The most qualified aspirant now, security-wise, is Yahaya Bello
Security is our greatest need now and ‘the most qualified aspirant now, security-wise, is Yahaya Bello”.
Massive Crowd That Graced Gov. Yahaya Bello’s Presidential Declaration.
The massive crowd at Governor Yahaya Bello’s Presidential Declaration shows his organic grassroots support base…
GYB for President.
“There is a belief that everyone has a job that they are good at. Therefore, we endeavor to put our Team members in the right place to make them work effectively in other to create sustainable growth for the general good and attend to their needs accordingly. However, we ensure to employ people that are diligent in their jobs and have admirable character in order to take care of the rest of us and achieve our vision in the long run”. – Governor Yahaya Bello.
Yahaya Bello’s Health Initiatives.
Yahaya Bello’s Health Initiatives: Building Nigeria of his Dreams in Kogi
By Nafisat Bello
“Leadership is not all about being in charge. Leadership is all about taking care of people in your charge”
Governor Yahaya Bello is easily one of the most popular governors in the country today who has recently metamorphosed into one of the most sought after presidential aspirants ahead of the 2023 elections.
In trying to decipher what makes the governor’s approval rating across the country tick, political scientists and observers easily mention the strategic and unique location of the state, at the very centre of the country. Some say his relatively young age is the major reason he is this famous. But beyond the above factors, some of these analysts and commentators may not be paying attention to some remarkable things about his governance style. They may not be aware of his deep passion for vulnerable or disadvantaged people in the state like women, youths, children, People Living with Disabilities (PLWDS) and the rest.
As part of our commitment to getting to the root of all matters, we recently embarked on a trip to the state to see for ourselves the things Governor Bello is doing differently that have given him and his supporters across the country the right to believe he should aspire for the highest office in the land.
One of the government officials we interacted with was the Commissioner for Health, Dr Saka Haruna, who spoke at length and explained in detail Bello’s giant strides in the health sector.
The Commissioner described Bello’s achievements as a total reversal of the past. He stated that when the governor came on board, he sent his team to go round the state and check for the health needs of all the local government areas. A New Direction Blueprint was produced and launched with a target set for the sector.
Before we go into the details of what he told us, we need to realise that Nigeria has one of the highest child mortality rates in the world, with an estimated 750,000 deaths annually among children under age five. The majority of these deaths are due to pneumonia, malaria, or diarrhoea. Many parents do not seek sick-child care from trained, biomedical providers, contributing to this high rate of mortality.
It was recorded that as of 2018 that the Maternal and Child Survival Program in Kogi State being implemented by Jhpeigo in partnership with Kogi State Ministry of Health and other partners with funding from USAID is strategizing to improve maternal, newborn, adolescent and child health in the State
Dr. Ogu Okoli, the country deputy director of Maternal and Child Survival programme in Nigeria (MCSP) gave the indication at the official launch of Kogi State 2018-2021 Family Planning Costed Implementation Plan and the unveiling of Green Dot Logo at the Government House in Lokoja.
According to Haruna, maternal/child mortality was just too high and the governor made a vow that before the end of his tenure, there will be massive reduction in maternal mortality rate to less than 100 per 100000 life childbirth and infant mortality rate to 10 per 1000 life childbirth which was above the national average.
“Meanwhile, as recorded in the last survey, Kogi and Kwara states jointly led the nation and were the most improved state as far as infant mortality rate is concerned. As of 2016, immunisation coverage was 38% and as at 2019, the data available rose to 75%. Thus, the soft low cost intervention (lifesaving intervention) has yielded a lot of results and has improved outcomes in the health sector due to a tremendous intervention from his Excellency.
“Looking at the Infrastructural developments scattered round the state, and some are still in progress, it’s undoubtedly true to say that Governor Bello’s intervention is a total reversal from the past.
“In order to bring to an end the frequent trips Kogites embark on upon across the length and breadth of this country in search of medical treatment, it will interest you to know that one of the best health facilities, which will be one of the most equipped hospital in the country is under construction and nearing completion in Okene. It is called “Kogi Reference Hospital, Okene,” he enthused.
The Commissioner went further to give details on some of the equipment and facilities that will be available at the Reference Hospital, some of which are nowhere in Nigeria yet. “Like the Hyperbaric oxygen treatment chamber, a fully furnished Cardiology suite where you can carry out an investigative and interventional therapy, diagnostic and therapeutic procedure that has an AP lab and CAT lab which he said were all debuting in Nigeria.
“The Reference Hospital Okene (RHO) is established as a model for other states to emulate. A situation where we have created a one-stop shop for all health services, there is no need to run to other countries for emergency medical treatment, everything is available at the Reference Hospital.
“If you take a look at the shapes of most of the hospital established by his Excellency Yahaya Bello, you will see that it has a “Y”-shape which represents Yahaya Bello and also stands for the confluence of River Niger and Benue,” the Commissioner said.
Those hospital with the shape include:
1. The Reference Hospital, Okene
2. The Ultra-modern General Hospital Badoko, in Ajaokuta L.G.A
3. Ultra-Modern General hospital in Gegu Beki, Kogi L.G.A
4. Ultra-modern Clinical Center in Prince Abubakar Audu Teaching Hospital, Ayimba.
5. Ultra-modern Clinical Center Isanly, in Yagba LGA.
“His Excellency Governor Yahaya Bello has succeeded in building new facilities from scratch and taking it to the doorstep of his people in Kogi state. They no longer need to travel out to get medical treatment. In fact, people from other states will now start coming into the state to benefit from what Governor Bello has done.
“His Excellency always has this remarkable vision before starting any building. He is building the Nigeria of his dreams using Kogi state as a template. As of now, some of the projects he is working on are yet to be completed while some have been completed. Some, it’s just painting of the interior and exterior that is remaining as the majority of the equipment has arrived in the state.
