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2023 Presidency: YBYC Intensifies Campaign For Yahaya Bello

Published

4 years ago

March 22, 2021

The Yahaya Bello Youths Coalition YBYC has intensified the campaign, to ensure the aspiration of Incumbent Kogi of state Gov. Yahaya Bello becomes the next Nigerian President, and possible successor to President Buhari, come 2023.

A coalition of Youth in a Press Conference Held on March 19, 2021, at the IMPR Office Building in Abuja revealed that Nigerians, both at home and abroad, politicians, and other top party stakeholders are tightening their belts and strategizing to partake in the political process.

While speaking the National Coordinator (YBYC) Comrade Shuaibu Muhammed Olowo urges Nigerians to believe in the pedigree, antecedents, and credentials of Gov Bello that they believe if achieve will sustain the lasting legacies of transformational leadership, already bequeathed by Mr. President.

The group tagged is; “Resetting Nigeria on the Path of Greatness Come 2023: YAHAYA BELLO to the Salvation”

According to him, my fellow, charismatic and indefatigable Comrades driving the noble and progressive agenda of Yahaya Bello Youths Coalition.

“It may be just two years before the tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari and some State Governors elapse. But the race to Aso Rock and the 36 Government Houses, have since begun. The conversation on the 2023 general election continues to gather momentum across regional and political belts.

“Nigerians, both at home and abroad, politicians and other top party stakeholders are tightening their belts and strategizing to partake in the political process. Interestingly, there are names of some political juggernauts, both in the ruling party and opposition parties, who are been touted as the next Nigerian President, and possible successor to President Buhari, come 2023.

“But many have bothered less about their leadership capacity, pedigree, antecedents, and credentials. Instead, they consider and have attached a significant premium to the ethnic affiliation, religion, and geo-political zones of the potential aspirants.

“As a progress-seeking and not-for-profit political pressure group, “Yahaya Bello Youths Coalition” is seriously concerned about the future of Nigeria, post-Buhari administration. We are apprehensive as to who shall emerge from the sea of potential presidential contestants as President, and sustain the lasting legacies of transformational leadership, already bequeathed by Mr. President.

“We embarked on conducting a critical and impartial assessment of the profiles of some eminent politicians already been touted as Nigeria’s President-in-waiting, come 2023. Surprisingly, after the painstaking exercise, we unanimously found in Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, the requisite capacity, vibrant youthfulness, and astute competence required of the next Nigerian President.”

Speaking further, YBYC added: “Like France, Australia, Canada and several other developing nations of the world, Nigeria, now, and more than any other time, needs to experiment with a youthful and visionary President come 2023. If President Buhari, who is over 70 could record many sterling achievements, one can only wonder when an accomplished youth, courageous leader and hardworking Governor in the person of Governor Yahaya Bello, is in the saddle as Nigeria’s leader.

“In just about five years as Kogi Governor, Gov. Bello has redefined servant-leadership and true governance. Little wonder, the entire Kogi, Niger, and Ebonyi, State House of Assembly Lawmakers, have since endorsed and thrown their weight behind this self-sacrificing demand, any time he finally decides to hear our call.

“At the risk of exaggerating, Gov. Yahaya Bello is definitely going to be a Nigerian leader that will not take action or do something solely because he wants to play to the gallery. While some of his colleague-Governors were economical with facts, especially with regards to the presence of COVID-19 in their States, GYB refused to play politics with people’s life. And the outcome is there for all to see.

“Many people who knew Kogi State and its terrains, can attest to the transformation which has taken place since Yahaya Bello came on board in 2016. For a State infamously regarded as a hub for kidnapping and other violent skirmishes, nobody would have believed that Gov. Yahaya Bello will, through his magic wand, permanently address insecurity and crimes in the Confluence State, in just four years, before his re-election for a second term in 2019.

“As a youth-friendly and gender-sensitive governor, Governor Bello is one of the few, if not the only one having his entire State Executive Councils, majorly comprising of youths and women. He has promoted women inclusiveness in politics to the extent that he ensured that all the Local Government Areas’ Vice Chairmen in Kogi State are women, who contested under his party, APC, in last December 2020 council elections.

“At the moment, the education, health and agricultural sectors, among others in Kogi State, are in a league of their own thanks to the purposeful leadership of Governor Yahaya Bello. GYB, it must be said, is presently building one of the best specialist hospitals in the country, in Okene town.To further add, the Amalgamated Union of Foodstuffs and Cattle Dealers of Nigeria, recently called off its strike, few days after embarking on the industrial action. This, followed the timely and calculative intervention of Governor Yahaya Bello.

“The union and the Northern Consensus Movement had met at the instance of the governor at the Kogi state Governor’s Lodge in Abuja where the governor impressed it on them to call off the strike. The Union led by the president, Dr Mohammed Tahir, as well as Chairmen of the Union across the 36 states of the Federation and the FCT and critical stakeholders, earlier met with the Governor behind closed doors.

“Addressing journalists at the end of the interface, Dr Tahir commended Governor Bello for wading into the crisis and ensuring that it was resolved. According to him, Governor Yahaya Bello has demonstrated leadership which both parties greatly appreciated. Indeed, with GYB’s tact diplomacy and uncanny mediation capacity, we strongly believe, like many others, that Nigeria averted what could have triggered food crisis of an alarming magnitude, in the country.

“For these above-mentioned unrivalled feats, and many other germane reasons, we are hereby calling on Governor Yahaya Bello to quickly accept the genuine calls of many spirited bodies, patriotic individuals and teeming Nigerian youths, to contest for the 2023 presidential election.

