By DAPO FALADE
The presidential ambition of the governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, in the 2023 elections is gradually and steadily leaving the realm of conjecture as it has been receiving supports from various groups around the Country.
Among those that have lent their support for the governor’s ambition to take over the reins of the leadership of the country from incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari is the Arewa Youth Trust Foundation (AYTF), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in Zaria, Kaduna State, but with its tentacles spread across the six geopolitical zones of the country.
AYTF is a non-partisan group with special focus on good governance,
advocacy policy and campaign against drug abuse, gender-based violence (GBV) and also providing charitable services to underprivileged communities.
The organisation, as part of its duties and responsibilities to ensure and promote good governance, recently held its extra-ordinary session in Abuja where its members rose in unison to lend their support for the presidential ambition of Governor Bello.
The group presmmised its decision on a number of factors, among which are the relatively young age of the governor, his achievements in terms of his developmental strides in Kogi State and promotion of excellence in the state.
Speaking at the session, the Team Leader of AYTF, Dr Fahad Chikaji Ahmed, expressed strong a conviction on the ability of the youthful governor of Kogi State to take the country on a higher pedestal in its quest to attain the best in the development and growth of the entire citizenry.
Ahmed described Bello as a political leader and an administrator who is imbued with a genuine passion to facilitate and promote the socio-economic and infrastructural development of the country and also ensure the welfare and Security of the entire citizenry as he has shown in the security of lives and property of kogi state.
Quoting the famous motivational speaker, John C. Maxwell, the AYTF leader said: “Anyone can steer the ship, but it takes a leader to chart the course. Leaders who are good navigators are capable of taking their people just about anywhere.”
Speaking further on his convictions, Ahmed, who was a candidate in the 2019 elections for the Kaduna State House of Assembly, said: “Governor Yahaya Bello is someone who stands, not only for his cause, but takes responsibility and motivates other individuals. He showcases a positive attitude and high self-esteem.
“Many Nigerians are proud to endorse his candidature for the presidential seat, not only in the near future, but also in the 2023 elections because he would be a candidate who has the potential to restore peace to Nigeria and also effectively carry the youths along.
Nigerians deserve better and ought to demand better. Governor Bello, as the president, will provide an opportunity for Nigerians to regain their long-established appetite for compromise to tackle the country’s most pressing challenges at home and for a international common cause to safeguard the gains of internal democracy and prosperity.”
Also speaking at the meeting, the South-East Coordinator of the Arewa Youth Trust Foundation, Mike Festus, described Governor Bello as a man of honour who have set a mark in public governance. He averred that the incumbent Kogi State helmsman is best equipped to steer the affairs of the country from 2023.
“I have been following the political happenings in Nigeria for some decades and I can boldly declare never have I met anyone that can equal Governor Yahaya Bello. Never, especially, have I met one person to rival him in his moral or intellectual integrity, his sheer capacity for making the right judgment, or in his determination to do what is right, regardless of the political consequences.
“He is a man of faith and unquantifiable love for others. He took seriously, too, the Quranic Hadith that those who have been given great abilities must use those abilities for others.
“I once heard him say, “to serve the people, you must lead them”. Little wonder, the leadership expertise he has shown in his ability to make Kogi one of the fastest developing state in Nigeria. He is very youthful and active and his loyalty cannot be rivaled. We would want his tremendous achievements to continue to speak for him. He should continue in his good works in kogi State and spread same to every part of the country,” Festus said.
Also not left out, the South-West Coordinator of AYTF, Shogbesan Deborah Oluwapelummy, from Odogbolu Local Government Area, Ogun State, said Governor Bello has proved beyond every reasonable doubt his leadership capacity and ability to promote the welfare of youths and women.
“Governor Yahaya Bello has been proving, without any doubt, a leadership role where youth and women are his priorities. He has contributed to the development of youths across the country. He will make a good president in Nigeria,” she added.
At the end of the meeting, the AYTF team leader, Ahmed, informed members that the Foundation’s next community service i.e. Drilling of Boreholes will take place at Anka and Gumi Local Government Area in Zamfara State. He said the choice of the two local government areas was informed by the hardships and persistent security challenges being faced in both local governments.
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