Kogi Only Celebrates Birthdays, Celebrity Visits As Achievements Under Governor Bello — Activist Blows Hot

Usman Austin Okai

Usman Austin Okai, a Nigerian activist has mocked the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello for not having any capital projects to inaugurate in the state, according to SaharaReporters.

Okai berated the governor for only inviting celebrities to the State House as his only achievements, asking him to mention when President Muhammadu Buhari would visit Kogi to inaugurate projects.

The activist said Bello has always been referring to the President as his father, but that there is nothing to be excited about in his relationship with him.  

Okai said this on Friday in reaction to the recent visits by celebrities to Bello.

Recently, Nigerian football stars plying their trades abroad — John Mikel Obi and Kelechi Ihenacho visited the governor, separately.

Reacting, Okai said, “It’s unfortunate our governor who is also among the closest governors to Mr. President cannot invite his 'father' for a day visit; and this is simply because, as tradition demands, the President must commission projects and the evidence on the ground suggests there is none to be found.”

He described the Yahaya Bello-led administration in the state as a massive waste and a betrayal of good governance.

"Yahaya Bello is always at the forefront of all the activities of the ruling party, but yet, the state has nothing to show as the benefit of our governor's closeness to Aso Rock," he said.

Lamenting the poor condition of workers in the state, the activist called on the governor to accept the reality that Kogi state is crawling in terms of good governance.

He said, "It is shameful and disgraceful that nothing works in Kogi state. What we are good at celebrating as achievements are either the governor's birthday, naming ceremony, and celebrity visits all at the expense of state finance. This is the extremity of sycophancy and the very antipode of good governance.

"Most of the cherished state assets are either not in a state of good repair or vandalised to the detriment of its citizens; but yet, we claim to have the youngest governor in Nigeria. If youths are the future, then, Governor Yahaya Bello represents the past.

"The civil service has been so bastardised to the level that civil servants with the enormous wealth of experience garnered over the years through the sponsorship of state resources are cocooned to the dustbin of maladministration under Governor Yahaya Bello.

''What is today obtainable in Kogi state is maladministration undiluted, pretentious political loyalty by the impoverished appointees of government and supposedly men of good reasoning all in a bid to achieve personal gains.

"Pensioners who have served the state diligently and meritoriously are being ostracised as their monthly pension is being feasted on by the state government."

He also dared the governor to open the books of state government to public scrutiny, through auditing of the accounts of the state and local governments by external auditors and making the report open for public interrogation.

''The auditor general of the state and local government have become emergency billionaires and celebrities with pilfered state funds to the detriment of all facets of the state government," he added.