“Like us, many see him as the messiah that will proffer solutions to the myriad of woes bedeviling the country. We are also calling on the youths, most especially, to champion the cause of not only having a youthful president, but a Nigerian leader that will share in their pains, and make assiduous effort to better their lots. 2023 is the time to demand for a generational change in power. Again, we are demanding for nothing, but Yahaya Bello for President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, come 2023. God bless us all!.”

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Dikko And The New Vision Accountability and Development in Sports

Published

3 days ago

December 16, 2024

The Gleamer

Felly Mammah N.

Since the Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Alhaji Shehu Dikko assumed office on the 30th of October, 2024, he has systematically and deliberately been putting in place structures that would result to proper development of sports in Nigeria. Shortly after he was first appointed by President Bola Tinubu as a leading strength of sports, the Director General (DG), Hon. Bukola Olapade was appointed to compliment his efforts.

Many sports analysts believe that the duo of Dikko and Olapade who have been very visible in sports administration will be one of the best combination to take the sports sector to the next level. The DG no doubt, is the head of administration in the Commission, but it should be noted that the financial enablement to manage the affairs of staff and the political might that shops for the finance needed in the running of the sector rest on the Chairman who has the task of liaising with the President directly.

It is also, worthy to note that there is a huge difference between the administration of in the Civil Service as it is controlled by a Permanent Secretary and Directors while the administration of a Commission involves Board Members and experts whose voices and actions are also, game-changing; more so as Commissioners are likely going to take charge of the different zones to proffer solutions for a way forward. The defunct Ministry of Youths and Sports Development which later in 2023 metamorphosed into the Ministry of Sports Development on the assumption of President Bola Tinubu, produced a minister who was not versed in sports administration and as a result, faced mass criticism especially from men of the media.

These men of the pen profession are the torchlight of global sporting activity; they equally keep the history of both sports participation globally as well as the records of athletes’ performances. Their torchlight on past Minister’s and particularly the recent past, have revealed that most of the people who presided over sports administration do not really have any knowledge of the sector before their appointment.

The exit of the immediate past Minister, Sen. John Owan Enoh, refreshingly paved the way for change and this has brought in sports personnels that are expected to place sporting activities in the digital world. Suffice it to also, say that the new management of Sports Commission in parts of her changes is expected to sanitize athletes’ attitude and character for better reflection of children who have seen and communicated with their peers in the Western world.

However, the clarion call for President Tinubu to remove politics in sports may have changed the leadership of sports going by what many sports fans saw in the last outing of both Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris 2024, where a country like Nigeria did not measure up to her potentials.

Despite the poor performance of atheletes during the World Olympics Games, the past immediate past Minister deserves to be commended that during his tenure, the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) Games was reawakened as the participation of our Super Eagles brought back hope and jubilation to sports fans including the President and higher authorities. Yes whopping sum of N12 Billion was released two weeks to the Olympics Games and at a time the country was not financially stable. Despite the presidential financial support, the medals presented to the country were crisis and ignorant of both the atheletes, Nigeria Olympic Committee and the Atheletic Federaton to do the needful.

Therefore, it is heart-warming that the President harkened to the appeal of his fellow sports lovers to handpick a known figure in the sports arena to share his wealth of experience that gave him both a name in Sports and positions as the former Chairman of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), Chairman League Management Company (LMC), FIFA match Commissioner of significance, 2nd Vice President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and presently, CAF Committee Member, in addition to his new portfolio as Chairman NSC.

My reference point here is that Alh. Dikko has been given the authority to effect positive change in sports sector, co-ordinate over 40 Sports Federations in the sector, welcome ideas of both sports stakeholders, individuals and veterans of sports that will enable him x-ray the reasons for poor performances in the sector and to chat a way forward for success story. There can never be a new testament without an old testament, thus the reason Alh. Dikko’s doors have remained opened to receive courtesy calls that included the visits by past administrators and foreigners who want to facilitate with whom the cap fits.

Still, in the mood of celebration to formally welcome Alh. Dikko to office was the peculiar power of sports which gathered momentum and the crowd for happy moments as seen in the recent novelty match organized by his friends, associates and sports veterans at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja recently. That gathering clearly announced not just a man who has made a name for himself at a height in global political decision making in sports circle, but a man who has also, given voice to our country’s leagues and international activities.

Sports is a significant sector that comprises emotion, tension, happiness, sadness even death and hope irrespective of the fact that it has the potential to feed many mouths. The sector cannot be compared to other Ministries with delayed bureaucracies and frustration of abilities. While in the civil service the head will rather submerge a growing talent for fear of power thrown, a coach who discovers a talent takes the credit for showcasing a star athelete discovered. Sports has been proven to generate revenue as well as attract public partnership which are all aimed at enhancing podium performance by the athletes.

Shehu Dikko’s business vision and wide participation in football contributed in making him the right candidate to place the sector in its expected level, increase the GDP of the country’s economy and equally be accountable with administrative roadmap for success.

The novelty match organised for him by his sports fans and League managers had the likes of Samson Siasia, Victor Ikpeba, Mutiu Adepoju, Dominic Iorfa, Ahmed Musa in attendance to share their joy with him as they displayed their talent with their foot.
Others that graced the occasion were Super Sports General Manager, Felix Nwogu, former and present Chairmen of House Committee on Sports, NFF President, NOC members and persons from across the globe. That singular act indicated a clear fact that Dikko can actually gather momentum with persons that can support his ideology to deliver as charged by the presidency.

However, the Chairman’s meekness to open his doors to all does not mean weakness neither does it mean that he has not commenced work officially. His work is more of brain tasking because ideas actually rule the world. I will boldly say that he has resumed work with like minds that will not only be on the same page with him but will as well be on success Guinness Book with him.

Felly Mammah N.
Press Officer (NSC).

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