In the thick of national criticism of Governor Yahaya Bello’s administration during the build up to his second term election, a few of us who are investigative journalists didn’t want to jump on the bandwagon of wanton condemnation of the man they didn’t research on before judging.
We decided to embark on a fact-finding voyage to the beautiful Confluence City of Lokoja.
In our usual way, we avoided speaking with Government officials because they won’t tell us what is bad about their Government.
People call it “table manners”, which means “one doesn’t talk while eating”.
They do everything to paint the Government they serve white so as not to be seen as a “rebel within”.
So we decided to interact with people on the street.
I asked a man who introduced himself as Labaran what he feels about Yahaya Bello.
“He is a good man. And the Rice Mill he sited at Ejiba has helped us a lot.
I am a rice farmer and today, what we produce is not even enough for the Rice Mill”, he told me in Hausa language.
So while people stay in Lagos and Abuja to criticize from their beautiful and ugly offices, Yahaya Bello was busy serving his people.
We went to Ejiba to see the Rice Mill and was shocked by the magnitude of the gigantic agricultural and industrial investment in that place.
We saw road construction works, new blocks of classrooms and many laudable projects all around the state.
And today, he has blown off the roof by establishing many firsts in the state. The first overhead bridge, the first fully functional, fully equipped Science Secondary School – that is one of the best in Nigeria, a Reference Hospital which equipment are debuting in Africa and many others.
Of fancy and note to me is the Healthcare Revolution in the Confluence State. The Governor has not only put the name of the state on the Medical Map of the World, but has made Nigeria the cynosure of eyes around the world.
As the race to succeed Yahaya Bello heat up, the focus will be on a character that can sustain the lofty legacy of Alh. Yahaya Bello.
There have been speculations and permutations as to who the Governor will support to succeed him, but the biggest criterion will be on who has the capacity and can see through the prism of Yahaya Bello’s long term dream for Kogi State.
A statesman like Yahaya Bello will surely not think of an eight year tenure, but an era of unprecedented progress and development.
Yahaya Bello won’t be on the ballot, but his record and legacy will be on the ballot.
While he has many hands that are undeniably qualified to succeed him, one man stands out: Ahmed Usman Ododo.
I have not been privileged to meet him as a person, but I have gathered a lot of information about him and discovered traits and qualities that are very similar to those of Alh. Yahaya Bello. One of the most notable of them is the capacity to pursue convictions.
Ododo is fearless and works with his team with trust. He has the will, tenacity, capacity and requisite qualifications to succeed Governor Yahaya Bello.
Like Auditors do, they work but do not talk. The financial re-engineering of the state under the Economic Team in which Usman Ododo is a key player speaks volumes about his capacity and capability to turn around the fortunes of Kogi State.
He saw it from the beginning, watched it at close range and has shown unblemished characteristics of a good leader.
Another thing of note in Kogi is the Audit Law. Such a legal framework has strengthened planning, accountability and probity.
Nigeria is what it is today because we ignore things that look minor but are real pieces in the jigsaw of institutional excellence.
The essence of the Law is to show the public the books in the spirit of accountable governance. The masterclass of GYB as supervised by Alh. Usman Ododo has shown the place of administrative finesse in governance.
Kogi can’t get it wrong with Ododo.
Another thing Kogi people will be paying attention to is the Healthcare sector.
Recently, Alh. Usman Ahmed Ododo built a magnificent Hospital to take quality Medicare to his people.
The ultramodern hospital which was built at Upogoro in Okene Local Government Area was well equipped to serve the people of the area. Alh. Usman Ododo built it and handed it over to the State Government to manage.
It was named after the mother of the Governor. My tour of the Hospital shows some mind-blowing commitment of Usman Ododo to give the best to his people.
A very unassuming gentleman, Usman Ododo has refused to print posters.
He is not on any billboard. He is quiet but his works are speaking. If GYB’s beautiful work must continue, I see a good successor in Ahmed Usman Ododo.
He combines administrative acumen with courage, compassion, organization, financial wizardry and clear development thoughts.
Keen political watchers in Kogi State keep mentioning the name of the man who is not talking, who has no posters and is not employing social media rave but secretly engraved in the hearts of the people.
From providing water for various communities to many health interventions; Ododo has become the dark horse of the contest to succeed Governor Yahaya Bello in Lugard House. He has been compared to the force of the silent ocean waters which carries anything on its way without noise.
Analysts also see Ododo as the convergence zone when it comes to the issue of picking from the pack.
He is detribalized and has never shown any traits of religious bigotry. These are socio-cultural emotions that are dear to the administration of Alh. Yahaya Bello. One thing I have noticed about the man Ododo is his zero desperation for power.
Studies have shown that people who are less politically desperate are better leaders.
I see him taking the state to the next level that GYB wants it to be.
Teslim Fayokemi, an Investigative Journalist writes from Bodija, Ibadan, Oyo State