Yahaya Adoza Bello is a Nigerian businessman and politician who has served as the Governor of Kogi State since 2016.
A member of the All Progressives Congress, Bello has been the youngest governor in Nigeria throughout his term in office, having assumed office at age 40.
Governor Bello is said to be a lover of sport and fitness, especially boxing.
FAMILY
Yahaya Bello was born 18 June 1975 in Okene, Kogi State, to the family of Alhaji Bello Ipemida Ochi and Hajia Hawa Bello Oziohu. He is the youngest of six children
Yahaya is married to three women Amina Oyiza, Rasheedat, and Hafiza.
Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi state has reportedly divorced his third wife, Hafiza. The reason for the divorce is still unknown at the moment.
EDUCATION
Bello studied accounting and business administration at Ahmadu Bello University before entering the workforce in the mid-2000s.
He attended Local Government Education Authority (Nigeria) (LGEA) Primary School, Agassa in Okene LGA beginning in 1984.
He was named as a class prefect of class two and was made the school Head Boy in class six.
He attended high school at Agassa Community Secondary School, Anyava, Agassa-Okene and obtained his Junior Secondary School Certificate Examination (JSSCE) and Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE) certificates from Government Secondary School, Suleja-Niger State in 1994.
Bello studied at Kaduna State Polytechnic Zaria in 1995 and obtained an accounting degree from Ahmadu Bello University in 1999.
Yahaya Bello further enrolled for a Masters program in Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria where he obtained Masters in Business Administration (MBA) in 2002.
Bello became a chartered fellow of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria in 2004.
CAREER
His electoral career began with a loss to Abubakar Audu in the APC gubernatorial primary in 2015 before Audu won the general election; however, Audu died on the day of the election and Bello was selected as his replacement as party nominee and was sworn in the next year.
Four years later, he was elected in his own right, albeit amid substantial reports of violence and fraud.
His profile has risen rapidly over the course of his term, partly due to his relative youth when compared to other Nigerian politicians along with his controversial statements and questionable expenditures.
Bello was declared winner of the 2015 Kogi gubernatorial election after he was chosen on the platform of the All Progressives Congress as the replacement for the late Abubakar Audu who originally won the election but died before the result was declared.
On 16 November 2019, Bello was elected to a second term after he defeated PDP nominee Musa Wada by over 200,000 votes.
Bello is the youngest governor in Nigeria and the only governor to be born after the Nigerian Civil War. Victory Obasi announced in 2020 that she would fund Bello’s run in the 2023 presidential elections.
In Abuja on April 2, 2022, Bello formally declared his interest to run in Nigeria’s presidential elections for 2023.
Bello was supported by a socio-political group known as Bello Ambassadors Network founded by Edogbo Anthony. The group had over 2 million registered Nigerians.
Immediately, the newly sworn in Governor took to the tasks in sanitizing the Government of kogi state. He sought to streamline government processes and protocols and to recover lost and/or stolen government properties including monies.
He also launched the exercise to rid the kogi state civil service of ghost workers. As yahaya Bello arrived the seat of governor, he meet a kogi state that had been poorly managed.
Over 1.3million children were reported to be out of school, jobless youths roamed the streets, non – functional hospital and local government areas that have totally collapsed, while the former governor and his cohorts Fed their greed and perfidy.
On 21 October 2022 Kogi state has finally joined the league of oil producing state in Nigeria as it received the first derivation allocation from the federal account. Its on record that yahaya bello Administration has recorded many giant strides in various sectors covering the thematic area.
The state allocation came at the time the state government was building legacy project across the state.
The Bello administration in Kogi state launched a major campaign to revamp and upgrade the healthcare delivery system in the state.
His administration began with healthcare infrastructure. Within the first four years 400 primary healthcare center were either constructed, renovated upgraded and fully equipped across the rural communities under.
Under yahaya Bello health intervention initiative, about eight hundred and seventy six 876 surgeries were taken place and over 50000 medical cases were sponsored by the kogi state.
The National Population Commission NPC and the federal ministry of health and united nations ranked yahaya Bello administration health care plus with the lowest in fact mortality rates in Nigeria.
The Bello administration has also building brand new general hospital in Badoko, Ajaokuta and Gega Bilu in kogi state.
The Kogi state also renovated and remodelling the specialist hospital, lokoja including construction of brand new ultra modern administration block. Intiatine health insurance scheme with benefits ranging from reduction of users fees.
In his five years as the Governor of kogi state, yahaya Bello has constructed over 500 km and has already began the process of constructing more road and flyovers in the rural communities and farmlands.
Ongoing road constructed of lokoja road 15.5 km and Idah Road at kogi east is 60.8 km and kabba township roads in kogi state is 95.5 km.
The Governor yahaya Bello administration have embarked a major electrification projects in Agasa, Ogori/Banda/Koto and other part of the state to boost economic activities.
Yahaya Bello administration constructed the kogi state hause of assembly complex KGHA and the construction of New office for kogi state internal revenue service.
The yahaya Bello administration through the ministry of works and housing expended over N26.5billion for the construction of 30 major roads across the state.
In order to end the long outstanding issue of lack of portable water in okene yahaya Bello administration embarked on reticulation of the okene mega water work.
The yahaya Bello administration has constructed a grade intersection flyover Bridge at Ganaja junction.
It is understood, the Governor value education, especially child education. He views child education as a right owed by the government.
Under yahaya Bello administration kogi state was ranked the 7th top performer among all the state and fct in Universal Basic education commission UBEC this is as the result of construction of over 375 classroom blocks and renovation of over 700 classrooms blocks across the state.
NET WORTH
Yahaya earned his wealth from being a businessman and a politician.
His net worth is estimated to be $5.6 million, making him one of the richest governors in Nigeria.
