By Amuda Dan Sulaiman FAB, Lokoja.

Security agents last weekend prevented Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello from boarding a Turkish airline flight for a planned trip to Saudi Arabia for lesser hajj.

It was gathered that when Bello went to the office of the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo to get clearance for his trip to Saudi Arabia, his request was turned down by the Vice President who advised him to go back to his state and settle workers unpaid salaries.

But he turned deaf ears to the vice president’s advice, and headed to the airport where he was prevented from traveling.

According to an airport source, security men stationed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja seized Bello’s traveling documents and told him they would not allow him to travel abroad unless they received clearance from the presidency.

The action of the men however, appears to be an instruction from the presidency.

The source said the governor had arrived the Abuja airport for the 11:10 a.m. Turkish Airlines flight to Turkey where he would have connected another flight to Saudi Arabia.

But after Bello had been checked in by the airline and was about to complete immigration formalities, his documents were confiscated by the Security men at the immigration cubicle where he was told that he could not travel.

“The security men were shown relevant traveling documents, by the governor, but the officers said they have no choice in the documents and that they weretion from above that they should not allow him to travel.”

The development caused confusion at the airport and delayed the Turkish Airline flight.
Bello’s luggage was however later unloaded to allow the flight proceed on its journey without the governor.

Recall that the Organized labor on Monday started a strike to compel the Kogi State Government to pay outstanding salaries owed to workers in the State as the governor threatened to invoke the “no work, no pay” rule.

Labor directed all workers to remain at home following the expiration of a 21-day ultimatum issued to the State government to pay all outstanding salaries and allowances.

Source:
http://www.kogireports.com/kogi-workers-strike-gov-bello-barred-from-traveling-abroad-ordered-to-return-home/

Na wa o. Even former Military Heads of States go fear the this regime.

I thought there is freedom of movement... What crime did he commit?
Do they knw the instructions he left with his deputy and the appriopriate agency?

Buhari face ur own work. Our Economy is dying.

modified: FTC again. 2nd time in my nairaland 'career'....
nothing really special sha.
Dedicated to those still struggling to make FTC

Aisha buhari his godmother will overturn this directive before evening today.


Apc and scam are twins

Even tho the reason is understandable
But dose the presidency have such power??
If yes am in full support but if no a public applalogy should be issued instantly

Why contest for the governorship position when you know that you have no leadership abilities?

I hereby propose that a bill be pass by the senate that any politician aspiring to contest into any political office must enrol into a leadership school like the one been manage by Sam Adeyemi before such person will be qualified for such an office.

I hope I just made commonsense

Nice.....make him stay him own country ma

Why make such a trip when your state is in bad shape.

Why did the presidency rig him in in the first place??

They knw the seat belonged to faleke abi na fadeke but they shoved this crook down the people's throat now una see as all of una munu reach?

Religion religion religion, that's the only thing people take seriously in that country.

His state is burning but pilgrimage seems to be more important to the 1diot.

I never knew a president has such powers o.. O God make me a president o... i have enemies to deal with....

This must be a comic relief. Is the country this bad? Tell me it is a joke. In a federating state? Guess what, some people will support this reckless use of power.

This Bello is wicked oo.
Ur state is owing workers who do nt even knw where their next source of meal will come 4rm.
Fasting workers who do nt have enough to break their fast with everyday nd u want to go to hajj. To pray to Allah? Trust me, he won't answer ur prayers. So don't waste taxpayers money going on a fruitless journey in the first place.

Politicians!

mondob2k:
Na wa o. Even former Military Heads of States go fear the this regime.

I thought there is freedom of movement... What crime did he commit?
Do they knw the instructions he left with his deputy and the appriopriate agency?

Buhari face ur own work. Our Economy is dying.

Bello is yet to do right in the State. The State University has been on strike for over 3 months now. He hasn't done anything reasonable about it. Some LGs in the State are also on strike. The State is in shambles already. So I wonder where he's going to.

Secondly, he has no deputy. And there are no appropriate agencies.

If a governor refuses to use his brain, Buhari must by all means force him to use it.

And next time, if you know nothing about a situation, just stay quiet, okay?

The man is too arrogant, reckless, naive and inexperienced to serve in that capacity. Maybe he's trying to show the VP(mere commissioner) he has more power as a governor. The president should also mind his closeness to Aisha Buhari, despite the rumour that he wants to become their in-law. On the other hand he needs to be careful with the way he handles both the civil servants and the university lecturers in his state. His end might not be good if he doesn't amend his ways of governance (Law of Karma awaits him).

If the presidency's power can do this then let the presidency come to Abia state because people are crying

I don't understand, a governor would now have to get clearance from the President before he travels out of the country.

Wonders shall never end in this country.

There are two governors who have really turned out to be a big disappointment and one of them is this man. I had so much believed that with his youthfulness,he would introduce to the state the much needed youthful touch,dynamism and modern governance needed by he state.

But instead,he has felt that hob-nobing with the president's wife and seeking their daughter's hand in marriage(as 4th wife) is all he needed to secure his office and not the welfare of his people.

Very disappointing.

