The Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has accused the former governor of Kogi state, Mr Yahaya Bello, of stealing N80.25 billion (N80,246,470,090) during his 8-year tenure.
The alleged stolen amount equals 74% of the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) Mr Yahaya collected from the people during the first 7 of his 8 years as the Governor of Kogi State.
Internally Generated Revenue is the revenue each State or Local Government collects from its jurisdiction.
For states, IGR is sub-headed into five categories: PAYE, Direct Assessment, Road Taxes, Other Taxes, and revenue from Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
Data on IGR from the NBS shows that Mr Yahaya Bello led the collection of various taxes amounting to N108.09 billion from workers, market women, artisans, road users, drivers loading at bus terminals, and other business owners in the State.
However, the EFCC believes Mr Yahaya stole 80 billion, a little less than the 108 billion he collected directly from the working people. This means the suspect stole the equivalent of 74% of their sweat in seven years, from 2016 to 2022.
While it is criminal enough for a governor to steal monies received from the federation account on behalf of the State, it takes a seared conscience to exact taxes and levies worth N108 billion from the industrious people of Kogi and steal an amount equal to 74% of it.
Sworn in at 42, Mr Yahaya Bello was “the youngest governor in Nigeria throughout his time as Governor. Born in Okene, Bello studied accounting and business administration at Ahmadu Bello University before entering the workforce in the mid-2000s.”
It is doubtful that a governor from the younger generation will be a compound kleptomaniac, as the older ones have been severely dubbed.
The people await Nigeria’s trusted courts to tell.