In the waning days of his governorship, Yahaya Bello has dissolved his cabinet and appointed a new one just weeks before his successor takes office. The move comes across as an empty act by a outgoing administrator trying to cement some legacy.
Bello announced the shakeup during the final Executive Council meeting of his tenure on Monday. With the governor-elect Usman Ododo set to assume power on January 27th, the timing of this turnover raises questions.
Rather than allow his successor to shape their own team, Bello unilaterally reformed the cabinet as his party exits. While a transition process was expected, the manner and timing appears more about self-interest than smoothing the transfer.
By reappointing some key officials like the Secretary to the State Government and Chief of Staff, Bello angled to have allies remain in influential posts under Ododo. This seems a ploy to constrain the initiatives of the incoming governor through lingering loyalists.
The outgoing governor praised the service of dissolved officials and appointed replacements in the same breath. But the people of Kogi expect more than a last-minute patronage exercise; they need economic plans sustaining past progress secured.
Unfortunately, the real economic record coming out of Bello’s tenure remains uncertain despite his pronouncements. His administration faced repeated allegations of misusing state funds and corruption that should be independently investigated.
Rather than cementing a legacy, Yahaya Bello end-of-term shuffle epitomizes the self-interested politics Nigerians are tired of. Statesmanship would have meant leaving Ododo full latitude to direct his own government. Citizens deserve that much rather than having a predecessor meddle via 11th-hour machinations.
Source Days to end of tenure, Yahaya Bello appoints new Kogi cabinet