By Moses Okezie-Okafor
At 50, Yahaya Adoza Bello, the gap-toothed and ebullient immediate past Governor of Kogi State, stands at the grand verge of legacy and possibility. The youngest democratically elected governor in Kogi State’s history, he came to Office at a time the Confluence State was in dire straits – multidimensionally challenged in every index of human development.
Eight years later, after two eventful terms, Yahaya Bello handed over to his chosen successor, having become one of the most controversial figures in contemporary Nigerian politics, with his story far from a settled debate. To some, he’s a transformational builder under whom Kogi State experienced good governance; to others, he is a stubborn nonconformist. Yet both camps agree on one thing – he is a man who left his mark.
From Agassa to the Apex
Born on June 18, 1975, in Agassa, Okene, Yahaya Bello rose from modest beginnings to occupy Lugard House at 5 months shy of his 40th birthday. His emergence followed the sudden death of Prince Abubakar Audu in the 2015 elections, a tragedy that thrust Bello into the governorship through an unprecedented political twist. Many called it fate; others, an aberration. Bello called it destiny.
From day one, he approached governance as a resident landlord in government house who fully accepted that the buck stops at his table, and refused to believe or dignify the usual cop-out that ‘his hands were tied’ as Governor by anything from bringing his most forceful powers to the office – especially in the security of lives and properties in his domain.
Under Bello, education and healthcare were basic priorities. Over 30% of the state budget went into revamping basic and tertiary education. New schools, scholarships, teacher employment and free examinations became standard policy. In healthcare, his administration created the Kogi Health Insurance Scheme and the BelloCare Initiative to ensure that world-class hospitals did not remain out of reach for the poor.
He conceptualized and executed the New Direction Blueprint – a development manual that sought proportional and accelerated development across all parts of Kogi State. Whenever vested interests challenged his constitutional powers, he always resisted with a fearsome gusto that made him powerful enemies but endeared him as a folk hero till today to the ordinary people.
The Infrastructure Governor
Under Bello, Kogi experienced one of the most aggressive infrastructure revolutions in its history. Signature projects dotted every corner of the state including over 600 Basic Education schools built or totally reconstructed, the GYB Model Science Secondary School in Lokoja, a digital-era educational fortress, in addition to others outfitted across the State. The Government Secondary School at Ogugu was revamped, complete with access roads and handed over to the federal government as a Federal Science and Technical College, the newest Unity School in the country.
The 250-bed Reference Hospital in Okene, with cutting-edge medical technology, including what is arguably the first hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) centre in the country at the time was the flagship facility in a health infrastructure revolution that saw half a dozen general hospitals built across the senatorial districts and hundreds of Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) established or renovated.
The Ganaja Flyover, Kogi’s first ever urban infrastructure of that magnitude was built in record time by Bello, solving decades-old gridlock issues that made Lokoja, the state capital, the bane of interstate travellers trying to access the north of the country from the south and vice versa. Hundreds of kilometres of township roads were built across most of the major towns in the 3 senatorial zones, easing movement and recharging commerce and industry for denizens. Waterworks were upgraded in at least two major towns – Lokoja and Okene. Bello will remain unforgettable for tackling and fixing devastating gully erosion sites at Ankpa, Ogugu, Ozuri (Okene), Kabba and other locations.
The establishment of two brand new universities stand out among Bello’s grand accomplishments. The Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH), Osara and Kogi State University (KSU), Kabba. CUSTECH graduated its first ever set last year while KSU, Kabba will do so next year. The Prince Abubakar Audu University (PAAU), Anyigba – the only one in the state before Bello also underwent complete overhaul and expansion under him, along with the Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja, the College of Nursing and Midwifery, Obangede and even the Nigeria-Korea Friendship Institute, Lokoja.
All tertiary institutions in the state also achieved 100% accreditation for all courses offered, some for the first time in over 40 years, because Bello supported them with all the resources to satisfy all infrastructural and instructional requirements of the respective regulatory bodies. Remarkably, CUSTECH was granted approval by the National Universities Commission (NUC) to offer a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) programme.
This approval allows CUSTECH to commence the programme, along with other courses like Doctor of Physiotherapy (DPT), B. Radiography, B. Agric. Agriculture, B. Eng. Agricultural Engineering, and LL. B. Law, starting from the 2024/2025 academic session. The Reference Hospital at Okene made this dream possible and the extensive medical facilities he built at Anyigba as well as his successor’s unrelenting efforts promises to repeat this feat at PAAU, likely before this year ends.
