Reflections As Kogi Counts Down To Historic Inauguration, By Petra Akinti Onyegbule

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Femi Adeoya
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Kogi, SDP, Governor Yahaya Bello, Kogi State
Gov Yahaya Bello of Kogi state

 
 
 
 
With the intrigues surrounding the Kogi State gubernatorial elections having settled by and large, and pending when the tribunal handling election petitions concludes its routine assignment, the stage is gradually being set for the Wednesday, January 27, 2016 inauguration of the next Executive Governor of the State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello.
 
On the morning of November 22, 2015 when Kogites began trooping out in their numbers to perform their civic duty to throw up the man who will be saddled with the task of charting the course of the state for the next four years, it would have been considered the height of recklessness were even the most reputable seer to have predicted the outcome we have before us today.
 
Even on a personal level and in my little capacity, I had started out on the campaign team of an altogether different candidate whom I encountered, and whose vision I aligned with. However, his failure to get his party's nod saw me take a back seat, completely unenthusiastic about the idea of the already tested old guard returning after previous unspectacular stints.
 
Then, the drama of Abubakar Audu's sudden demise, inconclusive elections and a lacuna happened, all of which even passive followers of the Nigerian political space have mastered. Consequent upon which Alhaji Yahaya Bello (or AYB as he is commonly called) re-entered the scene and concluded the drawn-out process, himself having originally emerged first runner-up at the APC primaries behind the late Audu.
 
 
 
 
Alhaji Yahaya Bello's emergence under the spotlight is reminiscent of the fortune that befell the immediate past president Goodluck Jonathan, whose path to the presidency was occasioned by the demise of the one who was ahead of him. And just as GEJ stepped into the space fate vacated for him, AYB is taking up the position his party deems him fully deserving of in the absence of their original choice.
 
However, all well-meaning sons and daughters of Kogi, and all who have one tie or the other with the state are very hopeful that that will be as far as the similarities go between the two politicians.
 
Whereas the former president wasted little time in frittering away the immense goodwill he was lavishly showered with, the utterances, plans and actions of Kogi's governor-elect are suggestive of one who is very eager to learn from GEJ's mistakes and avoid the pitfalls that eventually consumed his presidency. He seems well armed with a fantastic guide on how to not be a leader.
 
At several fora and on different platforms, AYB keeps reiterating his fervent desire to be governor for, not just the Okun people, the Ebiras or the Igalas, but for ALL of Kogi. The ethnically diverse state Kogi is, AYB is fully committed to running an ethnically inclusive government, devoid of favouritism of the one ethnic base over the other. It almost never bodes well in our clime, so doing things differently is what he assures his administration will be about.
 
His idea of inclusiveness has also seen him extend the olive branch across political divides, urging all other vested political interests to identify with his divine mandate, team up with him and contribute their own quota towards the resuscitation of the comatose and under-achieving state. His efforts along those lines are expected to yield even more significant results in the coming days and weeks.
 
Arguably more important is his commitment to the cause of integrating more youthful Kogites into the business of governance and running the affairs of the state. It is hardly news that AYB is set to be one of the youngest-ever elected state governors in Nigeria's 55-year existence. That puts him in a very prime position to gain some serious ground in the much-talked about generational shift leadership in our society desperately needs, a process he has already started judging from the composition of his think-tank.
An astute entrepreneur who has made a tidy fortune doing scrupulous and very verifiable business, the governor-in-waiting will be sure to bring his sterling entrepreneurial and resource management expertise to bear on governance in Kogi State. In these lean times, effective resource management is a fundamental aspect of the toolkit governance requires, and AYB undoubtedly has that capability in abundance.
 
Also, it goes without saying that it takes a very visionary individual to rise and excel and consolidate their place in the Nigerian business environment. Especially for an enterprise that is almost entirely private initiative driven, and with very limited ways by which government can directly influence outcomes.
 
With his high-powered advisory team offering him valuable counsel, and coupled with his predisposition to sound debates and his very admirable willingness to learn, AYB has mapped out and continues to fine tune his plans and programmes for Kogi State.
 
For a state that is a hotbed of natural resources including limestone, coal and tin, it is most unfortunate that Kogi has become the butt of jokes centred around underdevelopment and backwardness in Nigeria. And it is for this reason many Kogites have wholeheartedly embraced Alhaji Yahaya Bello who affords us a welcome departure from the dismal norm that has been her lot for too long a time.
 
AYB is committed to putting his best foot forward and taking the bull by the horns. I am not aware of any other approach that will bode well, neither for the people of Kogi, nor for the political capital of the man himself. The times have changed, and they have changed negatively and very dramatically with the crash in the price of crude oil. As a result, where the others could afford to be lax, he will have to literally work himself into the ground to earn commendation. A tough reality that is not lost on him.
 
All things carefully considered, what is needed is a closing of ranks of different interest groups, a linking of hands for Kogites from all walks of life and all stakeholders in the state. It is expedient that we all help build upon this watershed moment that is almost upon us, as we strive to give the Change mantra a worthy reference point in our democracy, turn the fortunes of Kogi State around for good, and reposition the state once considered a massive liability into a veritable asset.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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