Muhammadu Buhari Civic Centre: Another Evidence of Yahaya Bello’s Transformation

June 4, 2022 Mary

By Hafsat Ibrahim

“A man does not plant a tree for himself; he plants it for posterity”
– Alenxander Smith

All over the World, it is believed that transformation increases the general standard of living, builds confidence and credibility, improves efficiency, makes succession plan easier, and contributes to an upward cycle of improvement that helps alleviate hunger and strife. Kogi State used to be one of the struggling states in Nigeria in terms of infrastructure, healthcare, education security etc but it takes just one leap of faith to change a story, to alter a narrative.

Africa’s greatest storyteller, Late Chinua Achebe, in his famous bestseller, “The trouble with Nigeria” put the responsibility for alleviating the suffering of a group of people and advancing their lives on the shoulders of leaders and argues that there is no way anything or anyone will share the blame with the leaders if someone mounts a position of authority and after a certain period of time there is no visible positive development in the city and no remarkable change in the lives of the people

President Muhammadu Buhari’s ‘first son’, Governor Yahaya Bello, has worked his socks off in the last six years to transform Kogi state in numerous ways.

One of the areas the administration of Governor Bello has performed creditably well is fixing the intractable problem of insecurity which he met on ground. From being one of the most insecure and dreaded states at the time Governor Bello took over, the state has risen to become one of the safest states in Nigeria today. The administration’s determination and commitment to securing the state were borne out of the conviction that security is the primary and most important function of government. More so, security is the bedrock of growth and development in any society.

The National Bureau of statistics recently named Kogi and two other states as the leading states with the fewest cases of reported crimes. The Governor has also won awards on security from the Nigerian Police Force, Civil Society Organisations media, and other reputable organisations.

But how did he do it…? A combination of local efforts and seeking of outside help when and where necessary. He doesn’t remain in the comfort of his office and bark orders at his aides and security agents. He rolls up his sleeves, leads from the front to confront all security threats. By leading by examples, he has been able to mobilise traditional rulers, opinion moulders and vigilant groups some of whom the government pays for securing the communities and fishing out bad eggs. He also provides necessary logistic support to the conventional police officers to enable them deliver on their tasks.

As for outside help, Governor Bello realised the shortcomings he has in terms of the structure, command and control, of the security forces. So any time he needs operational and political support to enable him perform his role as Chief Security Officer of the state, he doesn’t hesitate to carry out diplomatic shuttles to Abuja where meets the Inspector General of Police at Louis Edet House and President Buhari at the State House. The governor has played the necessary politics required to secure the state and the results are visible in the peace and security Kogites are enjoying today.

In the course of his interactions with the President, he experienced first hand, the much talked integrity, frankness and sincerity of the President who also fell in love with his energy, passion and restlessness on issues concerning his state. A father to son bond was formed and the people of Kogi state are the beneficiaries.

Again, President Buhari is not a man to deny a subnational unit their financial entitlements. In fact, unlike some of his predecessors, he is that President that assists states and LGAS with as much special funds as possible for them to succeed in giving good governance to the people. The fact that Governor Bello is successful today is because we have a President that cares for all Nigerians irrespective of tribe, religion or the political parties they belong to. Kudos to him, Governor Bello has taken advantage of the President’s kindness to elevate good governance in Kogi state.

One of the remarkable fruits of the father to son bond therefore is the massive, expansive Muhammadu Buhari Civic Centre, an event centre built from scratch by Governor Bello and deservedly named after the President.

When I visited the state recently on a media fact-finding mission with colleagues, the imposing Civic Centre was one of the edifices that we marveled at. A security man volunteered to take us around and the quality of the structure, the size of the building and serenity of the environment proved that it was money well spent.

One of the legacy projects of the governor, the befitting Civic Centre is located in the heart of Lokoja. It has 15,000 capacity for regular sitters, 600 for VIP section. The entire standing space is about 10,000 square meters which means about 15000 people can stand in that center without concern about overcrowding. It also has a large-format LED display screen, a very spacious and beautiful car park, convenience rooms, dressing rooms, a close circuit camera for security purposes, and floodlights to enhance illumination at night.

The Muhammadu Buhari Civic Centre is an upgrade on the Olusegun Obasanjo Square which was built by Late Prince Abubakar Audu and which was abandoned by previous administrations.

During the last Eid-el-Fitr celebrations, Governor Bello himself, members of his cabinet and thousands of other worshippers prayed at the Centre. It was a holy as well as a glamorous outing for everyone.

This huge infrastructure has to be one of the reasons the governor’s approval rating has improved massively in his second term just as he is rated as one of the most hardworking governors in the country.