BIRTH NAME: Yahaya Bello
DATE OF BIRTH: June 18, 1975
OCCUPATION: Politician businessman
MARITAL STATUS: Married
INTRODUCTION
Yahaya Bello is a Nigerian politician, businessman and current Governor of Kogi State. He was constitutionally declared winner of the 2015 Kogi State 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.
EARLY LIFE AND BACKGROUND
Alhaji Yahaya Bello was born on 18th June 1975 in Agassa, Okene Local Government Area of Kogi State to the family of Alhaji Bello Ipemida Ochi and Hajia Hawa Bello Oziohu.
He is the last of six siblings. He started his early education in 1984 in LGEA Primary School, Agassa In Okene LGA. The greatness in him started manifesting early in his life when he was made the class prefect from class two.
The position he held till he was made the school Head Boy in class six due to the leadership qualities identified in him by his peers and teachers. In 1989 he enrolled for College in Agassa Community Secondary School, Anyava, Agassa-Okene.
His quest for qualitative education saw him changing schools five times until he finally settled for Government Secondary School, Suleja-Niger State, where he sat for his JSSCE. He came out with flying colours. He continued in the same school for his secondary education and wrote his SSCE Exams In 1994. He recorded another outstanding result in his SSCE.
He immediately enrolled for ‘A’ level exams in Kaduna State Polytechnic Zaria in 1995 and proceeded to the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University ABU Zaria in 1996 to study Accounting. He graduated in 1999. His unquenchable thirst for higher education took him back to Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria for Masters in Business Administration (MBA) in 2002. He bagged the degree in 2004. Whilst pursuing his Masters he also enrolled for professional certification with the Association of National Accountant of Nigeria (ANAN) at Jos (2002) and became a chattered fellow of ANAN in 2004.
CAREER AND LIFE
Alhaji Yahaya Bello working career started in 2001 when he was posted to Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) for his NYSC mandatory service to his fatherland. He distinguished himself during the course of the service and was offered an appointment in the same office as Revenue Officer II. His hard work singled him out for promotion to accountant in a very short period. He was later transferred to head the Makurdi Zonal office Account Department.
He has worked in various departments in the office and has risen to the post of Assistant Chief Accountant. It is worthy of note to state that Alhaji Yahaya Bello has served meritoriously and contributed his quota to the development of his father land. Alhaji Yahaya Bello is married with children.
Applying his entrepreneurial skills, Alhaji Yahaya Bello mastered the art of informed stock trading and had a financial breakthrough right before the crash of the stock market. His stock portfolio investments cut across the oil and gas, finance, transportation, and agro related sectors. He then grew and expanded his real estate investments expanding into a number of states in the country.
His business/investment clout in these sectors helped facilitate job opportunities for a number of unemployed graduates and youth particularly Kogi State indigenes. Alhaji Yahaya Bello can also been considered a public-spirited individual and a philanthropist per excellence. He currently funds three orphanage homes and sponsors hundreds of Kogi State undergraduates in various higher institutions both within and outside the country.
His strong drive for community development inspired him to invest in various community projects. He loves reading, traveling, driving, soccer and boxing.
Every individual is a political animal, as we must take interest in who governs us. The rot in Nigerian political landscape prompted him alongside other progressive young men and women to form Kogi Youth Arise Group.
This group believes in positive change, which was why it threw its weight behind the candidature of Buhari/Osinbajo in the last presidential election. This group was responsible for mobilizing youths across the 239 wards in the State in support of GMB. Alhaji Yahaya Bello is the sole financier. Having achieved peaceful change at the national level, he has also offered himself as the change agent for the youths. Kogi State has been bedeviled by bad leadership since its creation in 1991.
After extensive consultations, the All Progressives Congress (APC) submitted the name of Yahaya Bello as the party’s new candidate for Kogi governorship supplementary poll.
Bello replaces Prince Abubakar Audu, who died last weekend after leading the poll with 41,000.
Alhaji Yahaya Bello is married with children.
SOURCES:nigerianmonitor.com,takemetonaija.com