Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello has asserted that his sacrifices particularly with regards to expenses on security in a bid to ensure that citizens are safe and secured would be more appreciated after his tenure adding that no amount of money could be quantified to human lives.
The governor made this assertion on Tuesday while speaking on the Nigerian Television Authority’s Breakfast show, where discussions around the roles of Governors in national security were on the top burner.
He said, “When I assumed office, I studied the environment, although I knew about the challenges before contesting office as the governor but it’s a different ballgame when you step into the office and you have to begin to learn on the job”.
Governor Bello revealed that his first port of call was to bring on board the leaders of security agencies in the state in a plan to establish synergy and intelligence sharing having discovered that security agencies were working at cross purposes.
”We also put up some basic infrastructures and gadgets while identifying some of the elements that affected the citizen, he noted” he said.
The governor said despite being bordered by 10 states, his administration has continued to synergize with all its neighbours adding that at the very beginning of his administration he requested President Muhammadu Buhari to direct the security chiefs to support him in tackling insecurity
Bello said “I have never been helpless as a governor over insecurity matters because I hold it as a responsibility to guarantee the security and safety of our citizens. I have no interest hence even if it is my brother that was caught in the act of criminality, I will deal decisively with such a person”.
The governor claimed he was ready to step on toes as long as it guarantees the protection of the lives of citizens, stressing that despite the numerous issues in the country, decisive and effective leadership was required to flush out bad eggs in the system.