Gov. Yahaya Bello’s bold, courageous and commendable step over death of Dino Melaye’s mother

On Friday May 3, 2019, the Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello did something that only bold and courageous men can do; and therefore deserves commendation from well meaning Nigerians, especially the people of Kogi state and Kogi West in particular.

On that day, the Governor wrote a condolence letter to the senator representing Kogi West at the National Assembly, Senator Dino Melaye over the death of his mother, Deaconess Comfort Melaye. He wrote the condolence letter, a few hours after Dino took to his twitter account @dino_melaye to announce his mother’s death.

“With total submission to the will of the Almighty God, I on behalf of the Melayes announce the passing into Glory of our beloved mother, Deaconess Comfort Melaye. We thank God for Godly life she lived. I love you my mother and Friend. We shall surely meet again,” the lawmaker wrote

Following the announcement, thousands of Nigerians took to the social media platforms to commiserate with Dino and his family as many prayed for the repose of his mother’s soul.

Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, and many other politicians and well known figures also wrote and sent their condolences to Dino.

But the condolence message sent to Dino Melaye by Gov. Yahaya Bello is no doubt the most significant and has drawn exceptional attention from Nigerians because of the circumstances the two politicians have found themselves.

In the letter, dated 3rd May, 2019 and signed by the Governor himself, Bello, said he received the news of the death of Dino’s mother with shock, adding that words were not enough to express his feelings at the development, urging him to take solace in the worthy life lived by his mother.

The Governor, on behalf of himself, his family and the entire people of Kogi State offered deep condolences to Dino while praying that Almighty God may grant him and the rest of the Melaye family, the grace to endure the “irreparable loss.”

Bello went a step further to request that Dino keep him and his administration notified of funeral plans.

Although some social media commentators have said that Governor Yahaya Bello’s letter to Dino Melaye and its content are merely political rhetoric and therefore pretentious, I sincerely join the many others who think that the letter is a hallmark of a statesman and someone who has not forgotten the cordial relationship he had shared with Dino in the past.

Further evidence that Yahaya Bello’s letter is far from being political is his request that Dino keeps him and his administration abreast with funeral plans which shows his readiness to participate and further identify with Dino at his time of grief.

A few years ago, Gov. Yahaya Bello and Senator Dino Melaye were both friends and political allies to the extent that Dino was the Chairman of the Transition Committee that saw to the smooth inauguration of Bello as the governor of Kogi State.

Things however went bad between the two leaders, due to the way Yahaya Bello took interest on Dino Melaye’s opposition to President Muhammadu Buhari’s style of leadership which the lawmaker saw as incompetent, insincere and vindictive as well as the lawmakers criticism of the governor’s administration in Kogi State.

Dino Melaye had picked holes in the president’s style of fighting corruption, alleging that it was selective as those close to the president as well as some of his political aides were stealing from the nation’s coffers without much concrete action either to prosecute or stop them.

Dino is also in the habit of exposing impunities and other infractions committed by those in authorities as well as speaking vehemently against government policies that are considered obnoxious

and illegal like the attempt by Customs to pass the burden of payment of import duties to car owners and the recent sack of the Director General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) by the Chief of Army Staff which Dino is leading the debate to declare illegal.

On the other hand, Yahaya Bello who is said to be an avowed loyalist of the president saw Dino as being unnecessarily anti- Buhari and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) especially after the defection of Dino and many others from the ruling party to the main opposition, PDP.

The relationship between the two men had gone so bad that Dino, on 18th October, 2018 alleged that the Governor was planning to kill him using his Aide de Camp, the State police commissioner and the officer in charge of SARS in the state.

Dino was speaking on the invasion of his house at Ayetoro-Gbede by some security agents and said that the governor had instructed the security agents in the state to arrest him whenever he visited the state and noted that the plan of the governor was to keep him away from the state so that he will not be able to campaign for his reelection.

It was the when the Senator’s palatial mansion in Abuja was invade by the Police which kept him in detention for weeks.

But Bello had in each of the occasions, denied any involvement in the travails of the Senator and instead described one of such allegations as a ‘blatant lie and arrant noise aimed at drawing unnecessary attention to him.” He then urged the Senator to leave him out of his problems.

But no matter who is right or wrong, the two men, Yahaya Bello and Dino Melaye are politicians and have to play their familiar game, which is politics, in order to remain relevant and as well, gain political millage over one another.

What is very important however, is that the people of both Kogi in general and Kogi West in particular would benefit the more from government if there is cordial working relationship between Governor Bello and Senator Dino, in spite of their political differences and party affiliations.

There is no doubt that Dino has distinguished himself as a Senator through effective representation of his constituencies which include Nigerian citizens through robust debate and sponsorship of motions as well as providing basic needs to his constituents in terms of constituency projects.

No matter how one looks at it, Governor Yahaya Bello has also made some visible impact in terms of development, and especially curbing the acute security challenges that bedeviled the state before he took over and in the early part of his administration.

That Kogi is a peaceful state today when many parts of the country, especially the north is in turmoil is not a mean achievement and the Governor should be commended for that, even if modest achievements in the face of scare resources.

The people of Kogi West are by right, entitled to infrastructure development from their state; and this would be made easier if Senator Dino Melaye and Governor Yahaya Bello work harmoniously, no matter their political differences.

One therefore expect that Dino Senator Dino Melaye would reciprocate the Governor’s gesture and see it as an extension of olive branch of peace and harmony for the overall interest of the people of Kogi State.