Despite several decades of activism and some form of mobilization, Nigerian youths still find themselves at the receiving end when it comes to inclusion and adequate representation in politics. There are a variety of reasons why the typical Nigerian youth finds it difficult to thrive in the hostile political environment of Nigeria. First Nigerian youths do not have a well defined leadership that can mobilize them to take common actions and pursue mutual political goals. But most importantly the Nigeria youth lack the financial muscle, and political capital to duke it out with their wealthier, and more powerful older counterparts who have dominated the political landscape of the country since the return to democratic rule in 1999.
From the foregoing analysis it is almost impossible for a young person without a known godfather or benefactor to make a mark in the Nigerian political terrain. This was the scenario in 2015 when a very young Yahaya Adoza Bello, threw his hat into the ring with a rather tall ambition of running for the position of governor in kogi State of Nigeria.
Any keen observer would have wondered what Yahaya Bello was doing in a race in which heavyweights like the Late Prince Abubakar Audu of the APC and then incumbent governor Idris Ichala Wada of the PDP were the main gladiators.
Undeterred by the glaring odds that were stacked against him, Yahaya Bello participated in the party primaries of the APC in which he lost to Prince Abubakar Audu. In the gubernatorial election proper, Prince Abubakar Audu was already coasting home to victory over Captain Idris Ichala Wada of the PDP when the cold hands of death snatched him away. This unfortunate incident prevented Prince Abubakar Audu from having a second run as governor of the confluence state.
The APC leadership decided that Yahaya Bello who was first runner up in the APC primaries should step in as gubernatorial candidate and inherit the leading votes that Prince Abubakar Audu had garnered for the party. Yayaha Bello eventually sealed victory for the APC in a supplementary election that concluded the entire process of the Kogi gubernatorial contest.
Many party faithful led by Abiodun Faleke, who was Prince Abubakar Audu’s running mate contested the choice of Yahaya Bello as the substantive candidate of the APC at the polls. In a surprising twist, the seeming underdog, Yahaya Bello, defeated Faleke et al in all the legal cases instituted in court to dispute his emergence as APC gubernatorial candidate. This denouncement paved way for Yahaya Bello, a hitherto relatively unknown accountant and businessman to become the candidate of the APC in the supplementary election where he defeated Captain Idris Wada to become the sixth civilian governor of the confluence state.
Shed of all embellishments, the victory of Yahaya Bello both in the courts and the supplementary elections came to many political pundits as a rude shock because he achieved all these without a known godfather or benefactor. When it was all said and done, it was glaring that the gubernatorial contest in Kogi in 2015 had thrown up a political enigma in the person of Yahaya Adoza Bello.
Prior to the ascendancy of Yahaya Bello as the head honcho at Lugard House, it was almost impossible for an non Igala man to become governor in Kogi state. It seems Yahaya Bello an Ebira by tribe, is akin to the biblical David who slew Goliath against all known permutations.
Yahaya Adoza Bello was born on June 18, 1975 in Okene LGA, Kogi State. He is the youngest of six children born to Late Alhaji Bello Ipemida Ochi and Hajiya Hawawu Oziohu. He attended the LGEA primary school, Agasa after which he proceeded to Agassa Community Secondary school, Anyava, Agassa-Okene. He eventually completed his secondary education at Government Secondary School, Suleja-Niger State in 1994.
Yahaya Bello proceeded to Ahmadu Bello University, Abu Zaria, where he majored in Accounting (B.Sc). After his first degree he obtained a masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the same institution. In 2004, he became a Chartered Fellow of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN).
Yahaya Bello started out as a Revenue Officer II at the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) in 2001 after he was retained upon completing his national youth service there. Subsequently, he became a Senior Accountant and got transferred to the Makurdi Zonal Office to head the Account Department.
Eventually, he became the Assistant Chief Accountant until he resigned to venture into private business. Yahaya Bello a graduate of accountancy from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria had to dig into his experience as a businessman and accountant to creatively shed some weight by weeding out the ghost workers. In order to do this, he had to step on toes of some powerful elements in the state and a battle-line was drawn. The vested interests and powerful elements who benefitted from the ghost workers enterprise vowed to resist the attempts to clean up the civil service. Undaunted by the threat from the power brokers, the governor went ahead with his clean up exercise and succeeded in reducing the wage bill of the state to an extent where he no longer struggles to pay salaries.
The salary question became the topical issue on which the opposition anchored their campaign against the reelection bid of Yahaya Bello in the 2019 gubernatorial elections. Curiously, the issue died a natural death immediately the elections were won by the fearless governor. This is a clear indication that all of the allegations of salary arrears were mere political rhetoric to stifle his reelection bid.
