Yahaya Bello’s screening fiasco

The arrival of Yahaya Bello was ‘miraculous’ and very much welcomed by many that wanted change in the governance of Kogi State. I’m not just in total support of the need for screening but also the total elimination of corrupt individuals, some have held the state to ransom earning what they do not deserve, fixing […]

The arrival of Yahaya Bello was ‘miraculous’ and very much welcomed by many that wanted change in the governance of Kogi State. I’m not just in total support of the need for screening but also the total elimination of corrupt individuals, some have held the state to ransom earning what they do not deserve, fixing ‘ghosts’ in our payroll. There’s need to weed this people out for this state to move forward. The verification/screening that ordinarily would have been the best thing to have happened to Kogi state has become a nightmare and disaster.

The Governor started off the wrong foot as he made frantic efforts to remove ghost workers. Some genuine workers today are yet to be paid their salaries and yet the governor and his cabinet keep on telling the whole world that all debts has been cleared that only ghost workers are the ones nagging. It is so deplorable that some people who started as civil servants in the then Kwara state before the emergence of Kogi are now presently seen as ghost workers. 

Many celebrated the Islamic and Christian festivals without a farthing in their pockets. The Yahaya Bello they celebrated has suddenly become a bone in their necks. Many sins are pardonable but to declare a living being ghost and deprive them of their wages attracts repercussion.

In all honesty, Bello has done a woeful job at this, 15 months of screening is total incompetence. During this screening, workers were not paid. This shows he’s insensitive to worker’s welfare, this people have families, they have responsibilities, some totally depends on their salary to cater for their family. It is easy to tell the masses to sacrifice for the state but the Governor and all his cabinets are living like kings.

I can understand the need for sacrifice for this process to be completed but not to the detriment of worker’s not being able to pay children’s school fee, or feed their families.

People have died because of this, families have broken because of this and life has become unbearable because of this. It is one thing to read about it online, it’s another to see the actual situation on ground. It’s horrible and unbearable.

The people who praises this kind of incompetence is either benefiting from the so called ‘digital Governor or are likewise insensitive too. What is even digital about Yahaya Bello? Is it his stubbornness and flamboyant style of living that is digital? What exactly is digital about him?

It is disconcerting that the same civil service reform (staff screening) exercise which was done in states like Kaduna, Sokoto, Benue, Plateau, Kwara with much bigger staff strength within weeks and few months didn’t take much time, or controversies as the one done in Kogi State which is yet to be fully concluded. It doesn’t require rocket science to know that the bank verification number (BVN) of workers holds the key to a genuine and successful staff audit and that was what all the states used in cleaning up their civil service.

It’s been more than a year, all we know about this government is screening, screening, and screening. Endless screening! Yahaya Bello’s government lacks direction. May God guide him to the right direction.

Isa Eneye Mubarak, Lokoja, Kogi State.