The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Kogi State Governor

  • Mercy Johnson gets political appointment

    Mercy Johnson gets political appointment

    Nollywood actress, Mercy Johnson-Okojie, has been appointed as the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, on entertainment, arts and culture.

    The mother of three was appointed along with 53 other Senior Special Assistants to the governor into various offices in the administration.

    A statement by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Mrs Ayoade Folashade Arike, states that the appointments take effect from April 1.

    According to the statement, the rationale for the additional appointees at the state level is to “plug identified gaps in service delivery, fill key positions with the right people and to broaden inclusiveness in governance by bringing people from more communities on board.”

    Okojie made her acting debut in the movie, The Maid. To her credit, she has won several awards including the Best Actress (Africa Magic Viewers Choice Award), Best Actress (AMAA), Nigeria Entertainment Award, Golden Icons Academy Awards (GIAMA) and a host of others.

    She represents Okehi Local Government Area in Bello’s list of SSAs.

  • Bello signs N174.8bn budget into law

    Bello signs N174.8bn budget into law

    Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello Wednesday signed into law the 2017 appropriation bill as passed by the state house of assembly.

    Tagged “Budget of New Direction”, the N174.8billion fiscal plan is higher than that of last year by over N75billion.

    Estimated recurrent revenue stands at N81.6billion, while the expected capital component is N93.1billion.

    The summary of the recurrent expenditure shows that salaries and allowances are expected to gulp N32.7billion with overhead cost of N25.7billion.

    While signing the budget into law, the governor urged the people in the state to pay their taxes as the appropriation does not translate into cash.

     

    He explained that the planning and appropriation will be thoroughly adhered to and implementation enforced to attain 99 percent success.

    He stated that  the construction of the Kogi Revenue House was to  invigorate rapid and aggressive revenue drive that could finance the budget .

    He therefore appealed to the people to cooperate with the government to achieve success, as the new budget is a reflection of their wishes and desires.

    The governor expressed gratitude to the leadership and members of the house of assembly for their unity of purpose in ensuring speedy development of the state.

  • Bello reiterates commitment to fight corruption

    Bello reiterates commitment to fight corruption

    Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello has reiterated the commitment of his administration to make anti-corruption a “governance culture” in the state.

    The governor who stated this in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Petra Akinti Onyegbule, said that his administration will enthrone a systemic decimation of corruption in the state.

    Bello carpeted corrupt leaders as “anti-people and anti-development”, calling on the people of the state to key into the anti-corruption drive of his administration.

    He stated: “We are prepared to lead by example. Our government is putting in place institutional framework that will make corruption a sociological leprosy. We have given government officials our blueprint as our social contract with the people of Kogi State.

    “An indispensable pillar of our New Direction Agenda is good governance. Good governance is about synergy between our government and our people to do things right and govern with probity, accountability and transparency. We must always strive to achieve development.

    “My administration will not only fight corruption in the system, but also in the minds of the citizens, in the minds of school children. I have directed the ministry of education to ensure we have anti-corruption clubs in our schools.

    “Corruption is a thing of the mind. We must change our orientation against ill-gotten wealth. Our society must stop honouring those who steal monies meant for road construction, drugs in our public health institutions and quality education in our schools”.

    He warned public office holders to refrain from yielding to the temptation of corruption, saying his administration will not only expose corrupt officials, but also ensure that they are prosecuted.

    He said it has become necessary to probe into why contracts failed in the state, saying any contractor who had been paid must return to site to complete their jobs.

  • Bello in unscheduled visit to ministry, discovers fraud

    Bello in unscheduled visit to ministry, discovers fraud

    Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, on Thursday paid an unscheduled visit to some ministries in the state, with “multi-billion naira fraud discovered in the ministry of commerce and industry.

    A government source privy to the visit told reporters that the sleaze was in connection in the Kogi State/CBN MSME which was allegedly diverted by some top directors in the ministry.

    He said that the governor was astounded by the discovery.

    He added: “The governor immediately directed the Acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry to turn in a comprehensive report on the fund.

    “He also asked the ministry to collaborate with the Office of the Accountant General of the state for thorough investigation.

    “Alhaji Yahaya Bello promised to get to the roots of the fraud, assuring that he was ready to prosecute anyone found wanting in the MSMEgate.

    “He reiterated the determination of his administration to root out corruption from the civil service, saying his administration will not spare anyone who has constituted himself or herself to a drain pipe in the state”.

    Tension has enveloped the air in the ministries even as the Head of Service in the state, Mr. Moses Atakpa has been sent on a 30-day compulsory leave.