Gov. Yahaya Bello’s Sterling Strides In Providing Good Governance In Kogi State

By

Abigail Oyenibi

The present administration under Governor Yahaya Bello came on board in 2016 with the desire to transform the lives of the people of Kogi State through impactful service delivery in different sectors of the society.

The New Direction Administration hit the ground running and formulated Five Thematic Areas which are, Health, Education, Infrastructure, Civil Service Reforms as well as job creation and youth engagement to serve as a guide to its programmes and policies for the development of the state.

HEALTH
In the health sector, GYB introduced health interventions such as the Bello Cares Initiative for women and children and embarked on massive health infrastructural development in health institutions across the state such as the establishment of the Reference Hospital Okene, expansion and renovation of the Kogi State Specialist Hospital, Lokoja, establishment of ultramodern General Hospital in Gegu-Beki, Badoko and Isanlu, equipping the clinical complex of Prince Abubakar Audu University Teaching Hospital, Anyigba as well as renovation, remodeling and upgrading of Zonal Hospital, Idah among others.

The Reference Hospital Okene is a gigantic project established by the Yahaya Bello-led administration
equipped with state-of-the-art facilities to provide expert, qualitative healthcare to people within and outside the state and to also reduce medical tourism.
In August this year, Kogi state government officially handed over the newly constructed and well equipped Reference Hospital Okene to the new Chief Medical Director, Prof. Solomon Avidime, urging him to bring his wealth of experience in medicine and administration to bear in the management of the world class health facility in the state.

EDUCATION
Realizing that education is the bedrock of any society, the GYB administration set out to invest in it and fully equip its youths for the future
The present administration has fared extremely well in the area of education as it most recently established the Kogi State University, Kabba to provide tertiary education for the people along with the 2 existing state-owned Universities, (Prince Abubakar Audu University, Anyigba and the Confluence University of Science and Technology Osara) and strengthening the State Polytechnic, Lokoja.

It also just introduced the free education policy, which is part of the Education Intervention Programme of Government. This means that as schools resume in September 2023, pupils and students in Public schools will not pay school fees.
Government is likewise planning to pay BECE, Junior, Senior WAEC, NECO and JAMB fees in Public Schools in the new academic session. This is the latest legacy of the present administration in education in the state.
Also of note is the effort by the present administration in ensuring that Kogi State Student go through tertiary institutions within the stipulated academic calendar by putting an end to all industrial actions that have hitherto hindered the smooth running of academic activities extending the number of years of the students, a development that has become a thing of the past in Kogi State educational system.

INFRASTRUCTURE
Since the inception of the New Direction administration, government has given priority to provision of critical infrastructure for the overall benefit of the people.
Government has constructed roads in the 3 senatorial districts, controlled gully erosion sites, connected rural communities to the national grid and provided potable water for several communities.
Worthy of note is the construction of the first flyover in the state at the Ganaja junction in the state capital that has put an end to traffic gridlock especially during the festive season.

The recent rehabilitation of roads in the Lokongoma phase 1 and 2 Housing Estates and Lokoja metropolis is a thing of great joy as it affords the residents easy, stress-free drive into the estate.

AGRICULTURE
Various interventions have been introduced by the GYB administration for farmers to ensure improved food production and security.
The Value Chain Development Programme, VCDP, of the International Food for Agriculture Development, IFAD, which aims at reducing poverty among farmers especially at the rural areas and increase food security as well as accelerate economic growth, has enjoyed sustained partnership with development partners through regular payment of counterpart funds.

SECURITY.
In the security sector, the present administration has succeeded in reducing the activities of criminals by tackling them headlong. Governor Bello ensured that the State’s security architecture is empowered to protect the lives and property of the people through sustained collaboration with security agencies in the state.

It is pertinent to state that the achievements recorded by the GYB-led administration have direct bearing on the lives of the people and they yearn for more. This is why the selection of the APC Gubernatorial Candidate, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, to take over the reins of leadership has been viewed as a right decision.

Ododo, has been with the present administration and worked closely with Governor Bello thereby learning the ropes of effective governance.
He knows the heartbeat of the people as well as the role government is expected to play in meeting their aspirations.

Be that as it may, the lofty legacies of the GYB administration can only be sustained by a man who has seen and knows it all. A man who is ready to build on the legacy handed down to him.
Ododo has great prospects because he declared in his manifesto, that the quest to lead Kogi State is based on the desire to deliver more impactful and equitable governance, improve the people’s standard of living and continue the outstanding achievement of the GYB government.

Since Kogites desire accelerated growth and development, there is a pertinent need to support the APC candidate for the state to belong to the ruling party and to ensure consolidation.

Clearly, Ododo has all it takes to ride swiftly to victory and the best thing to do now is for the people to troop out in November to support his bid to man the affairs in Lugard House.