Yahaya Bello

Yahaya Adoza Bello (born 18 June 1975) is a Nigerian businessman and politician who served as the governor of Kogi State from 2016 to 2024.

A member of the All Progressives Congress, Bello was the youngest governor in Nigeria throughout his term in office.

Bello was born on 18 June 1975 in Okene, Kogi State, the youngest of six children.

He began attending Local Government Education Authority (Nigeria) (LGEA) Primary School, Agassa in Okene LGA in 1984.

Bello was named the class-two prefect, and was made the school's head boy in class six.

He attended high school at Agassa Community Secondary School, Anyava, Agassa-Okene, and obtained his Junior Secondary School Certificate Examination (JSSCE) and Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE) certificates from Government Secondary School in Suleja, Niger State, in 1994.

Bello studied at Kaduna State Polytechnic Zaria in 1995, and received an accounting degree from Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria in 1999.

Born in Okene, Bello studied accounting and business administration at Ahmadu Bello University before entering the workforce in the mid-2000s.

He received a Master of Business Administration degree from the university in 2002.

Bello became a chartered fellow of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria in 2004.

He enjoys sport and fitness, especially boxing.

His political career began with a loss to Abubakar Audu in the APC gubernatorial primary in 2015.

Audu won the election, but died on election day; Bello was selected to replace him as party nominee, and was sworn in the following year.

Four years later, Bello was elected amid reports of violence and fraud.

His profile rose during his term due to his relative youth compared to other Nigerian politicians and his controversial statements and questionable expenditures.

Bello was declared winner of the 2015 Kogi gubernatorial election after he was chosen by the All Progressives Congress to replace Abubakar Audu, who won the election but died before the result was declared.

On 16 November 2019, he was elected to a second term after defeating PDP nominee Musa Wada by over 200,000 votes.

Bello is the youngest governor in Nigeria, and the only governor born after the Nigerian Civil War.

Although activists praised the decision and called on other developed nations to impose similar bans, Bello accused the United States of partisanship and claimed the 2019 Kogi State gubernatorial election was mainly peaceful and fair.

The election had significant reports of violence and fraud, along with claims that Bello incited the violence with a "ta-ta-ta-ta" chant that imitated the sound of gunfire.

Victory Obasi announced in 2020 that she would fund Bello's run in the 2023 presidential elections.

In Abuja on 2 April 2022, Bello declared his interest in running in Nigeria's 2023 presidential elections.

He was supported by the Bello Ambassadors Network, a social-political group founded by Edogbo Anthony which had over two million registered Nigerian members.

On 14 September 2020, Bello was among a list of politicians placed on a visa ban by the United States Department of State for undermining democracy in Nigeria.

In 2020, Bello repeated the "ta-ta-ta-ta" gunfire chant in Akure, Ondo State while addressing a rally for Rotimi Akeredolu's re-election campaign.

The chant was condemned by the PDP, which accused Bello of organizing thugs to intimidate Ondo voters.

Bello denied the claim, accusing the PDP of spreading misinformation.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Bello falsely claimed that the virus was "an artificial creation" or denied the virus' existence while his state government suppressed testing and fought with the NCDC to keep case numbers low.

Bello refused to wear a mask at public events, including after a governors' meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari and at the funeral for Tolulope Arotile.

At memorial prayers for Kogi State Chief Judge Nasir Ajanah, who died of COVID-19 on 28 June 2020, Bello falsely claimed that Ajanah had not died of COVID-19 and said: "Whether medical experts and scientists, believe it or not, COVID-19 is out to shorten the lifestyle of the people, it is a disease propagated by force for Nigerians to accept".

In October 2020, Bello said that he had rejected a ₦1.1 billion support fund for Kogi State from the World Bank because of his belief that COVID-19 is "glorified malaria".

He said, "I rejected the World Bank fund because I do not believe in COVID-19. Even the five cases reported in Kogi State is an NCDC creation".

This claim contradicted his admission that Kogi State had received ₦1 billion from the Federal Government for COVID-19 recovery.

In his 2020 New Year's Eve address, Bello dismissed the rising second wave of COVID in Nigeria: "We remain determined as a government not to respond to the highly controversial second wave with mass hysteria", and claimed that Kogi was "coronavirus-free".

Bello opposes vaccinations, contrary to the scientific consensus that vaccines are safe and effective.

During the rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations, he falsely claimed that vaccine makers "want to ... introduce the disease that will kill you, God forbid" and refused to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

These comments were publicised as an example of purposeful misinformation about vaccines and led to widespread condemnation, including by the Nigeria Governors' Forum.

According to Kogi State Commissioner for Information Kingsley Fanwo in April 2021, Bello received an honorary professorship in "humanitarian services, human resources management, Peace Building" from St Thomas-a-Becket University.

Investigation by Sahara Reporters discovered that St Thomas-a-Becket University neither awards recognised UK degrees nor has courses in humanitarian services, human resources management, or peace-building.

In his first few days as governor, Bello approved the spending of ₦260 million in security funds in several installments.