topography, landlocked, riverine and nature of crime associated. He noted that a State like Kogi, where they had over 80 per cent of North and South crossing on daily basis, needs special attention in the area of deployment and funding.
He said: “A State like Niger State with the largest land expanse cannot be compared with a smaller land area. Neighbouring States must as a matter of urgency begin to synergize in intelligence gathering and deployment of technology in fighting crime to curb inter-State crimes. Prosecution of criminals is one major challenge in the Country. Arrested criminals find themselves back in society or released due to no witness. At this point, the Government at all levels should look into the ungoverned areas in the country that have become our greatest challenge in curbing insecurity in the country. Each State must investigate these critical areas along with the Federal Government. We must eliminate the challenge of ‘I can do it alone.’ No! security is better fought jointly. Military and security agencies must avoid the trend, associated with Nigeria Media. We sometimes speak more than we act. Why must we go to the press with planned Military Operations, what we used to know is embedded media in some Military Operations. Opposition in Nigeria must harmonize efforts with the Government in the fight against insecurity. Killings and mishaps in the country must never be celebrated as a failure of a government. Opposition must stand with the government as a result of calamities, rather than turning it into political celebrations. Kogi’s example is therefore in the fight against insecurity; terrorism is mainly because of the willpower, capacity, and un-repented support for security agencies by Yahaya Bello.”
Rebirthing MKO Abiola’s Hope campaign slogan
The National Coordinator of “Got Your Back Nigeria,” Prof. Chris Mustapha Nwaokobia Jnr, for the presidential aspiration of the Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, has said that Governor Yahaya Bello’s Hope 2023 mantra was not just another political promise, but a commitment to a new deal for Nigerians. Nwaokobia, presenting a paper titled: “Prospects of HOPE 2023, Yahaya Bello Presidential Campaign,” said: “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. 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, Nigeria is first, and in Hope 2023, is a new and a boisterous deal for all Nigerians indiscriminately of region or religion.”
He likened Bello’s campaign movement and mantra to that of the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola (MKO). According to him, MKO’s political aspiration was a movement, which shook all known socio-political foundations in Nigerian history.
Describing the movement as a watershed, Nwaokobia said: “It was captioned HOPE ’93. It was a movement and a moment. It had MKO as the visioner, the driver, and the candidate. It was a Muslim/Muslim ticket with Babagana Kingibe as running mate, indiscriminate of creed or clan. And they won the election that was highly judged the freest and the fairest in the annals of our nation. Today, that HOPE resonates in the person of Governor Yahaya Bello (GYB), the resurgence of the HOPE mantra is instructive in so many ways. In 1993 it was about farewell to hunger and poverty, unfortunately, 30 years later, the issues remain. Sadly, it is still about hunger, poverty, job creation, infrastructural development, security, energy and power, resource control, devolution of power, true fiscal federalism, and the diversification of our economy. A score year and 10 after, Nigerians crave the rebirth of HOPE, and that is why we are here today. The Yahaya Bello 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. It is about politics and business unusualness, youth inclusiveness and gender parity, improved national security, and brotherhood. Hope 2023 is about improved infrastructure, healthcare, job creation, and improved energy. It is about the overhaul and the rework of our educational sector and the curriculum. The creation of the enabling environment for a 21st-century compliant Agricultural sector and it’s also about a ballot-based people’s revolution for the good of our nation, Nigeria.”
According to the Prof, GYB’s Campaign Organisation was committed to making real the promises of democracy, which must translate simply into a better life for the masses.
He noted that HOPE 2023 holds great promise for a nation in dire need of new values and tendencies in governance, stressing that it was also about politics and business unusual, inclusiveness and gender parity, improved national security, and brotherhood.
“It is also 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, creating an enabling environment for a 21st-century compliant Agricultural sector, and about a ballot-based people’s revolution for the good of our Nation. It is a clarion call to our nation to wake up, to rise up, and to work along with GYB as we birth and berth the country of our dreams. Hope 2023 is a commitment to new thinking in leadership and GYB’s unalterable commitment and passion for a new, prosperous and successful Nigeria.”
Nwaokobia explained that in present day Nigeria, the greatest challenge was the security of lives and property and that GYB was committed to being true to what he promised during his declaration to run for the post of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
While mentioning revamping of education, food sufficiency, improved Agriculture, and improved healthcare sector as among the deals of Hope 2023, the Professor said: “With Hope 2023, we shall be bidding farewell to an 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. He is committed to creating a Federalism that works. The call for resource control and devolution of power shall be addressed under his watch by the Nigerian people. and together we must create federalism that works.”
The Director-General, Hope 23, Yahaya Bello Presidential Campaign Organisation, Hafsat Abiola-Costello, described Bello as a unifier, which her late father represented, adding that when Bello emerged as the APC candidate, he would also tackle issues of poverty, insecurity and other challenges facing the country. She said: “We need a Nigerian leader that is a unifier that believes in all Nigerian people and will fight for all Nigerian people. MKO was such a man. Bello is also such a person. In his own cabinet in Kogi State, all six geopolitical zones are represented. This is also somebody that fights for young people. His government has 95 percent of young people in his cabinet. He doesn’t just use them for the campaign, he put them in government with an opportunity to have dignity.”