The Kogi Central Journalists Guild (KOCJG) has announced plans to confer a Lifetime Achiever Award on former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Adoza Bello, in recognition of his monumental contributions to the development and unity of the State.
Presenting the letter of nomination to the former two-term governor at his residence in Abuja, the President of the Guild, Muhammad Abdulsalam, who was accompanied by other members, revealed that the award ceremony is scheduled for the second week of December 2025.
Abdulsalam described the event as one that would attract the crème de la crème of Kogi politics to celebrate the “godfather” whose political era “significantly reshaped Kogi’s development trajectory and ethnic unity.”
He explained that the award is a mark of appreciation by the Guild, stating that the former governor’s historic contributions would remain unmatched for generations.
Abdulsalam emphasized that God used Yahaya Bello to “remove the shackles of slavery from the necks of the Ebira people,” likening his achievements to those of historical defenders of Ebiraland, such as Achegidi Okino, Ohindase Avogude, and Adayi Apata Ihima, who resisted the Fulani jihadist invasions in their time.
According to him, before Bello’s emergence as governor in 2016, the Ebira people had suffered decades of marginalization and political neglect since the creation of Kogi State in 1991.
“Your Excellency, you came at a time when Ebiraland was yearning for power, when our people were seen as nothing but slaves in their own state,” Abdulsalam stated.
He further praised Bello for his role in fostering ethnic harmony through the EBIGO initiative, which was designed to unify the state’s three major ethnic groups — the Ebira, Igala, and Okun peoples.
This spirit of unity, he noted, earned Bello the popular title, “The Unifier.”
On infrastructure, Abdulsalam highlighted several legacy projects of Yahaya Bello’s administration, describing them as “unmatched in the state’s history.”
These include the first-ever flyover bridge at Ganaja Junction in Lokoja, a state-of-the-art Reference Hospital in Okene — the first of its kind in Nigeria — the establishment of the Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH) in Osara, the Kogi State University in Kabba, the Prince Abubakar University Teaching Hospital in Anyigba, and extensive road networks across the state’s three senatorial districts.
He also commended Bello for promoting inclusive governance, particularly by involving youths, women, and people with disabilities, giving a platform to “children of nobody” and offering hope to the previously voiceless in society.
In his response, Yahaya Bello expressed profound gratitude to the Guild for the honor and pledged his continued support.
The former governor urged the Guild to help sensitize and mobilize support for the current state governor, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, to enable him to deliver on his mandate.
“I am proud of what Governor Ododo has been able to achieve in just over a year,” Bello said, describing his successor’s performance as “commendable and promising.”
He also used the occasion to condole with the families of those who lost their lives in the recent Okunchi accident in Okene, which claimed several lives and left many others hospitalized.
Bello expressed sadness over the recurring tragedies, despite the expansion of the road during his administration to reduce such incidents.
