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…lament non-payment of workers salaries, pensions

By Levinus Nwabughiogu-Abuja

Tiv Youth Council Worldwide has asked  Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State to halt his verbal attacks against President Muhammadu Buhari and deliver on his campaign promises to the people of the State.

In a statement by its President, Hon. Mike Msuaan, the group insists Governor Ortom’s continuous attack on the performance of the President was a diversionary ploy intended to distract the people of the state from questioning his abysmal performance.

The group urged Ortom to rather collaborate with the Federal government agencies to further consolidate the relative peace in the state than to embark on a political campaign in a bid to consolidate his stranglehold on the state.

The Tiv youth council recalled an interview granted by Ortom on Channels Television he scored the Buhari government low.

The group called on all Benue stakeholders, traditional leaders, groups, party men and women to speak truth to power by calling Ortom to order even as they challenged him to mention the ongoing or completed projects to his credit for the general public to compare notes.

The statement stated thus “Governor Ortom obviously has several MoUs to his credit: none of which has come to light. Governor Ortom cannot continue with the deceitful posturing of fighting or defending the people of Benue state when he has practically failed in securing their lives as he swore on oath to do.

“It is crass ineptitude for a Governor who presides over the state security meetings and hosts security votes of the state, to persistently dish out blames to the President as though he was elected to check-mate the President.

“It is also a cause of worry to us that Governor Ortom who has shown the highest depth of nepotism in Benue state by appointing his kinsmen in most critical positions of the state, was heard accusing President Buhari of nepotism. It is said that Ortom has failed to remove the speck in his eye to call Buhari out for narrow-mindedness and clannishness.

“Ortom consistently reminds Buhari of his campaign promises to  Nigerians while forgetting that he cried in churches over the plight of workers and pensioners, a situation that is worse under him. Under Ortom, old pensioners slept outside govt house gate for two weeks. This is indeed novel, yet the Governor has failed to tackle the problem head-on.

“We are particularly pained that instead of explaining to the Benue people the position of the state wage bill which keeps pushing astronomically high, despite transfers, retirements and deaths of civil servants in the state and in the midst of the several committees set up by the Governor to check the wage bill which instead declared workers ghosts and sacked thousands of them would recourse to revulsive accusations during a one hour program when the Benue people are patiently waiting to hear the Governor highlight his achievements and endear them to his plans of ending their misery, would rather consider the President as a punching bag.

“More so, we consider his comment on the sale of Benue’s public assets as deceit taken too far. Ortom who had since commenced the sale of advertised assets during the interview said he was going to convene a stakeholders’ meeting to inform them of his plans.

“In a usual fashion, we understand this is intended to gag stakeholders with offers for endorsement of what has already gone beyond redemption. It is worrying that a Governor who wasted taxpayers monies gallivanting the globe in the name of wooing investors to no avail will resort to selling assets built by other governors when he has not been able to erect any structure.

“It is unheard of, that a Governor who has less than sixteen months in office is not bothered about his nonperformance but is daily being occupied by frivolities like decamping ceremonies and burials he insists on attending to deceive the Benue people.

“Everybody must rise and be bold to resist any attempt by the governor to further mortgage the destiny of our people before he takes the state to where recovery will take us so many years to come by.”

“We have observed over time that his constant tantrums against the President who has done more projects in the state in any juxtaposition with the Governor, as a diversionary ploy intended to distract the people from his abysmal performance which has left no one in doubt to conclude and rightly so, that he is the worst-performing Governor in the history of Benue state.

“The Council notes that Governor Ortom has not demonstrated love for the Benue people more than PMB. Within these years Buhari has in addition to giving several Benue people appointments, constructed a multi-billion erosion control that runs through Achusa, PMB has awarded the Yandev – Makurdi Road, the Yandev to Ugbema junction road, the makurdi – Naka – Adoka road, the rehabilitation of The River Benue and River Katsina-ala Bridges.

“Mr President has upgraded the Zaki Biam Yam market in Ukum LGA to an international yam market. We expect a serious governor to take advantage of this initiative and several other agricultural initiatives of the president.

“In the education sector, President Buhari has in a no mean feat established three federal institutions in the state: the Federal University of Health Science Otukpo, the Federal College of Education and the Federal Polytechnic Wannue.

“Worthy of note is the skills acquisition centres to be located in Adikpo and other senatorial zones.

“Under the health sector the 100 bed, Mother and Child health facility at David Mark by-pass, Makurdi, the federal medical centre annexes, in Katsina-ala and other places.

“The social investment programme of the Buhari administration has empowered many Benue indigenes. The social works program which has 1000 persons per local government area including Ortom LGA is there for everyone to see. The Covid-19 loans enjoyed by many Benue people and Nigerians attest to the manner PMB has touched positively the lives of Nigerians.

“In the housing sector, PMB is currently building a Federal Housing scheme located at Genabe, in Makurdi LGA

“On security, the two military operations which restored relative peace in the state: Ayem Akpatuma ( Cat Race) and the ongoing whirl-stroke were all ordered by the President.”

Vanguard News Nigeria