Kogi State, in North Central Nigeria under the immediate past governor Alhaji Yahaya Bello arguably was neither the bride nor did she profit from the goodwill of many Nigerians on account of largely unpalatable reports.
Curiously, no one has given credit to Yahaha Bello for initiating and indeed implementing free education policy from primary school to post primary schools in the state nor was he recognized for establishing two new universities in the confluence state in addition to the State university in Ayingba where he built and equipped a Teaching Hospital.
Under the leadership of Bello, the administration transformed the education landscape from one marked by neglect and decay to one filled with hope, improved access, equity, infrastructure development, and enhanced service delivery. To enhance the workforce in the education sector, the government under Bello recruited an additional 3,979 teachers in February 2023 from a pool of 22,342 applicants.
Through concerted efforts, the Bello’s administration has reduced that figure to 86,803, ranking Kogi as the 9th state with the lowest number of out-of-school children in Nigeria as of 2019.