Benue gov’t opposition disagree over Ortom’s promises

On May 29, 2015, when Governor Samuel Ortom mounted the saddle of leadership in Benue State, there were several campaign promises he assured would be fulfilled to improve the lives of the citizens. At the top of such promises were security, good governance anchored on the fear of God, agriculture-driven industrialisation of the state with […]

On May 29, 2015, when Governor Samuel Ortom mounted the saddle of leadership in Benue State, there were several campaign promises he assured would be fulfilled to improve the lives of the citizens.

At the top of such promises were security, good governance anchored on the fear of God, agriculture-driven industrialisation of the state with a passion as well as provision of critical infrastructure to facilitate all-round development.

Other promises were to be made visible on the stable of STEAM-based education/health services and promotion of gender equality.

To achieve this, the governor who ascended on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), itemised his promises in a carefully encapsulated blueprint: “Our Collective Vision for a New Benue.”

Ortom secured his second term mandate on the platform of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) after he dumped his former party in July 2018 following alleged irreconcilable differences with the leadership of the APC at the state level.

Over four years after, the administration of Ortom, the opposition political parties, the government itself and Benue citizens have reacted differently on the fulfilment of the campaign promises.

Though, the government has scored itself fairly, as, in its thinking, the challenges it inherited were numerous such that only a miracle could have made the administration succeeded thus far.

The governor had within the period of his stay in office while giving an account of his administration noted that Benue citizens are now more secure in their homes, on the highways and their farms.

“We have passed laws like Prohibition of Open Grazing of Livestock, Prohibition of Abduction, Kidnapping, Hostage-taking, and Secret Cults Law, 2017. The biggest challenge we inherited was insecurity.  Citizens were attacked by hoodlums day and night.

“Big markets in Tivland like Ihugh, Adikpo, Zaki Biam, Tor-Donga and Aliade were closing down because hoodlums used to snatch money from traders at the markets,” Ortom said.

He noted that primary school teachers were on strike for about a year while the quality of education nose-dived because the teachers were on strike at all levels before his coming with general labour unrests bedevilling the state.

He added, “Our Schools of Nursing and Midwifery as well as the College of Health Technology, Agasha were closed, the Benue State University was closed.  Our children who elected to study Medicine were stuck for 12 years because the government never provided funds to facilitate the accreditation of the BSU Medical School.

Ortom was glad that his administration had successfully among other things executed an amnesty program with the seizure and destruction of hundreds of weapons under United Nations standards.

On workers’ salaries, the governor submitted:  “But when would the emergency on salaries end? This action would end when we are up to date on salaries and pension obligations. It will end when we have plugged all leakages in wage bill administration. And finally, it will end when our sources of revenue exceed aggregate capital and operations expenditure of the government.”

He added that schools resumed in his time and the quality of education, improved even as over 740 primary school projects across the state have been executed with much more in the offing.

The governor acknowledged that colleges have regained accreditation and over 200 doctors in serial sets have graduated from the BSU Medical School while the School of Nursing and Midwifery earlier shut down regained its academic status after its renovation and re-accreditation.

He said more than 40 primary health care centres have been built alongside procurement and supply of ambulances and essential drugs to Agatu, Gboko, Ohimini, Oju, Ushongo and Tarka LGAs.

Ortom maintained that over 500 water projects had been executed across the state just as water and sanitation are present in more than 31 communities while roads have been built across the three senatorial zones, among others.

But, the state publicity secretary of the APC, James Ornguga, disputed any fulfilled promises, arguing rather that the present administration had become a theatre of comedy.

“Rather than make promises, the Ortom administration has become a promise itself, which has no fulfilment timeline. Right from the inception of this administration, it has been a circular move from one promise to another, such that even its supporters have lost faith in the government.

“Just run a check and the list is endless; from the several promises to clear salaries and pension arrears, to the building of a cargo airport in two years, to the renovation of 740 primary schools, revitalization of industries such as Taraku Mills Ltd, Wannune Tomato Company, Katsina-Ala Yam Flour, etc, but all we see daily are minor renovations of local government standard.

“Benue has become a comedy theatre where the governor keeps telling us he would end poverty, ignorance and disease soon without anything happening. How many millions of his promises can ever fill a basket? 95 per cent of Benue people don’t trust this government anymore,” Orguga said.

A member of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and president of Next Generation Youth Initiative International (NeGYII), Ambassador Johnson Onoja, posited that the onus lies on the governor to fulfil his promises.

He blamed citizens for what they get because, in his estimation, they value deceit above truth, adding, “So long as we are not ready for the real deal, we always eat the game of deceit”.

Onoja stressed that the pension and wages issues were yet unresolved over the years the present administration had spent in the office while critical infrastructure in urban and rural areas was yet a mirage.

The NeGYII president also contended that the inclusiveness promised by the Ortom administration was unrealistic as he cited the recent employment of over 400 people into the state’s Internal Revenue Service, which according to him is dominated by the governor’s tribe, leaving the Idoma with less than 25 per cent.

Also, the State Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), John Enemari, emphasised that the governor had been unable to fulfil his many promises.

“Governor Ortom has made many unfulfilled empty promises since assumption of office. The governor is running his second term in office with promises upon promises and he has not been able to fulfil any.

“He promised to do the following projects/services: Cargo airport, reviving ailing industries, establishing new industries, promoting quality education, conducting free and fair LG elections in 2017 but it turned out to be the worst election/selection by BSIEC ever in the history of Benue.

“Promised salaries/pensions to Benue workers/pensioners, promised to equip all hospitals with drugs but later turned out to be mere consulting clinics. The most surprising thing about Ortom’s promises is that most of the promises are made in the church. Other promises are that of road construction, rural development, generation of employment among others. The entire Benue people are now waiting for God’s intervention,” Enemari added.

In the same vein, the chairman of Benue APC Like Minds (BALM), Kula Tersoo, stressed that instances are plenty to demonstrate clearly that Benue is unfortunate to have a governor who does not keep his words at all.

Tersoo said while campaigning the state, Ortom made a lot of promises but hasn’t fulfilled them.

“He promised to make the issue of owing Benue workers’ salaries a thing of the past. Remember, while in a church service at Otukpo, he was moved to tears while addressing the congregation over the issue of delay in payment and some instances, owing workers’ welfare packages.

“Ortom is not even making vague promises on teachers’ unpaid arrears, any longer or saying when these would be cleared. More disheartening is the fact that pensioners continue to be owed a huge backlog of their pensions and benefits with some of them owed more than 18 months.

“None of the companies he spoke about revamping is working. There is also no known plan in the making to find a solution to this.”

In his second term, he had during campaigns accused Sen. George Akume of milking the state dry and not allowing him space to work. He publicly told the people that once re-elected, he would hit the ground running, especially as there was no longer any godfather to slow him down.

“But as you can see, his first 100 days in office came up recently and while his counterparts in other states were inaugurating and commissioning projects, the man had nothing to show for it,” Tersoo said.

The Ortom administration, however, believes that its commitment to counterpart funding has returned international development agencies which hitherto left the state.

“The UNDP is working with us, IFAD is helping greatly in our agricultural sector, the World Bank is with us, UNFPA, DFID, USAID, CRUDAN, Mercy Corps and several other bilateral and multilateral agencies are now ready to work with the Benue State government to support social and economic development of the state,” the governor said.