OBYGI 4+4 HONOURS YAHAYA BELLO AS ‘HERO OF KOGI POLITICS’ IN OKENE
ODODO/OYIBO Bassa Youths Grassroots Initiative (OBYGI) 4+4 has honoured the former Governor of Kogi State, His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello, with an Award as the ‘Hero of Kogi Politics’, at a colourful programme held in Okene, Kogi Central, amidst jubilation, songs of praise and massive turnout of youths, women, stakeholders and grassroots mobilisers from across the state.
Leading the delegation for the presentation was the Coordinator of OBYGI 4+4, Comrade Victor MD Kpanaki, who doubles as the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Youth Mobilization.
Speaking at the ceremony, Comrade Kpanaki said the award was not a mere honour, but a well-deserved recognition of a man who changed the political history of Kogi State forever, describing former Governor Yahaya Bello as the architect of modern Kogi politics and the father of the New Kogi, a man who dared to dream, who dared to build, and who dared to believe in the youth when nobody believed in them.
According to Kpanaki, before GYB, Kogi was divided, and after GYB, Kogi became one, before GYB, youths were used as thugs, and after GYB, youths became commissioners, DGs, SAs, Chairmen and leaders, and that is why he is called the Hero of Kogi Politics, because he remains the youngest Governor in the history of Nigeria, who broke the age barrier and gave Nigerian youths a voice, making Kogi the first state to deliberately hand power to the youth and women in governance, while at the same time dismantling the politics of ethnic division and bringing Ebira, Igala, Okun and all other tribes under one umbrella, preaching and practising One Kogi, One Destiny.
Kpanaki further noted that from roads, hospitals, schools, rural electrification, water projects and the massive infrastructural renewal of Lokoja, Okene, Kabba, Idah and other towns, Bello laid the foundation upon which the present administration of Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo is building, and at a time insecurity threatened the North-Central, he stood firm, confronted criminals head-on, supported security agencies, and made Kogi one of the safest states in Nigeria, a courage that earned him national recognition, just as he proved himself a mentor and kingmaker who does not eat alone, raising a generation of leaders culminating in the emergence of his worthy successor, Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, a proof that true leadership is about succession, not suppression, while also remaining a defender of the masses through prompt payment of salaries, pension reforms, empowerment of widows, farmers and artisans, and his bold stand for the poor at the national level, proving that power must serve the people, and standing out as a fearless, detribalised and principled leader who never bowed to intimidation, who stood for justice, and who remained loyal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress even in difficult times.
In his words, GYB is a hero because he built men, not just structures, he built confidence in the youth, he built unity in a divided state, he built a political family that today is called the Ododo/Oyibo Movement, and without GYB, there would be no Ododo, and without Ododo, there would be no consolidation, and that is history, and history cannot be erased, and it was on that note that the Coordinator used the occasion to reaffirm the commitment of OBYGI 4+4 to the 4+4 agenda, four years for Governor Ododo to complete his first term, and another four years for consolidation, and total support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027, assuring that the youths of Bassa and across Kogi State will continue to mobilise at the grassroots, ward by ward, unit by unit, to ensure that the APC remains victorious, and that the legacy of Yahaya Bello continues to live through Governor Ododo.
Kpanaki declared that they are OBYGI, they are Ododo/Oyibo, they are the grassroots, they were raised by GYB, they are sustained by Ododo, and they will defend this legacy with their votes, their voices and their mobilisation, and the programme in Okene was filled with emotion as youths chanted GYB, GYB, GYB, Hero of Kogi Politics, while cultural troupes thrilled the audience, and in his closing remarks, Comrade Kpanaki thanked the former Governor for honouring the invitation of the youths and for his fatherly love for the Bassa people and all Kogites, saying Your Excellency, you are our hero yesterday, our hero today, and our hero tomorrow, Kogi will never forget you, the youth will never forget you, and history has already written your name in gold, at an event attended by youth leaders, women leaders, party chieftains, grassroots coordinators and supporters of the OBYGI 4+4 from Bassa Local Government Area and beyond.
