When Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State was elected in 2015, he made history as the youngest elected state chief executive in the present political dispensation. With zeal, he moved in quickly to tackle the problems bedeviling the state immediately he was sworn in January 2016.
His first four years in office as governor of the Confluence State, according to political watchers, was remarkable, as he was able to position the state properly by ensuring that the security problem it was suffering before he came to power was resolved.
At the time Gov Bello assumed office, Kogi State was notorious as the den of criminals, especially in consideration that the state is the only state in Nigeria that share borders with 10 other states. Upon his assumption of leadership however, he declared a full blown war on armed robbers, criminals and kidnappers operating in the state. He provided over 200 utility vehicles and 500 motorcycles for security patrol. He employed the services of vigilance security outfit, while also providing sophisticated gadgets for Operation Total Freedom (OPT), established by his administration to stamp out criminal activities in the state.
According to analysts Governor Yahaya Bello believes that if research is conducted on the spate of crime and violence activities in Nigeria, it may be found that the most common denominator which propels these crimes is economy. In other words, money, because the kidnapper abducts a key figure in society and asks for ransom. The armed robber strikes to get some financial gains. The terrorists are mounting roadblocks and asking for tax — which also means money.
In other words he believes that if the economy is solved and jobs are provided and youths are engaged, the security problems will be solved.
The federal government through the National Bureau of Statistics said it discovered that in 2017 that 134,663 cases of cri m economy ==inal activities were reported in the country for that year and that Kogi, Kebbi and Bauchi state had the lowest crime rates.
In the states with the highest levels of crime and insecurity, a few things were obvious; first, most of the crimes were done for money. Secondly, crimes with economic benefits ranked the highest. Finally, there was collusion with law enforcement authorities. A longer look at the problem also shows the answer.
For example, while Kogi state had no report on cases of burglary in 2017 due to some of the governor’s proactive steps to ensure that the people are economically in a good place, the state with the highest level of crime had 1,213 cases.
Apart from extinguishing the raging fire of crime and criminality in the state, the governor’s effort to attract investment had also yielded results.
In Q3 2020, Kogi state overtook Lagos as the state with the highest inflow of investment. According to Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, NIPC, the state received about $1 billion in various investments. Most of these investments are aimed at improving the state of infrastructure within Kogi state. This, in turn, will no doubt improve the economic realities of the people and strengthen the state’s record as a low crime state.
With some of these records, most Nigerians unanimously agreed Governor Yahaya Bello is most qualified to ascend the throne of leadership of Nigeria as President and Commander-in-Chief in 2023.
According to Alhaji Usman Ododo the monumental achievement of the Kogi state government under Alhaji Yahaya Bello in securing lives and property in the state is a clear demonstration of the mastery of both kinetic and non-kinetic instruments of national security by the Kogi Governor.
Alhaji Ododo who described Governor Yahaya Bello as the best person for the job noted that it is only natural that GYB would replicate the same string of successes recorded in the provision of infrastructure and security in all parts of Kogi state at the national level when elected the President of Nigeria in 2023.
While commending President Buhari for the renewed efforts in the military offensive against bandits and insurgents across the country, Ododo called on Nigerians to support the presidential aspiration of Governor Yahaya Bello whom he noted is the only man ready to throw his hat in the ring to address current security challenges and infrastructural development in the country.
This he noted has been demonstrated through several projects like the construction of Ganaja flyover, Okene Reference Hospital and other health institutions across the state as well road networks in the nooks and crannies of the state and security interventions by Governor Yahaya Bello, one of which is the recent arrest of all 25 armed robbery suspects who attacked a bank in Egbe, Yagba West Local Government Area of the state.
Alhaji Ododo who expressed delight over the position of President Buhari on the expectation of his successor urged Nigerians to vote for a presidential aspirant who has demonstrated unimpeachable capacity to secure Nigeria in view of the strategic importance of security in national development.
Equity & Education for the future
In December 2015, Yahaya Bello became the first Nigerian who went through the 6-3-3-4 education system to become governor of any state in the country’s history. Understanding this reality, there has been a burden of responsibility on him to ensure that many other young people in the country get quality education, become gainfully employed, and go on to become assets for the country. This is why he is said to have continued to invest in education at all levels in the state. This has been one of the reasons for the low crime rate in Kogi state.
UN human development indices have shown that the regions with the least levels of education in the country for an extended period of time, go on to have high levels of crime and violence. Nigeria needs to further incentivise education to ensure more people within the country have the skills to attain the economic status they dream of. Some need not be encouraged to send their wards to school, they would do it automatically because they know the benefit of education. But the sad reality is that many more Nigerians need a push, a justification, some encouragement to get their children to school. It is the duty of government — and in the spirit of equity — to get every young person to school. A fair and just system not only caters to the strong but even the weakest in society. A system that embraces all classes of people and help them become better is a system on its way to drastically reducing the propensity of its citizens to get involved in violent crimes for the sake of money.
Let it be emphasized that the education that would solve this problem has to be the kind that is tailored for the future. For example, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that employment of software developers is projected to grow 22 percent from 2019 to 2029 — much faster than the average for all occupations in the country. Data on migration to Canada also shows a high demand for technology driven jobs.
Farmers/Herders clash
In a calculated move to avert the much talked about farmers/herdsmen clashes, the Bello-led administration created a dialogue and cooperation platform for a free flow of communication between the government and herdsmen on one hand, and the communities and herdsmen on the other hand. This move has ensured that both farmers and herdsmen are living peacefully together in the three senatorial districts of Kogi State.