“A comprehensive renovation has been done at the zonal hospital, Idah and it’s now renamed the Specialist Hospital. It has been renovated, remodelled and re-equipped. Idah is going to have a Renal Dialysis Center (RDC) soon.
“Before assuming office, there was no single state owned Renal Dialysis Center. But today, we are establishing about five (5) different Centers,” the Commissioner added.
They are:
1. Reference Hospital Okene – Centre of Excellence for Renal Services in Kogi state.
2. Ultra-modern General Hospital , built from the scratch in Badoko, Ajaokuta LGA.
3. Ultra-modern General Hospital with a Trauma Centre in Gegu Beki, Kogi LGA.
4. The Prince Abubakar Audu Teaching Hospital, Anyigba
5. The Zonal Hospital in Idah that has also been transformed to a Specialist Hospital.
“So, this is all that we have been doing in the health sector and it’s the first time we are deploying sophisticated equipment to the villages in the rural areas which is quite exceptional.
“We want to make sure that the people in such villages can benefit from the feeling of what it is to have somebody of the nature of his Excellency, Governor Yahaya Bello, in office. That is why it is not just about renovation, we build Clinical Centres where all clinical departments are ware-housed under one roof. No use moving from one department to the other asking your way to some of the departments in the clinic. It’s a one-stop shop where you get all related services,” he noted.
Talking about affordability of such health care provisions, the Commissioner said: “Yes, for the first time in the history of Kogi state, we are having a viable, functional Kogi State Health Insurance Agency (KSHIA). The Federal Government through the health care provision funds is making health care accessible to the less privileged people, the poor. To complement the gesture of the FG, his Excellency, Governor Bello produced a Bello Care (BC) and under BC, 200million naira has just been released to capture 10,500 vulnerable people across the state. The only criterion is only to be an indigene of the state irrespective of the social background, political party affiliation, ethnicity or religion, you can access the hospital. Just show your ID cards and you will have minimum basic medical care. This process is happening for the first time in the history of Kogi state. You have ID cards, free of charge, walk into the hospital and the government pays your bill.
“Kogi state has captured about 10500 people while the Federal Government has captured over 33000 and this number can only be improved,” the Commissioner stated.
In Kogi state, we went, we saw and we conquered our curiosity. Indeed, Governor Bello is a man who knows what he is doing and who is primed for higher positions in this country and beyond.
Governor Yahaya Bello commend the efforts and synergy of security operatives in Kogi state.
Governor Yahaya Bello has commended the efforts and synergy of security operatives in Kogi state.
Reacting to the successful rescue operation by local hunters in Ochadamu, Ofu local government area of the state, Governor Bello urged security operatives sustain the efforts in combating various acts of criminality within every border of the state.
In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Onogwu Muhammed, the Governor added that no section of the state should be left to witness any act of insecurity.
Two kidnappers operating within the terrain of Ochadamu, in Ofu local government area of Kogi state, on Wednesday, met their waterloo in the hands of local security hunters.
Speaking to newsmen, an official of Ofu local government, Mohammed Lawal Musa noted that few days after attempting to kidnap innocent commuters plying the route after Easter celebration, the criminals were initially engaged in a gun battle with men of the Nigeria Navy with two members arrested.
He narrated further that after discovering their hideouts in Ochadamu, the hunters ambushed the criminal elements at about 2 am on Wednesday.
The suspects who engaged the hunters in a gun duel for over forty minutes had two of their members gunned down while three escaped with varying degrees of injuries.
Support Yahaya Bello for President.
Yahaya Bello is an acclaimed unifier. It is a well known fact that, for the first time in the history of Kogi State, the sharp, bitter division between the three major ethnic groups gave way to unity and harmony under the Governor. He united the tribes, starting from his cabinet, and today, everyone is first a Kogi indigene before being identified with his ethnic group. Nigeria needs a unifier now more than ever. The Governor is ever ready to build on the President’s efforts in this regard. How he turned the state from a notorious state, where kidnappers and criminals built empires, to one of the safest in Nigeria today and, conveniently, the safest in the north, is a question that has been on the lips of many Nigerians. Therefore, in terms of the main issues confronting the nation, Governor Yahaya Bello has excelled remarkably in Kogi State.
Video update on progresses of work on the Ganaja Flyover Project, Lokoja.
Progresses of work on the Ganaja Flyover Project, Lokoja, a #GovYahayaBello legacy signature. When completed it will reticulate traffic within the Lokoja metropolis, especially the notorious Ganaja junction bottleneck.
Update Videos on the construction of the Ultramodern General Hospital.
The administration of Governor Yahaya Bello places high priority on Health as a thematic area of focus knowing fully well that a healthy population is a wealthy population. In the last 6years, the government have increased its Health Financing Fiscal Space and invested heavily on Health Infrastructures, Health work force, capacity building to improve service delivery, Procurement and distribution of essential medicines, Electronic data capturing and tracking system to improve the Health Management Information System.
New Direction Government Index
It is worthy of note that the present administration in Kogi State, right from the onset isn’t operated on a guess board, but on a well-thought-out agenda known as the New Direction Agenda.
Equipped with the administrative acumen and a proper understanding of the various challenges he was confronted with, the young governor hit the ground running by making moves to address the foundational issues impeding the collective growth of the State. Which was first, to unite a people deeply divided alone ethnic and religious lines and to employ the services of competent, goal-oriented lieutenants to help achieve the dream of developing the State.
GYB, on security and the role of a Governor
Governor Yahaya Bello has reinforced that he will continue to maintain and enhance sufficient measures that will guarantee safety of lives and properties in the state.
