Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State stated on Saturday that his only political ambition now is to assist President Bola Tinubu in repositioning the country.
The Governor made this assertion while responding to a question about his next move after the upcoming November 11, 2023, governorship elections in the state.
He emphasised that all Nigerians would succeed if the president managed to elevate the country to greater heights.
Bello made these remarks during an interactive session with journalists at the 3rd Annual GYB Seminar for Nigeria’s Political and Crime Correspondents and Editors in Abuja.
He said, “I thank God for my successes and achievements as Governor of Kogi. I know where I met the state and I am happy with where I have taken the state to.
I believe the APC candidate, Usman Ododo, will build on the solid foundation we have laid down for Kogi.”
Bello, who was one of the presidential aspirants during the presidential primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), expressed confidence that the party would secure a landslide victory in the forthcoming poll in the state.
“Our unity is why APC won in Kogi and will continue to win. Our party is one. You cannot satisfy everyone.
However, there are internal mechanisms in the APC to resolve issues, and we always utilise them,” he noted.
Earlier, in a paper titled “Unity in a Multi-Ethnic, Multi-Religious Society: The Kogi Story,” the Commissioner for Information in the state, Mr Kingsley Fanwo, said it displayed gross incompetence for any candidate to campaign based on ethnic sentiments.
Fanwo stressed that the state would continue to prioritise merit over ethnicity to enable Kogi to keep growing.
Also, in his paper on “Off-Season Elections, Journalists as Responsible Watchdogs,” the President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr Chris Isiguzo, urged members to uphold responsible and ethical journalism.
Isiguzo emphasised the need for journalists to ensure transparency, verify all facts, and confirm all information in their reportage.
He noted that off-season elections presented challenges and opportunities for journalists to fulfil their role as responsible watchdogs of society.
“I encourage all of us to approach the job with a sense of duty, knowing that the quality of our reporting can influence the future of our nation,” he stated.
In a paper on “Debt Burden, Transparency, and Accountability in Governance: Kogi’s Success Story,” the Commissioner for Finance, Budget, and Economic Planning in Kogi, Asiru Idris, stated that the Bello administration implemented deliberate policies to entrench good governance through accountability, transparency, and a reduction in the state’s debt burden.
“Kogi has commenced the preparation of a 32-year development plan, critical to realising Governor Bello’s vision of all-round development for the state.
The development plan, when completed, will be a focal point for development partners’ interventions,” he added.
Also addressing “Building a Viable Economy Through Strategic Investment in Education,” the Kogi Commissioner for Education, Science, and Technology, Mr. Wemi Jones, highlighted that the state not only provided free education but made it compulsory.
He pointed out that the budgetary allocation to the education sector in Kogi rose from 13 per cent in 2017 to 15 per cent in 2019 and further to 30 per cent in 2022, surpassing the UNESCO-recommended benchmark of 26 per cent.
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