Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State says his ambition for now is to help President Bola Tinubu succeed.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Bello was one of the contenders for the presidency of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023. He lost the primary election to Tinubu.
On Saturday, the governor said all Nigerians would succeed if President Tinubu triumphs.
The governor who spoke at an interactive session with journalists at the 3rd Annual GYB Seminar for Nigerian Political and Crime Correspondents/Editors on Saturday in Abuja, said 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 I’m happy with where I’ve taken it.
“I believe the APC candidate, Usman Ododo, will build on the solid foundation we have laid for Kogi,” the governor said.
According to him, the November 11 Kogi governorship election will be a landslide victory for the APC.
Responding to the question of ensuring that all members remained in the APC fold in the state, Bello said APC remained strong in Kogi.
“Our unity is the reason why APC wins in Kogi and will continue to win.
“Our party is one. You can’t satisfy everyone. However, there are internal mechanisms in the APC to resolve issues and we always use them,” he said.
In an article titled; “Unity in a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society, the story of Kogi,” Information Commissioner Kingsley Fanwo said candidates should campaign on merit.
“Any candidate who campaigns based on ethnic sentiments is incompetent.”
Fanwo said the state would continue to prioritize merit and not ethnicity to enable it to continue growing.
Also in his article on “Off-season elections, journalists as responsible gatekeepers”, the President of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Chris Isiguzo, charged journalists with the task of practicing responsible and ethical journalism.
Isiguzo said there was a need for journalists to ensure transparency, verify all facts and verify all information in their reports.
The NUJ president noted that off-season elections presented challenges and opportunities for journalists to fulfill their role as responsible guardians of society.
“I encourage everyone to approach the work with a sense of duty, knowing that the quality of our reporting can influence the future of our nation.”
In a document presented by the Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, Asiru Idris, he said the Yahaya Bello administration implemented deliberate policies to entrench good governance.
He said this encouraged accountability, transparency and reducing the State’s debt burden.
“Kogi has commenced the preparation of the 32-year development plan, critical to the realization of Bello’s vision of comprehensive development of the state.
“The development plan, when completed, will be a focal point for development partners’ interventions.”
In a document titled “Building a Viable Economy through Strategic Investments in Education”, Kogi Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Wemi Jones, said the state had not only provided free education but made it compulsory.
“The budget allocation to the education sector in Kogi increased from 13 percent in 2017 to 15 percent in 2019 and 30 percent in 2022, higher than the UNESCO recommended benchmark of 26 percent.”