TheCable

Yahaya Bello, governor of Kogi, says his administration has repositioned the state for a viable and better future. 

The governor said this on Saturday at the commemoration of the 31st anniversary of the creation of the state.

While commending past administrations, Bello said his government interventions in different sectors, including health, education, infrastructure and security, are unprecedented. 

He said his administration has been able to judiciously use the vast human and mineral resources of the state for its development. 

“We appreciate our founding fathers and those persons, leaders and citizens alike, who have gone before. They are the giants on whose shoulders we stand. We also thank those who are working alongside us today, both in and out of government over the last 6-and-a-half years,” he said. 

“There is plenty of evidence that what we have accomplished in this administration has helped to leapfrog progress in our state today. This has not happened by chance. As you know, we came to government with a well-defined blueprint and massive political will determined to make a positive difference for you.

“Even if it amounts to tooting our own horn, we will have to insist that the Yahaya Bello Administration has made impressive efforts to reposition Kogi State for the future. This has the direct effect of enhancing our ability to take advantage of our vast endowments in human and other natural resources for development purposes.”

The governor added that his administration would continue to prioritise the security of lives and property.

He said he would ensure that the hands of the law will not discriminate in punishing anyone, no matter how highly placed, if found culpable in causing insecurity.

“By making security of lives and properties a constant priority, we are in a great position to attract and keep new residents and new investments in our economy,” he added.

“Moreover, by demonstrating to criminals that it is foolish and fatal to ply their trade in Kogi State, we continue to render a service to the rest of the country by keeping the highways between the north and the south of this country open to all citizens.

 “Let me reiterate that my administration will not take kindly to persons, no matter how highly placed, who get involved in crimes, either as perpetrators or patrons. This includes resorting to violence to assert any alleged individual or community rights. 

“Traditional rulers have been empowered to handle all genuine grievances over community land and other rights, and they know the channels to easily escalate them upstairs where it falls outside their scope.”

Bello said students in the state’s higher institutions are ahead of their colleagues in other institutions due to the uninterrupted academic session.

“By making our education sector top-notch we improve our human development indices from basic through to tertiary education levels. We have founded new schools, including a university (the Confluence University of Science and Technology, CUSTECH), renovated existing ones and improved both access to educational opportunities and the performance of our students in both internal and external examinations,” he said.

“It is also important to note that since the last strike by university lecturers in this state ended over 5 years ago, our university students have enjoyed uninterrupted academic calendars. 

“The result is that our undergraduates have advanced at least 2 years ahead of their contemporaries in other schools who continue to be bedevilled by pernicious industrial actions in this all-important sector.

“Our health sector is growing exponentially too under our careful management. Hundreds of our primary healthcare centres have been renovated, and we have ultramodern secondary and tertiary hospitals springing up in all the senatorial districts,” he said.

“They are already equipped or in the process of being equipped with state-of-the-art equipment. We have set up a health insurance agency and facilitated free registration for thousands of our citizens. Our endgame is to make Kogi State the number one Health Tourism destination in Nigeria.

“By investing heavily in roads, bridges and other civil engineering infrastructure, including the completed first flyover in Kogi State, we have tried to improve the quality of life available in our cities, major towns and rural areas. 

“We have tried to provide good governance across the board, and these success stories are to a great extent replicated in agriculture and other sectors. For the first time, perhaps, the presence of the government is felt by the widest cross-section of our people under one administration.”