Yahaya Bello: Kogi still safest state — choosing right leaders key to tackling insecurity

Yahaya Bello, governor of Kogi, says choosing the right leaders to govern Nigeria is critical to tackling the security challenges in the country.

Bello said this at the national security summit organised by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) on Thursday, in Abuja.

The summit was titled, “National Security through Youth Engagement”.

The governor had earlier expressed his interest in contesting the 2023 presidential election.

According to Bello, the political class and leaders at all levels of government are responsible for taking critical decisions, hence  insecurity can only be resolved with the right leaders in power.

Bello said though the political class are the first managers of security, it is the collective responsibility of every citizen to contribute to the security architecture of the country.

The governor asked youths who constitute the highest demography of the country’s population to do a thorough research and assessment of who they want to govern them.

He also asked Nigerians to consolidate the efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari to effectively tackle the security challenges in the country.

“Security is the business of each and everyone of us. I want to use myself as an example and as I always say, I will never fail in my responsibilities and blame it on President Muhammadu Buhari,” he said.

“The responsibilities that are lying on our shoulders, myself and you, has to do with the first level of security management, which is, management security and who are the managers of this security?

“The management of this security are the politicians, take your minds a little off the service chiefs.

“The top-level management of security in Nigeria are the politicians, the political class who are those that are in charge of our political decisions.

“The question now is, who are we projecting, show me his records, all of us have our history from inception of democracy in this country, that is the responsibilities that rest on our shoulders.

“Who are we ready to do political hallelujah boys for? Until we are ready to face the facts and tell ourselves the truth that the situation that we find ourselves today, we exactly called for it.”

He said Kogi has become one of the safest states in the country because his administration has put the right policies in place, with citizens sensitised on their role in securing their environs.

“As far as Kogi is concerned today, insecurity is largely a thing of the past, this is not how we inherited Kogi State, today, every citizen as far as Kogi is concerned are so informed, aware and educated,” he said.

“They know who to be hired to represent them at all levels, they know who are the criminals amongst them.”