Omoluabi Bode Adeyemi, a former Special Adviser on Labour and Civic Matters to immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello has said the former governor deserves accolades after meritoriously serving the North Central state and not baseless , unwarranted and needles ethnic animosity, political witch-hunt and vilification.
This is in response to a protest on Friday at the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), by groups, Kogi Conscience Liberation Movement and the Kogi Concerned Citizens Forum who called for the prosecution of Bello over N80bn alleged fraud.
Bello, popularly known as as GYB among supporters led the Confluence state from 2016-2024 and recently handed over to his successor, Usman Ododo.
Reacting to the protesters in a statement on Saturday, Omoluabi described them as paid agents of the opposition, unscrupulous element promoting ethnic Politics and bad losers who are yet to come over their several Political losses in the past, urging the EFCC to toe the path of responsibility as an institution established by law fot specific assignments, to ignore their calls.
He emphasized that former governor Bello raised the tempo of excellent leadership in Kogi more that his predecessors, underlining that his efforts in positioning Kogi on progressive map should be applauded, condemning the “sponsored protest” against the former Chief Executive.
According to him, “We are all witnesses to how GYB made Kogi the centre of attraction by the massive developmental projects aimed at raising the bar of human capital development, ensuring the welfare and development of our people without leaving security unattended to.
“Lest the sponsored protesters forget, it was in this same state that GYB constructed two Brand New universities yet built a befitting University Teaching Hospital for the existing one, the Kogi State University, Kabba and the Confluence University of Science and Technology which has not only brought development to the doorstep of the people but have given our young people access to human capital development for an enhanced future.
“Again, the Okene Reference Hospital, Gegu Ultramodern hospital, Isanlu Ultramodern hospital, Ajaokuta Ultramodern hospital, Renovation of Idah Central Hospital, over 200km roads across the state are all signature tunes of the man whose head they are calling for.
“The Lokoja Specialist Hospital Renovation, 15,000 seating capacity Lokoja Civic Center, which have since become revenue generating source and employment for our teeming youths never existed before now”, he noted.
Omoluabi noted that “operation light up Kogi East” an electricity infrastructure provision campaign raised by Kogi State Government have given many LGAs in Kogi East, the opportunity to see electricity in their homes.
He denied any N80bn fraud under ex-governor Bello in Kogi State, saying it is all part of the desperate effort to call the dog a bad name just to hang it. He argued that available record shows that Governor Yahaya Bello was not a Governor in 2015 hence couldn’t have stolen when he was not office as spuriously alleged. Omoluabi says the entire state total budget was less than 70Bn, hence one person couldn’t have stolen more than the budget.
He wondered why the former governor was accused of siphoning the said sum in 2015, months before he became the governor of the state in January 2016.
He said, “A visible inconsistency that is being peddled around is that the former Governor diverted Kogi State Government funds in September 2015. Ladies and gentlemen, we all know that Yahaya Bello never became the governor of Kogi State in 2015.
“The election that produced H.E Yahaya Bello, CON, as Governor of Kogi was only conducted in November 2015. Indeed, H.E. Captain Idris Wada of the PDP held sway as Governor of Kogi State at the material time until he handed over to H.E Yahaya Bello on the 27th day of January 2016.”
He therefore called on the general public to ignore the protesters as there is no merit in their demand for Bello’s prosecution.
