By Yemi Itodo
Chairman of Dangote Group of Companies, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has made a donation of One Hundred Million Naira (N100m) to the Kogi State Poor and Vulnerable Citizens Fund, an initiative of Governor Yahaya Bello.
Dangote, who is fondly referred to as the "number one Corporate Citizen of Kogi", said he would always regard the state as his second home, stressing he would do all within his capacity to give back to the society.
Represented by his Regional Manager, Engr. Joseph Ikupolokun, the international business magnate made the donation in Lokoja on Saturday, during the 2nd anniversary gala dinner held in government house in honour of Governor Bello.
The Kogi State Poor and Vulnerable Citizens Fund was launched in 2016, during the 25th anniversary of the state, where about N110m was raised to take care of people with life threatening ailments and the vulnerable in the society.
Other donors at the 2nd anniversary were members of the National Assembly, Kogi State Assembly members, government appointees, Local government administrators, captains of industries, government contractors, friends of Kogi, especially, Hon Tony Nwoye from Anambra State who donated the sum of N2m.
Governor Bello who was overwhelmed by the show of love to the vulnerable and less privileged in the state, said from the fund raised in 2016, over 300 people with different health challenges between 2016 to 2017 were treated both in Nigeria and abroad.
On the lingering crisis between Fulani herdsmen and farmers across the country, the Governor said his administration was able to bring both parties to roundtable, which informs the peace and unity being enjoyed in the state.
"An integral part of our victory in security governance since we arrived Government House is the so-called irreconcilable conflicts between herders and farmers. By an innovative combination of tight controls, digital surveillance, community policing, peace and conflict resolution, etc we have been able to bring our farmers and herdsmen to a roundtable. Today, Kogi State is free of the gruesome killings which plague some of our neighbours.
"It is therefore no surprise to us that our feats in security caught the attention of local and international observers in 2017 and Kogi State won awards and commendations from everyone that matters for best Security Governance in the country. In fact, we had the graduating class at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji come to understudy our methods for possible replication elsewhere", the governor said.
He said, Kogi "confronted the menace of kidnapping, armed robbery, terrorism and other violent crimes tearing the state apart with the required aggression and subdued it. Today, Kogi State is as cool as a cucumber and every law abiding citizen can go about his business with peace of mind and assurance of the security of his life and properties".
Governor Bello also said the staff screening and verification exercise in the state has ended, adding that the exercise also informed a robust reform in the public service sector. According to him, attention was now been shifted to rebuilding the civil service and making it beneficial to "genuine workers" and Kogi State in general.
In job creations, Bello said the state kicked off with a Youth Summit on Friday last week, during which a scorecard on Job Creation and Youth Engagement thematic area was presented to the teeming crowd of young persons who came from all the local government areas.
The governor also said, through the state rural electrification interventions, two former Governors of the state who could not provide light to their communities while office, also benefited.
He said, "interestingly, we also found ourselves bringing electricity to communities whose sons used to be Governors in this state. At least two of such former Governors come to mind.
"This shows that poor governance is no respecter of family, tribe or constituency. Since charity begins at home, it is easy to see that a Governor who can ignore the pressing infrastructure needs of his own family and community can never bother about the needs of those he considers strangers in other constituencies".
The Governor also took time to enumerate some of his achievements within his 2 years in office, which span from provision of potable water, health facilities, interventions in the education sector, constructions of roads across the 3 senatorial districts, amongst others.
He said despite paucity of funds, some of those projects were completed while many others were ongoing.
Bello therefore called on the good people of Kogi, to join hands with his team to take the state to enviable heights, saying, "we are capable of working together to unlock the mighty potentials of this state for our collective benefit, and that of posterity".
Highlights of the event was the launching of '2nd Year Referral Compendium' of the Governor's administration and testimonies from beneficiaries of the poor and vulnerable fund through health care.
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