On April 18, 2024, an X user (formerly Twitter) tweeted, “Yahaya Bello was 39 years when he became Governor of Kogi state. He was the youngest governor in Nigeria throughout his time in office and was infact the only governor born after the civil war. Today, he is wanted in connection to money laundering of N80b.
Anyone that still thinks AGE is a measure of leadership potential is a born fool.”
The tweet has garnered over 103k views and 748 likes.
We found a similar version of this tweet on Instagram, where the Instagram user commented on a post by a popular blogger. The comment was attached to a post concerning the EFCC declaring Yahaya Bello wanted in connection with an alleged case of money laundering to the tune of N80,246,470,089.88.
Claim I: Yahaya Bello was 39 years old when he became governor of Kogi State
Verification:
Yahaya Bello was born on June 18, 1975 to Bello Ipemida Ochi and Hawa Bello Oziohu in Agassa town, Okene Local Government Area of Kogi State. As of the time he was sworn in as governor of Kogi State on January 27, 2016, he was 40 years and six months old.
Verdict: Inaccurate
Yahaya Bello became governor-elect and executive governor of Kogi State at the age of 40. The claim that he was 39 is inaccurate.
Claim II: Yahaya Bello was the youngest governor in Nigeria throughout his time in office
Yahaya Bello governed Kogi State between January 2016 to January 2024. Bello was declared the winner of the 2015 Kogi gubernatorial election after the All Progressives Congress (APC) chose him 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 which lasted till January 27, 2024.
The CDD War Room can confirm that between January 2016 and 2024, Yahaya Bello was Nigeria’s youngest governor.
Verdict: TRUE
Claim III: Yahaya Bello was the only governor born after the Civil War
The Nigeria civil war lasted from July 6, 1967, to January 15, 1970. We can confirm that Yahaya Bello was born in June 1975, five years after the Civil War.
Verdict: TRUE
Yahaya Bello was born about five years after the Civil War and was the only governor at the time, who was born after the Nigeria Civil War.