How Gov. Bello Demystified the Strength and the Pride of the Igala Nation -By Solomon Akobe

Governor Yahaya Bello is one name and personality that many kogites most especially workers, cannot afford to forget in a hurry in retelling the experiences of their lives. Just as I have once referred to him in one of my previous articles, Governor Bello is a rare beneficiary of providence! I have been one of the consistent critics of Governor Yahaya Bello. One of the literal barometers of identifying a good critic is the fact that a good critic does not always take note of the negative judgments against the subject or object of his criticisms but also observes positive verdicts which favour same, the critic’s personal idiosyncrasies, notwithstanding. Unfortunately, when critics begin to take a dimensional look about someone they once criticized, the public most times develop wrong notions that he or she has been compromised. It is this particular fact that pins most critics down to always remain in the gate of opposition and condemnation. If critisims is all about these, then truth is thrown into the wind and honesty is kept in abeyance! Enough of philosophical reasoning here! The topic is how Governor Bello demystified the strenght and pride of the Igala nation.

Until the emergence of Bello as Governor, the Igala nation was not only the strength and pride of Kogi East but also the indispensable determinant of who becomes the “Tenants” of Lugard House. Apart from its numerical strength over and above all other tribes in Kogi State, the Igala nation also had the consensus power or if you like, veto power of installing any of their preferred candidates as Governor of the State. As it were, the fear of Igala nation was the beginning of wisdom for any serious politician eying the Lugard House! It is this fact that explains the reason(s) most political parties fielded in Igala candidates as their flagbearers during gubernatorial elections in Kogi State in the past, while selecting deputies from other parts of the State. In this unbroken pattern, Igalas have held the position of the Governor of Kogi State since the Country’s return to democracy in 1999 until 2016 when either as an act of God or act of man, a man died and a man also became a Governor! Audu was the man that died, and Bello, an Ebira man by tribe, is the man that became a Governor. Protocols were broken and history was made! Many accepted it like yours sincerely as an act of God while many others rejected it, having regarded the unfortunate incident as an act of man.

Before now, there was this general notion or consensus by the Igala leaders that Governor Bello cannot go beyond 4 years in Office as Governor of Kogi State. In fact, it was been insinuated then that Governor Bello could be impeached by the House of Assembly shortly after he was sworn in. The insinuations were anchored on the fact that apart from Kogi East being the majority, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), an opposition party, also had the majority number of House of Assembly members at that time. The arrangement as it were was a threat to Governor Bello and he had to device a means. Bello first of all, demystified the numerical strength of the Igala nation as well as the majority status of the PDP in the Kogi State House of Assembly. As a result of this, almost all the Igala members of the House of Assembly then, abandoned the Igala agenda and submitted themselves to the whims and caprises of the Governor. An interesting result of this first demystification process by Governor Bello was that PDP which was the majority party in the Kogi State House of Assembly, suddenly became the minority party!

Another demystification strategy that was employed by Bello was the appointment of many Igala sons and daughters mostly youths into his government, which has made many of his admirers and beneficiaries of such appointments to describe him as a detribalized Governor. The most significant of such appointments was that of his Chief of Staff, Chief Edward Onoja. Some people have referred to Edward Onoja as the “Assistant Governor” of Kogi State. Why this maybe an exaggeration of the roles he plays in Governor Bello’s government at the expense of a “ceremonial” deputy Governor of Kogi State (Elder Simon Achuba), they maybe right in a way as Edward Onoja has also been described as the most wealthy, influential, popular and powerful Chief of Staff in the history of Nigeria! Edward Onoja has many youthful followers who obey his words as those of the gods’. Through his influence and affluence, Gov. Bello was able to establish strong support base in Igala land, traditional rulers not exempted.

