By Musa Tanimu Nasidi
“Good health is not something we can buy. However, it can be an extremely valuable savings account.” – Anne Wilson Schaef
In Nigeria, being an “executive governor” or “honourable minister”, guarantees the lucky occupant, and his immediate family a life of luxury, with several other benefits. Ordinarily, this ought to push them to deliver quality services to the people. But sadly, all Nigerians get in return from their “excellencies and honourable ministers”, are services, that are not in any way commensurate with the freebies they enjoy. The return on investment on public office holders is so poor, that where they project, Nigerian banks that hate risks, would have long stopped funding them.
The lack of performance by Nigerian public office holders has absolutely nothing to do with the bar being very low, rather it has to do with the lack of personal motivation to excel. So, most often than not, they are largely anonymous throughout their assignments. But after four years they certainly leave the office better-looking and into a life of luxury.
Nigerian public officers are specialists in delivering the “routine minimum”– payment of salaries and construction of roads that lead to nowhere.
But going by the ugly events in some states, where governors have shown these “routine minimums”, long taken for granted, have become an issue. No doubt, Nigeria is confronting a new crisis, an indication that the leadership crisis has indeed gotten worse.
Thankfully, Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi state, is an exception. He is unlike many of his colleagues, who have enjoyed the perks of the office, but not the work. The “LION” as he’s usually call by kogites,
can’t in any way, be accused of failing to provide leadership, rather he has worked extremely over-hard to transform the Health Sector In Kogi state within the period under review.
The consolation for the New Direction Administration under Gov Bello is certainly the success of the various reforms, with emphasis on Health Sector and the affection of the common people, concrete evidence that indeed he gave the Sector his all in the last seven and half years, which has led to the birth of a new kogi state.
Governor Yahaya Bello inherited a dysfunctional Health Sectors as at the time he assumed office, due to years of bad governance.The previous People’s Democratic Party (PDP) administrations, are irresponsibly guilty of gross failure to provide the state with purposeful and decisive leadership. They bluntly refused to address the rot in the Health Sectors, especially the payment of counterpart Funding to international Organizations,like Wolrd Health Organisation (WHO) among others.
Bello, on assuming office, had no option but to administer the very painful but difficult decisions so as to improve the quality of governance through the development of moribund health sector.
Governor Yahaya Bello’s campaign slogan, “New Direction ”, is a reflection of that genuine commitment, to improving the welfare of the people. This explains why in the last seven and half years, there is no sector that Bello’s transformative leadership hasn’t fundamentally impacted. It has been breathtaking. And there are no signs, Bello, is about to slow down as he definitely wants to finish strong come 2024!
The general impression that kogites are desirous of consequential development and will wholeheartedly support any leader that meets their developmental aspirations is a fat white lie.
The stiff resistance to Bello’s well-intentioned reforms of the public service, the educational sector, Health and the urban renewal projects, casts huge doubt on that assertion. Maybe, just maybe, while kogites truly desire development, it has to be without the pain.
Over Seven and half years after, Gov Bello, without any doubt, has every bragging right having delivered a strong economy, surgically reformed the public service and institutions, into a lean, but effective service, wealth creation, unprecedented infrastructural development, strong leadership and a budgeting system, that is performing for the greater number of Kogi citizens, as opposed to the ugly past, when the budget was consistently in favour of recurrent expenditure, making people question the existence of government.
For the 2023 November governorship election, candidates desirous of making some difference, they have Gov Bello’s proven governance model to adopt.
No doubt,the nomination of Alhaji Usman Ododo, as the flagbearer of the ruling APC in the forthcoming November governorship election by Governor Yahaya Bello, was described as wise decision by the people of Kogi state.
Considering the demonization of Bello as a dictator by some self serving Politicians, who brooks no dissent, it won’t be out of place to match the reality against the falsehoods.
Seven and half years after, the falsehoods have since collapsed like a pack of cards.
Members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi state can’t still believe that Bello is the party leader in the state because he has managed the party by consensus, rather than by directives. That’s the secret behind the united APC, Kogi state chapter. His management of the state executive council isn’t any different. Superior arguments carry the day, not Governor Bello’s position.
Also to the consternation of his traducers, Bello didn’t just preach the virtues of democracy but practicalized them out several times over. The perfidy that is the norm in the people’s Democratic Party (PDP) is unknown to Kogi APC under the leadership of the Governor.
On infrastructural development, Bello believed that Without infrastructural facilities, there can’t be sustainable economic development, for the overall improvement of the living condition of the people. To make the state competitive, and preferred business destination, embarked on an aggressive development of Health Sector and urban renewal programme.
Governor Yahaya Bello recently won the Governor of the Year award at the 2023 edition of Global Excellence Awards.
The committee on the awards said Bello was singled out for the award in recognition of his achievements in the growth and development of Kogi State, which had been corroborated by respected national and international organisations, including his unrelenting commitment to human capital development, empowerment, and infrastructure growth in the education and health sectors of the state’s economy.
The commissioning of impactful and first-of-their-kind projects in kogi state by the Former President Muhammadu Buhari was an eye opener to the extent of development in Kogi State in seven and Half years. On different occasions, the state had also consistently stood out from the crowd in the World Bank’s States Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability program, among other first-time feats of the state under Governor Yahaya Bello.
