Governor Yahaya Bello of the state of Kogi.
Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi has said the
spate of kidnappings in the state has been
minimized.
He stated this on Saturday at the 2020
Senate Press Corps Retreat, held in Lokoja,
Kogi, with the theme “Democracy and
development in a federation: Roles of the
media, states and parliaments.”
In declaring the event open, Governor Bello,
who was represented by his deputy David
Onoja, said that before the emergence of
the current administration in the state in
2016, “Kogi was designated as the
kidnapping capital of Nigeria.”
“Our roads were littered with almost weekly
incidents of armed robbery, especially
overnight commuters in luxury buses.
“Four years and nine months have passed
later, although we have not been able to
completely eradicate kidnappings, the
numbers have been drastically reduced to a
minimum.
“And robberies on the roads, robberies
from banks are becoming things that are in
our history books rather than what we
experience.
“We are doing everything we can to combat
insecurity in Kogi and make sure life and
property are secured,” he said.
On the flood ravaging the state, Bello
assured the people of Kogi and Nigerians
that “while we may not be able to stop the
flood, we will prevent as many lives as
possible from accompanying the threat.”
“That is our focus, that is our goal, that is
what we will achieve by the grace of God.”
According to him, part of the achievements
recorded so far in the state are bold steps
to reform the civil service and pension
system.
“Today, it is no longer he who knows who
but by merits and your ability to serve
selflessly.
“The leaks and fraud that were endemic in
the Kogi state civil service prior to 2016 are
becoming a thing of history,” he said.
Also speaking, the Information and
Communications Commissioner, Mr.
Kingsley Fanwo, said that part of the state
government’s efforts to fight insecurity was
the acquisition of 200 patrol vans for
security agents in the state.
“The proceeds of the kidnappings were
destroyed;
the governor had said that he
would not negotiate with any criminal.
“You don’t negotiate with criminals, you
deal with them. That is what the governor
did and that should be an example for this
nation, “said Fanwo.
In his message of goodwill, Senator Smart
Adeyemi (APC-Kogi) urged participants
that when interacting with politicians, they
should try to be guided by social and
professional responsibility.
“Social and professional responsibility are
intertwined; they intertwine, but there is still
a fine line between the two.
“They cannot be condemned (social and
professional responsibility). Our social
responsibility, on the one hand, and our
professional responsibility to report things,
but in doing so, we must have the right
facts. “
Adeyemi also said that for democracy to
prosper in the country, there must be
freedom of information.
“There can be no freedom of the press
when journalists are not paid, when there is
no future in the profession.
“We can say that there is freedom of the
press when every journalist is proud of his
profession because he can pay his bills and
can live a decent life.”