By Chioma Ugboma
Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, says his ambition for now is to help President Bola Tinubu to succeed .
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the Bello was one of the major presidential aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023.
The governor pointed out that all Nigerians would succeed if President Tinubu succeeded.
The governor who spoke at an interactive session with journalists at the 3rd Annual GYB Seminar 4 Nigeria’s Political & Crime Correspondents/Editors on Saturday in Abuja, said that God had been kind to him.
“I thank God for my successes and achievements as governor of Kogi. I know where I met the state and am happy for where I have taken the state to.
“I believe that the APC candidate, Usman Ododo will build on the solid foundation we have laid down for Kogi,” the governor said.
According to him the Nov. 11 Kogi governorship election will be a landslide victory for the APC.
Reacting to a question of ensuring all members remained in the APC fold in the state, Bello said that APC remained solid in Kogi.
“Our unity is why APC wins in Kogi and will continue to win.
“Our party is one. You cannot satisfy everyone. However, there are internal mechanisms in the APC to resolve issues and we always utilised that,” he said.
Earlier in a paper titled: Unity in Multi – Ethnic, Multi Religious Society, the Kogi Story” the state’s Commissioner for Information,Mr Kingsley Fanwo said that any candidate who campaigned on the basis of ethnic sentiments of where they came from, is incompetent.
Fanwo said that the state would continue to prioritize merit and not ethnicity to enable it continue to grow
Also in his paper on “Off Season Elections, Journalists as Responsible Watchdogs, the President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Mr Chris Isiguzo tasked members on responsible and ethical journalism.
Isiguzo said there was need for journalists to ensure transparency, check all facts and verify all information in their reportage.
The NUJ president noted that off season elections presented challenges and opportunities for journalists to fulfill their role as responsible watchdog of society.
“I encourage all of us to approach the job with a sense of duty, knowing that the quality of our reporting can influence the future of our nation.”
Presenting a paper on “Debt Burden, Transparency and Accountability in Governance: Kogi’s Success Story, the commissioner for Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, Asiru Idris said the Yahaya Bello administration put in place deliberate policies to entrench good governance through accountability, transparency and reduction in the debt burden of the state.
“Kogi has commenced preparation of the 32 years development plan, critical to the realization of Bello’s vision of all round development of the state.
“The development plan when completed will be a focal point for development partners’ interventions.”
Also speaking on “Building a Viable Economy Through Strategic Investment in Education, the Kogi Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mr Wemi Jones, said that the state had not only given free education but had made it compulsory.
“The budgetary allocation to the education sector in Kogi rose from 13 per cent in 2017 to 15 per cent in 2019 and 30 per cent 2022, higher that the UNESCO recommended benchmark of 26 per cent. (NAN)
