29/05/2017
TWO YEARS UNDER ORTOMATIC LEADERSHIP: OUR BENUE STORY
Its two years since Gov. Samuel Ortom took over at the helm of affairs of Benue state.
The Governor met a state in total shamble, virtually all spheres of the state was in dire need of intervention, Civil servants owed several months salaries, the state owned university and other tertiary institutions all on strike, Fulani herdsmen constantly breaching peace and wrecking havoc beyond human comprehension in the southern Benue valley and other parts of the state, Infrastructure lying in total decayance and corruption in high places sailed una batted.
When Ortom took over, of course the hopes of the Benue people was high, their aspirations, expectations surging up to the high heavens.
It is based on the records of the activities, actions and inactions of the Gov. Ortom Led administration that characterize our Benue story.
After two years of APC stewardship, here is our story to the world.
First, the strike embarked upon then by the state university was not sincerely taken care of, resolutions of the committee was not hearkened unto. This has led to the current strike action the university is currently observing.
The Benue civil servants are yet another endangered species in this administration. They are owed over 7 months of salaries, and all the government does is to declare a state of emergency in that regard! more so, no worker has received any penny after the said state of emergency was declared.
It is however interesting to note here that a handful of Benue workers have died due to their inability to cough out little funds required for their medical treatment, a lot more have suddenly become hypertensive because their truck load of problems seems unending. Their children are sent home for nonpayment of school fee, they feed barely twice or less a day, they can't pay up their house rent and all these has made them less a Man and a father!
Remember this biblical quote? ''Any Man that cannot take care of his own household is worse more than an infidel".
This month teachers get paid leaving out the local government workers, next month Local government workers equally receive theirs leaving their counterparts behind.
No bill or policy that will better enhance the welfare of the Benue citizen has been enacted, only the anti-grazing bill which is long overdue is the only meaningful thing achieved so far.
Township roads within Makurdi metropolis still lies in a complete mess, constant arrest, detention and molestation of the opposition is on its unending spree.
Insecurity posed by herders across the state is still unchecked, this has led to the death of over two thousand innocent Benue indigenes and property worth several billions lost to this quagmire.
Renewed militancy in the Tiv area is also another factor that make up our Benue story.
The debt profile of the state in last two years is quite worrisome, the internally generated revenues gotten from the exorbitant taxes and levies would have been used in place of bank loans.
Recently the feud between the Governor and Sen. David Mark is yet another factor that constituency our Benue story. Though there is no argument responding to somebody, but there is every problem when you refuse to let go and forge on the future,
The feud only succeed in further deepening the wounds of marginalisation, ethnocentrism and strife amongst indigenes of the state from the political divide.
On this ground, he implore the Governor of Genus state, Samuel Ortom to please reflect on the grey matters highlighted here so as to bring lasting solutions to our bunch of problems and above peace to our dearest Benue!
Happy Democracy Benue!
