Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello says he forfeited “personal entitlements” and other perks of office as the number office holder in the state.
He added that he runs the affairs of the State like a private company with the aim of “profitability”.
The governor, who was sworn in for second term on January 27, 2020, spoke on Monday night during a Channels Television’s programme, Politics Today after the Supreme Court affirmed his re-election as Kogi State governor.
Recall that a seven-man panel of the court led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Muhammad, in two judgments, dismissed separate appeals filed by the Peoples Democratic Party and the Socialist Democratic Party, challenging Bello’s victory at the November 16, 2019 poll.
Monday’s judgment laid to rest the disputes surrounding the validity or otherwise of Bello’s re-election.
Speaking on his victory on Monday night, Bello dedicated it to the youths and the people of the state, saying, “I will never betray the trust that the younger generation and the youths reposed in me in steering the affairs of Kogi State and moving forward. I know today that I am a role model to so many millions. I will try as much as possible to do my best and my best will be good enough for our people.”
The governor noted that many Kogi State government officials still use their personal vehicles.
He said, “We are running the government as if we are running a private business for profitability. What do I mean by that? Starting from myself as the executive governor, my deputy, and all other government officials, it will interest you to know that a lot of us are still using our private vehicles.
“A lot of us have forfeit(ed) and forgo(ne) our personal entitlements. Like me personally, a lot of vehicles that I used today are my personal vehicles. I didn’t come into office to meet or inherit some of these things.”
Continuing, Bello added, “Go to Kogi State Government House today otherwise referred to as Lugard House. See how it is run today and the look compared to when we came into office. There are several projects going on, I can’t mention all of them, and there are still more coming. In fact, that was what propelled the people of Kogi State to vote for me en masse in a way that has never been this way before.”
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