The Tiv Youth Council Worldwide has counseled Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State to concentrate on redeeming his name “which is becoming synonymous with failure and ineptitude than making headlines using the name of President Muhammadu.”
President of the Tiv youth group, Hon. Mike Msuaan, gave the advice in a press release made available to the media in Abuja while reacting to the governors response to President Muhammadu Buhari’s exclusive interview with channels Television recently.
According to the group, “Governor Ortom appears to be oblivious of the fact that he has taken Benue state 20 years backward and has become a clog in the wheel of development in the state. The govenor talks like an ordinary citizen forgetting that he is the chief security officer of the state who has a responsibility to protect, develop and cater for the well-being of the the people of Benue State.
“The governor seem to forget he is the only governor in the history of Nigeria who had pensioners sleep at the gate of government house for almost two weeks to protest the protracted none payment of pensions and gratuities. Hunger pushed these pensioners to abandon their homes, to them it was better to die at the gate of government house.
“Under Governor Ortom, poverty appear to have situated a headquarters in the state. His inability to build any business, industry or pay workers and pensioners in a civil service dominated state, the people have become extremely poor and unable to feed and cloth their families. Workers in the state have not been able to enjoy the minimum wage despite several deceptive press releases by the Governor directing “immediate implementation of the minimum wage for workers.
“Governor Ortom has continued to destroy the state, the latest is his decision to sell off the assets of the state built by former Governors of the state. Yet, he has not built any for the state in his infamous nearly seven years as Governor of the state. For his years in government, no Benue person has been lifted by way of employment. The 5000 or 2000 teachers the governor directed to be employed has remained some of the many empty promises of his administration.
“It is our considered opinion that the governor does not understand the meaning of the word Rescue properly. We are moved to think this way because, in his interaction he stated that “the party is better prepared with laudable programmes on the welfare of Nigerians and to rebuild the nation from the APC tale of woes” For an average Benue person they cannot wait for 2023 to come so that they can reject Ortom and his party and escape from the hardship his administration has foisted on the state.
“It is rather unfortunate that while the administration of President Buhari has many completed projects in the state with several others at the verge of completion, the Governor cannot boast of same. We had admonished governor Ortom to lead a delegation of Benue people to appreciate President Buhari for his appointments and infrastructural drive in the state. This wise counsel fell on deaf ears.
“The unfortunate thing is that while other Governors are show casing several land mark achievements, the only thing Ortom can boast of is a plethora of press release against president Buhari. For ortom, governance is about press briefings and media stunts.
“It is curious that in Borno, Governor Zulum is seeing moving all round the place in a bid to resettle and rebuild communities and return his people back to their ancestral home, Governor Ortom prefers to engage in media activism, making the loudest noise while doing nothing to help his people. There are more people in IDP camps, now that the Governor claims to be a defender than when he took over. This is enough to get a serious governor on his toes.
“President Buhari has over the years purchased sophisticated weapons for modern warfare. Equipped security agencies and the result is seen in the successes recorded in recent times against BokoHaram/ISWAP and banditry. He has declared bandits terrorists in a latest decisive way to deal with them and their sponsors. He has given firm orders to security agencies to deal with all forms of criminality promising to hand a more secure country to his successor.
“We appeal to Governor Ortom to be concerned with the legacies he will be remembered for rather playing politics with the peoples welfare. He should remember that in the presence of God he cried in protest of suffering of workers and pensioners. But in a funny twist, his administration has suffered these group and treated them with disdain more than any other government. The Benue workers and pensioners now depend on president Buhari to send Bailouts to states to have their wages paid by Governor Ortom. He therefore has no moral right to challenge President Buhari on the welfare of the people.
“At the moment, responding to Ortom is becoming sad, needless and irritating. One is forced to keep decrying and pointing out the same administrative ineptitude without any change. Although disconcerting, it is better to keep reminding him of his constitutional responsibilities to the Benue people, perhaps he might decide to heed to our advice and change for the better. Silence might make the world think Benue youth have settled for this less.
“Over time, the administration of Govenor Ortom can best be likened to a rocking chair. He is making so much noise in the media but going nowhere with development of the state.
“It is obvious, the governor has ran out of what to say against President Buhari. He is afraid that soon his party might have nothing to criticise PMB. This fear seem to be killing him softly.”