One major area in which Governor Yahaya Bello has improved the lot of Kogi state is in the area of internally generated revenue by giving a new lease of life to the State Internal Revenue Agency. There is also a resounding deployment of very young and dynamic persons into strategic positions of leadership in the government hierarchy. The state apparatus currently boasts of a resounding eighty percent participation of youths in leadership roles. There is also some visible measure of gender balance in the appointments of Governor Yahaya Bello, although this is one area where more needs to be done.
Under his exemplary leadership, the Kogi State government commenced the distribution of farming materials and implements to farmers under the APPEALS (Agro Processing, Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Improvement Support) project in a bid to boost rice, cashew and cassava production. Over 698 Rice farmers benefitted from the materials shared in the first tranche.
The APPEALS program did a partnership with the Kogi State Rice Mill, and provided over 1720 Hectares of land for Rice farming. Under the program, items such as rice Seedlings, Pressure sprayers, Fertilizers, Herbicides and Personal Protective Equipments (PPEs) were distributed to farmers at Ajaokuta, Igalamela-Odolu and other local government areas of the state.
Before the end of his first tenure, Yahaya Bello, through the Kogi Rice Processing mill established the Osara Cassava Estate where about five hundred youths were empowered with capital to start fish farming.
Beyond agriculture Governor Yahaya Bello has also made some huge strides in the area of security. He orchestrated the setting up of two new mobile police units in Kabba and Okene to checkmate the hitherto spate of kidnaping and other crimes that were recorded in that axis prior to, and in the early days of his first tenure.
Yahaya Bello goes down in history as the youngest democratically elected governor in Nigeria, who assumed his first office at age 40. This was after his stint as managing director of FairPlus International Ltd.
On settling into office, Yahaya Bello soon discovered that the obstacles he climbed during the gubernatorial duel were child’s play compared to the vagaries of running the business of governance in Kogi state. His first major discovery on assuming office was the fact that the civil service was over-bloated with ghost workers who were voraciously feeding fat on the very modest resources of the state without making any meaningful contributions to the growth of the state. The wage bill of the state was so high that Yahaya Bello inherited salaries from the previous government which ran into huge sums that was difficult to offset. He determined to ensure that ghost workers were weeded out and the staff strength of the civil service streamlined.
Before the end of his first tenure, Yahaya Bello, through the Kogi Rice Processing mill established the Osara Cassava Estate where about five hundred youths were empowered with capital to start fish farming.
Beyond agriculture Governor Yahaya Bello has also made some huge strides in the area of security. He orchestrated the setting up of two new mobile police units in Kabba and Okene to checkmate the hitherto spate of kidnaping and other crimes that were recorded in that axis prior to, and in the early days of his first tenure.
He also reinforced and equipped the Kogi vigilante group which has since foiled several attempts to kidnap travelers on Kogi soil. In recognition of the remarkable achievements made by the governor in the area of security, Africas richest businessman, Aliko Dangote donated ten patrol vehicles to support Kogi State.
These initiatives have been seen to produce tremendous results. For example, the Kogi police command arrested over thirty kidnappers and sixteen cultists in Okehi, Dekina and other parts of he state within a period six months of intensive crackdown on criminal activities after the reelection of Yahaya Bello into his second tenure.
In further recognition of his efforts in tackling insecurity in Kogi State, the Northern Governors Forum appointed Yahaya Bello as the head of their Security Committee in order to see how the Kogi security template is replicated in the entire northern landscape.
During his reelection campaign, Governor Yahaya Bello adopted “LET’S DO MORE” as his slogan. True to his promises, he has engaged in glaring efforts to consolidate the gains made in agriculture, security, education, health and other sectors during his first tenure.
In continuation of his commitment to guarantee food security, Governor Yahaya Bello has reinforced the distribution of more rice seedlings, pressure sprayers, fertilizer, herbicides, and personal protective equipment (PPEs) to farmers.
Whilst the COVID-19 pandemic is plaguing economies across the world, the Kogi State administration led by Yahaya Bello strategically provided more hectares of land for Kogi Rice farmers in Omi to service Confluence Rice Processing Mill. This initiative is to prepare the state for post-Covid realities. While this is ongoing, the governor is also providing additional support for over five hundred youths empowered to start fish farming during his first tenure.
Governor Yahaya Bello is poised to prove that “LET’S DO MORE” is not just a political cliche but a sound strategy to improve the lot of the good people of Kogi state.
Bello is married and blessed with children.
Governor Yahaya Bello is an avid reader, and a lover of travel. He unwinds by playing soccer, boxing and driving himself around.