With Bello, each project reflected an underlying ethos – inclusion, merit and service. He took particular pride in showing that every senatorial district, tribe and demographic – even the non-indigenous ones – had a piece of his administration’s developmental and human capital largesse.
Unity as an Ideology
Kogi has long been known for its complex ethnic diversity, often to its own detriment. Bello, however, saw this diversity as strength. He assembled what is widely considered the most demographically inclusive cabinet in the state’s history, deliberately balancing religion, ethnicity, gender and age – and charged them foremost with breaking down the old barriers between Kogites. His Kogi-first identity has continued after his time in office – even though irrenditist ethnic nationalism continues to buffet it.
The Security Enforcer
When Bello took over, Kogi was slipping into chaos – rampant kidnappings, terrorists and insurgents cells and armed robberies had made the state almost ungovernable. Kogi was, in 2015, the most insecurity-afflicted part of Nigeria outside the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria’s North East.
Bello rolled up his sleeves. And he led from the front – sometimes, literally, joining security raids at night. He invested in tactical vehicles and surveillance technologies, he built trust with federal security agencies and ensured welfare incentives for local operatives. The results were fast and undeniable – Kogi transformed from one of Nigeria’s most insecure states to one of the safest – and has remained so till today under his successors.
Criticism and Controversy
Bello’s unfiltered style, youthful exuberance and centralization of decision-making drew criticism. Some accused him of intolerance to dissent while others argued that his governance style bordered on autocracy. Several unbiased commentators have noted that his approach was the only way he could have succeeded.
For example, a popular politician from Kogi Central confessed recently that in the 10 years before Bello became Governor, over 300 youths lost their lives to violence in the Senatorial District – while the 8 years of Bello saw less than a 10th of that number in political or any other form of fatalities.
Similarly, and just several weeks ago, a very top level federal police officer confided to the hearing of this writer that they stopped giving credence to most of the reports of politically-motivated violence that came their way in torrents during political and even normal seasons during Bello’s time because most turned out to be people crying wolf. ‘The young man held everyone, including himself, in check’. According to him, historically, Kogi before Bello was vicious and life was cheap. During his time however, the actual fatalities sank way low but the complaints were louder, if anything.
Footsoldier of the APC and Tinubu Loyalist
Throughout his career, Bello has demonstrated unwavering loyalty to the All Progressives Congress (APC). He was among the earliest northern governors to actually work for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s victory after the 2023 presidential primaries, playing a pivotal role in solidifying northern support and mobilising the youthful demographics for the President’s triumph.
He often refers to himself as one of Tinubu’s ‘footsoldiers’, and remains one of the party’s most successful special operatives and vocal defenders. In internal party matters, Bello has been a bridge builder, using diplomacy and force of personality to maintain cohesion and party discipline. He has severally affirmed that the APC was his first political party – and it will be his last.
The Statesman Beyond Power
Now out of office, Bello speaks of rest – but not retirement. He remains active within the APC and has left open the door for national service.
‘I’m paying attention to the State of the Nation. My considerable skills and experience remain at the service of my people, my country and my party,’ he said recently.
The White Lion: The Man and The Paradox
One thing is certain – Yahaya Bello came, governed and left signature legacies that will not be easily erased. The White Lion, as his people call him, Yahaya Bello is a compelling study in contrasts – bold yet calculated, unyielding yet inclusive. He is a disruptive reformer and an enduring enigma in Nigerian politics. He polarizes and unifies. He disrupts and he builds. At 50, he is many things to many people but to Kogi State and to Nigeria, he is an unmistakable changemaker whose name will continue to provoke debate – and perhaps, one day, consensus.
Yahaya Bello marks 50 years of purpose and impact on God’s good earth today. It is a milestone that invites both celebration and contemplation as he stands upon the threshold of a new chapter in life and greatness. Whatever history eventually decides about his legacy, what remains undeniable is his daring, his disruption of entrenched political patterns, his deployment of governance as a service and his unyielding belief in the possibility of unity and progress. On this Golden Jubilee, I join millions across Kogi State and Nigeria to wish His Excellency continued health, peace and purpose as he steps forward into a future that still holds space aplenty for his gifts, grit and growing influence. Happy Birthday, GYB – my boss, my friend and my political leader.
About the Writer
Moses Okezie-Okafor is a lawyer, governance strategist and political communicator with over two decades of experience in public policy and leadership development. Still in service as The Director-General of Research and Development in Kogi State, he played a key role in shaping the state’s policy frameworks during Governor Yahaya Bello’s administration.