BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
The Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello has said if voted in as Nigeria’s president, he would tackle insecurity by ensuring that he empowers governors to secure their states.
Bello said if all the governors, as chief executive officers of their states were doing what they are supposed to do, the president’s job would have been easier.
While noting that the president could not be in every state of the federation ensuring security of life and property, he said states would be empowered to rise to the challenge.
The presidential hopeful made this known while fielding questions from journalists at the 2nd GYB Seminar for Political and Crime Correspondents and Editors in Abuja, on Friday.
Bello disclosed further that majority of some of these crimes are politically-motivated, especially the recent ones the nation is battling with, and promised not to play politics with the security challenges in the country.
According to him, “I refuse to politicise insecurity. Buhari is a man, who loves truth and reality. I will let you know that the president loves this country. This insecurity is not a thing of the president, though we should not pass buck because that is why we came on board. It is a failure of successive administrations.
“Let me remind us, once again, that certain military and police hardware were non-existent or were last purchased in the administration of former President Shehu Shagari. After the bomb blast in Ikeja cantonment, did Nigerians ask whether the arms and ammunition that detonated and killed people were ever replaced since then?”
“Some of these crimes that we see today are more than what we see on the surface. I will never come out here and point out flaws. Whatever lapses I observe, it is for me to let the President know.
“I will never be that governor, who will come out and say that the president did not secure my schools and roads. That is why, as the chief security officer of Kogi, I ensure that I brought the rate of crime down. The president is assisting me to succeed in that area.”
He stressed that if all the governors, as chief executives, are doing what they are supposed to do, he added, the president’s job would have been easier.
Bello pledged, “If I become the president, I will make every chief executive of the various federating units to sit up and do their jobs. I will not tolerate any lackadaisical attitude or passing of buck to the centre. I will ensure that various federating units are strengthened.
“Majority of some of these crimes are politically-motivated, especially the recent ones we are witnessing. However, the issue of security can never be brought out to the public, so you would not expose your country to danger.”