Anyway,I should have known he was an arabanko,when at 40 he already had 3wives

Bello is a shame to the youth in this country, a man who has collected the bailout of 20billion according to him and yet failed to pay civil servant and pensioners in the state, Ruling with impunity and dividing the house of assembly and using soldiers and thug to harass members who failed to do his bidding. Minority group of Five persons led by a thug and criminal from odolu local government are the house members he is using. His Chief of staff Edward Onoja is encouraging him to continue with this evil line.Infact Fairplus government is nothing but an student union government.

This is not about payment of salaries. If you have been reading the news lately u will see that there are very serious corruption allegations against this man.
I think that is what this is about.

SirJeffry:
Religion religion religion, that's the only thing people take seriously in that country.

His state is burning but pilgrimage seems to be more important to the 1diot.

and when he gets there, he will start throwing stone at the devil like say Na devil dey owe him state salaries........no surprise say the stone go boomerang come hit am for head.

bigboss80s:
This is not about payment of salaries. If you have been reading the news lately u will see that there are very serious corruption allegations against this man.
I think that is what this is about.

Of course the allegation are clear,even the recent withdrawal of ecological fund solely by himself without recourse to the house and without executive and all the allocations and bailout including his abuse of power

This sounds like a joke from Basketmouth...The constitution doesn't give the Presidency such powers. Besides, we practice a federal system of government with its essential feature of separation of power. That said....When a man finds himself in a position he doesn't merit, he always seeks out ways to abdicate his responsibilities. Faleke should be in that seat, every Kogite knows that!

That's what have been saying...we shouldn't allow this trend of the state Govt looting and instigating us to be blaming federal Govt to continue, the governors, the judicial and the legislative arm of Govt have always been the problem of this country called Nigeria

How do we prevent Buhari from traveling in the face of economic hardship in the country? No power, roads, jobs etc. He should stay put and fix the country.

By John Akubo, Lokoja | 29 June 2016 |
Piqued by the Kogi State Government’s new policy, stopping patronage of some banks in the state, 14 commercial banks yesterday, suspended services to customers as a form of protest.
The Guardian findings revealed that the affected commercial banks took the decision in protest against the state government’s decision to open unsolicited salary accounts for civil servants in Zenith and Access Banks.
The action, it was gathered has put the affected banks in difficult situation, who lamented that the decision would make it difficult for them to recover their facilities from civil servants who hitherto banked with them.
Many customers were stranded when they came to do business at their various banks yesterday, as they were turned back, leaving only Access and Zenith Banks attending to civil servants.
The organised labour had earlier embarked on strike on Monday over alleged “imposition of strange and unsolicited salary bank account on workers by the government in utter disregard to established civil service rules.”
Other grievances leveled against the government include, “imposition of new PAYE regime on workers, non payment of salaries to local government workers, pensioners, core civil servants and non implementation of 100% minimum wage to primary school teachers.”
When The Guardian went round the capital city the banks; GuarantyTrust, UBA, Sterling, Fidelity, First Bank, EcoBank, Union, WEMA, Skye Banks, Diamond, FCMB, Unity and Stambic IBTC were all under lock and key.
Customers with their ATM cards queued up to try withdrawing from the machines that were bogged down by network issues.The combined strike of labour and the commercial banks has practically grounded both government and commercial activities in the state.
A customer in one of the banks, Joel Usman said the strike was justifiable on the grounds that a lot of civil servants whose salary accounts were in those banks had collected facilities using their salary accounts as security or collaterals with the knowledge and consent of their employer.
At a forum recently where the issue came up, Governor Yahaya Bello explained that the bailout fund received by state governments was the result of the Federal Government standing surety for them to approach deposit money banks for facilities.
In other words, against the generally held impression that the Federal Government has always doled out these funds from its coffers, it essentially provided a guarantee for the loan facility to would-be lenders, in favour of the state government.
According to him, “Due to the prevailing economic situation, cash reserves of commercial banks domiciled with the Central Bank of Nigeria, were currently competing for so many pressing needs simultaneously, making it increasingly difficult for the banks to finance loan facilities, especially long-term ones.
“Access and Zenith Banks were however able to step up to the plate when the state approached them. They made the first tranche of the state’s bailout funds available, but on one condition. The condition was that the funds remain domiciled in their banks.”
The organized labour had directed workers to stay away from work. But in defiance, investigations showed that workers reported for duty and signed the mandatory attendance register ordered by government.
The Commissioner of Information, Muhammed Away Imam disclosed at the secretariat that the workers came to work, adding many of them were suffering from divided loyalty.

BELLO WANTED TO JOIN AISHA BUHARI IN MECCA, 2 STRATEGIES HOW THEY WILL INFLUENCE D NEXT COURT CASE, LET AISHA BUHARI TAKE BACK HIS CRIMINAL GODSON BACK TO ABUJA. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

If this news/write-up is true, den our democracy is in real trouble, we have to do something urgent, otherwise dictatorship would be the order of the day in this great nation of ours, I still can not believe the source, until Vanguard, Guardian, Thisday newspaper etc carries the news, I refuse to believe.

We should also bar Buhari from travelling! After all he had done nothing for us!!!

waka@ waka gorvernor. What are they looking for?

bonechamberlain:
I don't understand, a governor would now have to get clearance from the President before he travels out of the country.

Wonders shall never end in this country.

Its not by force to be in politics.................... If you can't follow the rules, then remain in private sector or start farming.