My govt raised 2,000 millionaires, says Yahaya Bello

Kogi State Governor and presidential aspirant under the All Progressives Congress, Yahaya Bello, has said that about 2,000 people have become millionaires in the state under his administration.

Bello, who spoke on Friday at the ‘Second Annual GYB Seminar for Nigeria’s Political and Crime Correspondents’ in Abuja, said if elected president, he would lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty.

He said, “If you refer to my [presidential declaration] speech, I promised that I would build on what Mr President promised of ensuring that nothing less than 100 million Nigerians are pulled out of poverty by the year 2030, that’s about seven years from 2023

“The question will be, ‘what have you done in Kogi State, how many millionaires have you made?’

“I will tell you that within the limit of our resources, coupled with various challenges and demands on our resources we have been able to make nothing less than 2,000 millionaires in Kogi State, within this short period.

“A millionaire doesn’t necessarily need to be a [Aliko] Dangote, before you are called a millionaire. Our government created an enabling environment that if you have N1 million you should be able to turn it around and multiply it.”

The governor expressed optimism that he would win the party’s ticket irrespective of the method adopted by the party to select the candidate.

He said, “APC is still the party that will produce the next president of Nigeria. APC is very strategic. Forget about zoning or no zoning; it’s about who is a leader and will put the party together.

“The party knows the body language of the nation. APC knows the clamour for a young President who will build on the achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari. The party knows who will turn the fortunes of this country around.

“If consensus is going to be the option, so be it. Whether it’s direct or indirect primary, Yabaya Bello is the man to beat. We must jettison sentiments. It is time to breach the religious gap and cement the relationship.

“I am the man that will champion a new Nigeria where sentiments will not matter any more. We want to make sure that the language you speak, your religion and where you come from does not matter again in our presidency.”