Alhaji Yahaya Bello, the governor of Kogi State, has pledged to leave the state in better shape than when he arrived.
When he welcomed the Jaji study group from the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, who were visiting the state for a study tour, on Monday, he made this statement.
Bello explained that his administration’s enormous progress is the result of his ability to manage the state’s resources fairly.
Having stayed true in his leadership and having no financial interests other than those of the people, he said the study tour’s theme was appropriate and opportune for the country’s current situation.
Upon taking office, he acknowledged that he inherited a state that was heavily split along ethnic and other petty lines, but he also expressed pleasure that his government had significantly reduced the level of insecurity and other forms of bad governance in the state.
He claimed that he had maintained transparency in the way the state’s resources were managed by making the books of income and expenditure available for public inspection. He further claimed that by doing this, the public could now more easily link government spending to his activities and become better informed about what was going on.
Bello observed that the state is varied and credited his ability to quell youth unrest to his administration’s inclusion of a sizable percentage of the younger generation of women and youth, which he noted has tremendously helped to quell tension and acrimony.
He said that by providing the youth with gainful employment through a number of social intervention initiatives, he was also able to unite every sector of the state under one government.
The governor emphasized that, unlike in the past when they were confined to the background, he has put the state’s youth in the driver’s seat, resulting in the growth and prosperity of the administration.
While pointing out that youngsters are mostly to blame for the nation’s problems, he promised to make the state better than where he found it by breaking down class barriers and involving students and kids from all walks of life in his administration.
He added that the team’s visit to Kogi state was crucial because of the state’s abundance of natural and human resources and the fact that more than 85% of its residents commute and live there peacefully every day, making it a key location for the team’s learning.
The governor emphasized Kogi state’s strategic importance to the growth of the country while also pointing out that the state recently experienced a flood that cut off travel to the north and south and had an impact on socioeconomic activities nationwide, which is why the state needs special consideration.
Air Vice Marshall Anthony Oluwarotimi, Tuwase Commandant, Armed Forces Command and Staff College Jaji, had earlier stated that the team was in the state to get first-hand information on the state’s economic growth, income, employment status, poverty, inequality, riches, agriculture, and overall transformation.
The research tour’s focus is on young unemployment and national security in Nigeria, and it will provide recommendations related to youth empowerment, he said, praising the state government’s efforts to advance the socioeconomic development of the populace.
The governor’s accomplishments in the areas of youth employment, education, health, agriculture, funding governance, infrastructure, human capital development, entrepreneurship, youth engagement, and security were also lauded by the speaker, who claimed that this made the state a prime location for the study team to learn.
According to Air Vice Marshall Anthony, the tour is designed to prepare officers for handling more challenging tasks and to familiarize the students with socioeconomic issues affecting the state. It was established to train members of the armed forces, particularly those from the middle class.
Similar to that, the tour, he continued, aims to expose the students to the realities present in Kogi state, which is led by Gov. Bello, so that they can compare them to what they have been told, understand the difficulties the state faces in comparison to others, and, through the writing of a research paper, contribute to ensuring adequate security in the state.
While expressing sympathy for the state over the recent flood, Air Vice Marshall Anthony praised the state government’s efforts to ensure a speedy reaction and lessen the impact.
Additionally, the team’s leader, Brig. Gen. M. Isah, Director of Administration, Armed Forces Command and Staff College Jaji, stated that the team is in Kogi state for a thorough investigation into youth unemployment and national security in Nigeria and that he has a soft spot for the state.
He mentioned that the team, which consists of 73 students as well as academic, administrative, student, and support staff, is one of eight teams that are concurrently visiting eight different states across the nation.
