The Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello has described President Muhammadu Buhari as the most democratic president he has ever seen, faulting Punch Newspaper for describing him as a dictator.
Governor Bello stated this while answering questions from State House Correspondents on the stand of the National daily and some other matters regarding Kogi State.
When asked how he sees the tag of President Muhammadu Buhari as a dictator by a national daily newspaper, Gov. Bello replied that “Mr President is the most democratic president I have ever seen. This is the first time we are seeing a former military head of state that is so democratic to the extent of allowing things happening in his home front to be democratized not to talk of things happening in the country. Whoever is tagging him to be a dictator, I think that person wished to be a dictator himself not Mr President.”
How do you receive the news from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), listing Kogi State as the most corrupt state in the country?
“You have to look and read the details of that report before you can judge. We shouldn’t just listen to somebody and quote him out of context. Like I said, Kogi State before now, with regard to civil servants, before you become a permanent secretary, you must pay through your nose. But this time around, it has been merit-based.
“Before you become local government chairman, or let’s take it from the political aspect, I am the leader of the APC in Kogi State, no single person obtains form or becomes whatever and will claim or claiming to have paid one dime to any political leader. It is out of blocking the loopholes and leakages that we have been able to raise the revenue of Kogi State from pittance of N300 million to over N1 billion on monthly basis.
If you look at the percentage, then you can be the judge. So, if anybody is saying Kogi State is the most corrupt state, then that person must have his facts wrong. Kogi state is the most prized state in the country and it is out of fighting corruption as well. The little resources we have, we are managing it such that we are developing the state and fighting insecurity. If corruption is that prevalent, then that wouldn’t have happened.”
The Kogi State governor also promised to focus on human capital development and infrastructural developments during his second term in office.