Governor Bello has delivered landmark projects, including the Reference Hospital that boasts of equipment, many of which are debuting in Africa.
The Bello Care Program, which has offered near-free medicare to the people is also gradually improving life expectancy in the state.
Key achievements in the
health sector within the period under review:
In other to fix the infrastructural deficit that was left behind by the previous administration, especially in the Health Sectors,The New Direction Administration took a decisive action such as the
Establishment of a World Class Reference Hospital in Okene with the capacity to handle complicated medical and surgical cases in the State as well as promote medical tourism
in the State, which was commissioned by former president Buhari.
Renovation and Remodeling of Kogi State Specialist Hospital Lokoja which was completed and commissioned.
Construction of an ultr-Modern Administrative Complex with two (2) Suspended Floors,
Construction of Psychiatric Department and Complete Renovation and Remodeling of the whole Hospital.
Bello Constructed two New Ultra-Modern General Hospitals in Eganyi, Ajaokuta Local Government Area and Gegu – Beki in Kogi Local Government Area respectively
In the College of Health Science & Technology Idah,the governor built academic blocks, an ultra-modern clinic,
Renovation / Supply of Laboratory Equipment among others.
The College of Nursing and Mid-wifery Obangede, was not left out as the governor approved the Construction of Perimeter fencing and Gate House, Construction of 90 room ultramodern hostel and a new administrative blocks.
Other are; Provision of a Leyland Buses, Renovation of all the existing structures (Female Hostels, Lecture rooms, Library, Clinical Laboratory), and Construction of College Clinic.
Construction and Furnishing of Nutrition House for Acceleration Nutrition Results in Nigeria
(ANRiN) to accelerate the delivery of nutrition services to the malnourished children in the community. Revitalisation of Confluence Advance Diagnostic and Imaging Center (CAMDIC) to improve
accessibility to Advanced Laboratory and Radio-diagnostic investigations that the residents of Kogi State frequently sought for outside the State.
Revitalisation of 239 Primary Health Care Centers (1 PHC Per ward).
Other Health infrastructure Components developed by the New Directions Administration includes:
Provision of Essential Medical Equipment,such as clinical laboratory and Radiological
equipment. Sustained Provision of Hospital Consumables.
Public Health / Disease Control, with the support of the New Direction Administration of His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, the kogi State Ministry of Health has stepped up its emergency preparedness and response to medical
emergencies and disease outbreaks.
For the first time,the state ministry of health put in place verifiable responsive measures to preserve the health of kogites, through the establishment of Public Health Emergency Operation Centre (PHEOC), built and equipped
For the coordination of Emergency Outbreaks.
Establishment of a functional Bio safety Laboratory to handle various samples to improve kogites diagnostic capacity.
Renovation and Expansion of the Lassa Fever Isolation Centre at Kogi State Specialist Hospital to treat Lassa fever Patients within the Hospital and the Establishment of Confluence Centre for Infectious Disease (CCID) to tackle infectious diseases within the State amongst others.
Kogi State Health Intervention programmes under Governor Bello’s administration within the period under review are:
Maternal and Child Health Intervention. Governor Bello was quoted as saying “it’s totally unacceptable as no woman deserve to die while giving birth to another life.”
On the backdrop of this, Bello’s administration became poised to flatten the curve and reverse the rising trend of maternal and child mortality in the state by developing a
National Demographic and Health Survey. Strengthening of the Surveillance Unit of the Public Health Department along with Enlightenment,
Sensitisation and Campaign to create awareness on Public Health. Development of Self-risk Assessment. The Establishment of a Molecular Laboratory at the Kogi State Specialist Hospital, Lokoja.
Manpower/Training and Remuneration;
A Human resource for Health Analysis report conducted in 2016 revealed a huge deficit in Health work force which is key to service delivery.
In Gov Bello systematic approach to tackling these
gaps, the administration decided to recruit 2,424 Health Professionals ranging from Medical doctors,
Nurses, Pharmacists, Laboratory Scientists, Health Attendants to mention but few.
Training and Retraining of 200 Health Professionals on Basic Emergency obstetric and New Born Care (BEMONC), Essential Newborn Care (ENCC) and Modified Essential under the Newborn Care Course (MENCC) to improve Maternal and Child Health Care Service Delivery.
Others includes:
Implementation of 2014 Revised Consolidated Medical Salary Structure Scale(CONMESS) for Medical Doctors to boost their morale for better service delivery.
Kogi State is one the Four States implementing Full Revised 2014 CONMESS. This has
been highly commended by the Nigeria Medical Associations (NMA)
By masterminding the development of the new Kogi state, especially in the health Sectors, Governor Yahaya Adoza Bello has etched his name forever in the hearts of the people, beyond the boundaries of Kogi state.
Within the period under review,Bello has shown that development is possible with total dedication and commitment. Though still has lest than one year to go, like Julius Caesar, he can proudly proclaim: “I came, I saw, I conquered.
Musa Tanimu Nasidi is a journalist and publisher of ThEANLYSTNG, he Writes from Lokoja,Kogi State.
Former president Buhari ,Gov Bello at the commissioning of Okene Ultra- modern Hospital.
