By Chimezie Godfrey
The Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello has described Nigeria’s challenges as man-made.
Yahaya Bello who contested the recent presidential primaries of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, said the country’s challenges are not from God.
Governor Bello made the assertions at the 2021 Blueprint Annual Public Lectures and Impact Series/Awards held Tuesday in Abuja.
He commended the Blueprint management for organizing the event focused on tackling the issues of insecurity and other socio-political challenges bedeviling the nation.
According to the governor, “Nigeria is a nation bedeviled by a lot of challenges, these challenges are man-made, God did not create these challenges for us.
Without naming anybody in particular, Bello seemed to fault the manner insecurity is being tackled, saying “You cannot have those profiteering from insecurity to be the same ones to bring solution to it, how is that possible? You want to close their business?
He also asserted that given what is known about Nigeria’s insecurity, the challenges can be eliminated within six months.
“These insecurity that we are faced with, I am a governor and I know so much, before, during and after the general elections, six months is just too much to eliminate them,” Bello said.
He said further that Nigerian youths will set the agenda for Sen. Bola Tinubu who clinched the APC presidential ticket because the youths own the future.
Bello stressed that Senator Tinubu has the pedigree and capacity to lead the country out of its current socio-economic woes.
“Today we have the Presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress, in person of Bola Tinubu, you can hate him, but you cannot take his achievements and successes away. He has touched majority of all the candidates we have today.
“As Nigerian youths, we will be setting agenda for our next administration, the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, because the youths own the future.
“Our role number one is to elect, vote that leader who you know to be able to ensure fair and equitable administration. If we elect a criminal, if you elect a liar, if you elect those who will only come to fill their pocket it will amount to nothing.
He urged the youths to elect those who have the political will to eliminate insecurity in the country.
Bello believes that leader to turn the fortunes of the country around for the greater goods of all Nigerians is Bola Tinubu.
He stressed that the issue of Muslim/Muslim ticket, Christian/Christian ticket is just a sentiment to divide the country and “put us on a different trajectory that will make it difficult for us to unite this country.”
Among other awardees, Yahaya Bello bagged the 2021 Blueprint “Politician of the Year.”
While delivering the keynote address, Lt Gen Abdulrahman Dambazzau, a former chief of army staff, recommended a reform of the nation’s security system.He urged troops to take the fight to the terrorists just he identified other challenged including IPOB.
While making his intervention after Dambazzau’s lecture, BrigadierGeneral Sani K. Usman (rtd) among others, revealed how Danbazzau resisted pressure to seize power during the heady days of late President Umaru Yar’Adua’s illness.