Another area in which Governor Bello’s demystification strategy played out very well relates to the issue of employment of workers in Kogi State. In all honesty, Governor Yahaya Bello created employment opportunities in various sectors of the Kogi State workforce. In 2017, Governor Bello signed the Administration of Criminal Justice Bill into law as the principal procedural legislation regulating criminal proceedings in all the courts in Kogi State. Apart from the good innovations brought about by the law into our judicial system, the most significant of it all is the employment opportunities it created for lawyers in Kogi State. The law disengaged lay police officers from prosecuting matters in court, except police officers who are lawyers. This development led to the employment of about 150 lawyers into the Kogi State Ministry of Justice between 2017 and 2018. Never in the history of Kogi State has vacancy been advertised in the Kogi State Ministry of Justice or any other Ministry at all, yet people were been secretly recruited (with merit thrown into the wind) then based on who they knew in the seat of power! A non-Igala Governor has done what Igala Governors could not do since the creation of Kogi State in 1991. Where then lies the boast of numerical strength in the face of this humiliating reality? Even though these newly recruited lawyers are not exempted from the hardships associated with nonpayment of salaries which is plaguing Kogi State workers under the current administration, Governor Bello will greatly be remembered as a Governor who contributed immensely to the development of law as well as in the creation of employment opportunities for lawyers in Kogi State. Whether we like it or not, these recruited lawyers majority of whom are Igalas will give Bello the needed supports in their own ways towards his second term bid. Apart from Ministry of Justice, many people were also employed in other sectors like Ministry of Health, Kogi State Internal Revenue Service, Higher Institutions such as KSU, Anyigba, Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja, Kogi State College of Education, Ankpa, etc. These employments were publicly advertised and to a very large extent, merits counted in the processes involved. Recently, there was job adverts calling for applications for recruitment into various vacant polistions at the Kogi State University Teaching Hospital, Anyigba. I repeat, never has employment opportunities been this open and transparent in the history of our State.

The most recent demystification strategy of Governor Bello is the commissioning of the Igala House few weeks ago and the reported flag off of Anyigba-Dekina road by the Governor. Although there have been debates as to whether the said Igala House was solely funded by the Government of Yahaya Bello or co-funded by ICDA, the fact that this project was commissioned by a non-Igala Governor is a big shame to the past administration, particularly that of former Governor Wada. At least, Ibro did several landmark projects in Kogi State, construction of roads inclusive. Late Prince Abubakar would go down in history as a man who brought unforgettable infrastructural developments in Kogi State, with the establishment of KSU as the greatest of them all. Former Governor Wada’s story is different. Although he was able to pay salaries and pensions and admitted to owing workers only two months under his administration before he was voted out of power, his inability to carry out any meaningful projects especially Dekina-Anyigba road, will continue to hunt him for a very long time even as he aspires to dislodge the incumbent Governor from the Lugard House! Alhough, Wada is an Igala by tribe, a race between him and Governor Bello would give the latter a simple victory! The reason for this assertion is because many people especially Wada’s kinsmen in Dekina LGA are not happy with him based on his performance during his period in office. One of their greatest pains is the said Anyigba-Dekina road which can be compared to the road leading to Golgotha! It is hoped that the reported flag off of Anyigba-Dekina road by Governor Yahaya Bello is not just a political deception but a reality which would earn him another point in his demystification strategies.

Governor Bello has also applied his strategies of demystifying the strenght and pride of the Igala nation through consolation of hitherto disappointed, failed and wounded politicians of Igala extraction. Political betrayal is a common phenomenon in many climes especially in Nigeria but the bitter experience of Jibril Isah Echocho (now Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria) in the hands of the former Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, was such that a man was left fatally wounded politically. His Igala compatriots could not heal this wound. Fortunately for the man, a non-Igala (Gov. Bello) healed his wounds and today, the man is a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Whether we like it or not, Echocho has his support base in Igala land and both him and his fans will leave no stone unturned to ensure that his benefactor’s ambition is realized in the forthcoming election. Another person that readily comes to mind in this category is Comrade Amade Idime who contested for Senate earlier this year under APDA party. After losing the election, Governor Bello and his powerful Chief of Staff drew Idime to themselves and gave him a higher voice as one of the promoters of the second term agenda of the Governor. Amade is a very fluent man with rare oratory prowess of which many politicians would desire to have in their camp(s). Even though social media news recently had it that Comrade Idime was going to purchase form as a Governorship aspirant under PDP, the truth behind the facade is that Comrade Idime is still doing the biddings of the incumbent Governor!

By and large, Governor Bello have really succeeded in demystifying the strength and pride of the Igala nation, and things appear to be working politically in his favour at the moment. The Governor in all honesty, cannot be said to have done very well especially in the area of workers’ welfare and payment of salaries/pensions since he assumed office as Governor of Kogi State. Many people especially workers and pensioners have died in circumstances that were avoidable had their salaries and pensions been paid by the current administration as at when due. Suicidal deaths of workers and pensioners have also been reported in Kogi State in recent times. These things do not speak good of the current administration which is being manned by the youngest Governor in the history of our Nation. Nobody is totally bad and nobody is totally good; we all have pitfalls and goodness in our own ways. Governor Bello is not totally bad; he has done well especially in the areas highlighted above. But, in the same way, Governor Bello has also failed woefully in ameliorating the plights of Kogi State workers and pensioners. One thing is certain: posterity will judge all of us according to our deeds. Above all, we shall all account for our deeds before our Maker when we leave this earth!

Solomon Akobe, a Social Commentator/Poet, wrote from Abuja.