Alhaji Yahaya Bello, Governor of Kogi State, says what Niger Delta region is facing today, are man made problems, not natural. Noting that not only Niger Delta but the country at large is facing a lot of leadership deficits.
Following calls to join the Presidential race, Yahaya Bello, in October, had said he has all the qualities needed to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari come May 29, 2023.
Speaking with GbaramatuVoice Exclusive, Yahaya Bello affirmed that the Niger Deltans he knows are largely peaceful, resilient, accomodating, and resourceful but require appropriate leaders.
He stressed that billions upon billions have been spent on NDDC, Ministry of Niger Delta, 13% Derivation Fund, the reservation and the rest, yet, there is nothing to see on ground adding that he will ensure the resources of the people work for them.
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He asserted that once we ensure that the resources of the Niger Delta works for them, the story will change.
His words, “What we are facing today in Niger Delta, are manmade problems, not natural. We have seen our environment devastated, a lot of development that should come in, are not coming in, people are poor and lot of issues, they are man made, and they are leadership problems.
“The Niger Deltans that I know are largely peaceful, they are resilient, they are accomodating, they are resourceful, all requires appropriate leaders.
“When I become President of Nigeria, what we shall do first is to ensure that Niger Deltans, come up with a leader that is patriotic, that is empathetic and sympathetic to their people who would understand what their people need and be ready to meet their needs.
“Not leaders, who will just enrich themselves and squander the resources, not leaders that will sell their people to the outside world, or others. So once we have leaders who are ready to serve their people, we will recruit them and everything will flow down the line. A leader who will not convert the resources of the people.
“Remember, billions upon billions have been spent on both the NDDC, Ministry of Niger Delta 13% Derivation, the reservation, and the rest, yet, there is nothing to see on ground; we will ensure the resources of the people work for them.
“Today in Kogi State, we are among the states that are taking the least allocation. Our IGR cannot be compared to some of the South-South states, but I can assure you that the whole resources are working for the people. So once we ensure that the resources of the Niger Delta work for the Niger Delta, the story will change, the governor added.
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