The New Direction Agenda has become an enduring paradigm over the last 7 years and 2 months. It is both successful and sustainable as a clarion call to ‘accelerated and proportional development of Kogi State in all her constituencies.’
One of many definitions of poetry is ‘an overflow of powerful emotions recollected in tranquility.’ Similarly, the New Direction did not appear out of the blues – it was birthed by divinity fueled by intense desires that were nurtured to be the reality of today.
Alhaji Yahaya Bello was a young civil servant with the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC). He had come for his NYSC and so proved himself in Character, Capacity and Competency that they didn’t let him go after.
Within a few years he advanced into top management but unwilling to settle, he soon resigned to follow his dreams and to grow his various investments into the budding conglomerate that became the Fairplus Group.
I was an upwardly mobile young financial and after advancing into middle management I veered into politics which has always been a lifelong passion. I got disillusioned with the whole thing when the PDP rose to power and went back to the corporate world, joining the global cadre of an oil and gas major.
Alhaji Yahaya Bello and myself were in different parts of the world pursuing our business and corporate interests, but the plight of our people in Kogi and Nigeria as a whole weighed heavily on us.
We spoke often, expressing our deep yearning for a new political order. During one of our lengthy calls we agreed to meet in person and explore whether these desires can be turned into an actionable strategy.
I flew into London from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and he flew in from Berlin, Germany. In our hotel, we brainstormed for several days on what could be done to transform our land and the lives of our people.
It was the runup to the 2015 General Elections and the merger that became APC had happened, Hurricane Buhari was gathering momentum and new political headwinds were blowing across the land which looked promising indeed.
Put simply, we decided to take the leap. Alhaji Yahaya Bello would sponsor a corps of young Kogites to become the footsoldiers of Buhari in our State. I would become lead operative and strategist. That was the birth of Kogi Youth Arise Group (KYAG).
We returned to Nigeria in the spirit and power of our conviction that both God and good was with us. Yet, we ran the vision by several trusted persons. Alhaji Jibrin Momoh and Alhaji Kabiru ‘KB’ Aliyu joined us from Lagos and Abuja respectively and we further hammered the plan into shape. I recall vividly with sweet nostalgia that four young knitted, hitherto unknown Kogi-born, hatching what was to become the #NewKogi of today. This happened at one of the external corner sections in Chida Hotels, Utako, Abuja.
KYAG would go on to become a registered ‘Category A’ Support Group with the APC for the 2015 Presidential Elections and the single-most powerful grassroots movement to come out of Kogi State in any national election.
At some point, during battle to unseat the PDP, it became clear that Alhaji Yahaya Bello and the KYAG which had penetrated every nook and cranny of Kogi State by then could not remain mere bystanders as the battle for the soul of our State raged.
That was how His Excellency stepped into the race and we, the footsoldiers, grabbed the challenge and ran with it. By a combination of human daring and divine doings the rest is history. On January 27, 2016 Alhaji Yahaya Bello (AYB) became Governor Yahaya Bello (GYB), the 4th Chief Executive of Kogi State.
The secrets of men are in their stories and it is important for our people to know that the New Direction Agenda did not emerge by happenstance. It is a beloved child of a union between divinely appointed Time and Chance born of sacrifice by known vision-bearers.
We are now close to a change of baton in the New Direction Family – and we have one challenge: Finding a successor to the Chief Driver of the New Direction Agenda.
My name is Edward David Onoja, former Chief of Staff to His Excellency, Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State and currently the duly elected Deputy Governor of Kogi State. Over the last 7 years and 2 months, I have done nothing else but help #TheEssentialGYB build the vision of the New Direction and accomplish its mission to leapfrog the development of Kogi State
I am a believer, practitioner in the one Secured, United and Prosperous mantra from the get go. I come to the table with a rich history of faith in God and the New Kogi vision with consistent receipts of service, long before God’s plan became a reality. It’s my desire, by your prayers and support, to carry on with the ideals and preservation of this our #NewKogi.
