The Bello-Onoja Story: When Gratitude Fails
There are political relationships that shape careers and, sometimes, states. The story of Yahaya Bello and Edward Onoja is one of those stories; a story of mentorship, trust, access, and ultimately, an unraveling that left many asking what happened beneath the surface.
Edward Onoja did not arrive in high office by accident, his political journey is incomplete without the name Yahaya Bello. From Chief of Staff to Deputy Governor, Bello gave him a stage, free room to operate, and even took bullets for him, bearing insults for appointing him against the counsel of his own kinsmen.
For years, Onoja was Bello’s “siamese twin.” He was trusted with appointments, projects, and empowerment schemes. At one point, Bello even hinted he could be his successor. But when the time came, Bello looked elsewhere, perhaps because, as the Bible says, “many are called, but few are chosen.”
To me, I feel the excuse of “too much capacity” as noted by Edward Onoja in his podcast sounded like a gentle way to massage an ego already swollen by influence. The truth? A lot went under the water. Bello definitely saw something he never disclosed publicly.
What cannot be denied is that Yahaya Bello made nobodies into somebodies. He gave his appointees free rein, lifted friends, and defended them fiercely. Ingratitude should not be the payback for such sacrifice.
Politics may be about power, but it is also about character. And in the end, gratitude remains the noblest currency.
