Samuel Ortom was born in April and elected Governor in April. His surname has five letters, and in the 5th month of the year, he was sworn-in as the 5thelected Governor of Benue State. His administration’s blueprint has five pillars. Interesting, isn’t it?
On the morning of Sunday, April 12, 2015, some Nigerians woke up at election result collation centres while the majority who slept in their homes had their ears glued to the same centres. Those were the most important venues of the moment, even if temporarily. Nigerians had gone to the polls the previous day, April 11 to elect new governors and results were trickling into the state collation centres at the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
In Benue State, the battle was a straight one between former Minister of State, Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Samuel Ortom who flew the governorship flag of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and former Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, Mr. Terhemen Tarzoor of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Many Benue voters knew what to expect from that election. The state had spoken and INEC was bound to hearken to the decision of the people. Benue had elected a new Governor! Change had taken place! For the first time in the history of the state, an opposition gubernatorial candidate had defeated the candidate of ruling party.
Even before INEC could officially declare results of the election, outgoing Governor of the state, Gabriel Suswam put a call across to the APC candidate, Samuel Ortom to congratulate him over his deserved victory. Moments later, the candidate of PDP, Terhemen Tarzoor also called Ortom to congratulate him and wish him well as Governor of the state.
So while some bookmakers were proven wrong on their predictions before the election, others were proven right that the good deeds of a man and his pedigree in public service could endear him to his people and hand him greater responsibility.
For the Governor-elect, Samuel Ortom, the victory of April 11 meant many things which confirmed his emergence as a divine mission to rescue Benue from the claws of maladministration, misappropriation, looting of public funds, impunity and poverty. Expectations had risen to the brim. The people couldn’t wait for miracles to begin to happen on the evening of May 29, a few hours after Samuel Ortom was sworn-in as Governor. And the people were right to expect things to change for the best in a matter of hours after many years of misrule.
But even those who served in the previous administration and had ounces of sincerity left in them knew that no magic wand could revive the near comatose economy of the state and restore confidence in the people within a few months.
Yes, they refused to voice this fact in public but they admitted in private that Ortom had inherited a very difficult situation. Beyond an empty and deficit treasury which Governor Ortom inherited, assets of the state had been sold-off while a huge debt profile competed for space with an intimidating wage bill on the neck of the state. Do I need to reiterate that workers’ salaries had not been paid for more than 5 months? No need. The people know that story pretty well.
In view of the above, not many people gave Governor Ortom a chance to succeed. Many concluded that he had failed even before he was sworn-in. But things soon began to look bright after a very difficult start.
Today, one of the major challenges facing the Ortom administration which it is not the cause is the issue of workers’ salaries. It is a known fact that oil prices have dropped to an all time low and Benue is one of the 27 states which President Buhari recently said are facing serious challenges in footing the wage bills of their workers. The problem is a nation-wide one.
Another challenge is that of invasion by herdsmen who kill scores of Benue people. Governor Ortom has drawn national and international attention to the killings and has been advocating the establishment of ranches as solution to the crisis.
Benue under Samuel Ortom has refused to allow the financial challenge to weigh it down. Contracts are being awarded for roads, primary and post-primary schools, health centres, water projects etc. Some of the things done by the Ortom administration are:
Education
- Resolution of disputes with unions a few days after taking over and the resumption of Benue State University (BSU) from strike.
- Release of N7.6 billion for the construction and rehabilitation of over 700 primary schools – in the 23 local government areas of the state.
- Approval for the conduct of geophysical survey/drilling of 100 boreholes,
- Construction and supply of teachers’ tables and chairs in 700 primary schools,
- Procurement and installation of 100 computers/portal construction in primary and junior secondary schools across the state.
- Constitution of Visitation Panels for state-owned tertiary institutions and commencement of implementation of the BSU panel’s report. Constitution of Benue State University Council.
- Commencement of payment of salaries of BSU Technical School Staff after 5 years of non-payment of salaries.
- Approval of renovation/rehabilitation of about N1 billion for 64 post-primary schools across the state
- Have trained 10,000 primary school and 6000 secondary school teachers.
Health/SDGs projects
- Payment of accreditation requirements for College of Health Sciences and Benue State University Teaching Hospital.
- Securing of accreditation by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria and graduation of 40 pioneering medical doctors after 12 years of stagnation following the intervention of the Governor.
- Work is being completed on the rehabilitation of School of Nursing and Midwifery for re-accreditation to pave way for the admission of fresh students.
- First state in the nation to meet requirements for accessing the 2015 Round of MDGs/SDGs Conditional Grants in Nigeria.
- Release of N1.2 billion for construction and equipment of Modern Primary Health Centers in 33 communities across the state.
- Construction of Skill Acquisition Centers, Enterprise Development Plants, Orange Packaging Plants and Boreholes under SDGs in parts of the stat
Agriculture/Industrialisation
- Contracts for land clearing for dry season farming in the 3 senatorial zones of the state.
- Release of N500million for construction and equipping of laboratory at the Akperan Orshi College of Agriculture, Yandev, and rehabilitation of Agric Training centres in Mbatie and Otobi.
- New policy for procurement of fertilizer at highly subsidised rate to Benue farmers.
- Facilitation of N2billion CBN agricultural loans for disbursement to Benue farmers.
- Signing of agreement with Torra KFT for the completion of the Wannune Tomato Factory which is aimed at creating hundreds of jobs for the people.
- The same approach is being applied to other comatose state-owned industries.
Workers’ Welfare
- Immediate commencement of payment of full salaries at state and local Government levels after the workers had not received their wages for a period of several months.
- Implementation of 18,000 minimum wage for primary school teachers in the state
Infrastructure
Approval and mobilization of contractors back to site for the completion of 10 abandoned road projects across the state. The affected roads:
- Zaki Biam – Afia – Gbeji road 46.52km
- Taraku – Naka – Agagbe road 61km
- Oju – Obussa – Utonkon road 52.00km
- Otukpo – Utonkon – Igumale road 55.61km
- Oshigbudu – Ogbaji road 10km
- Igbor – Ikpa – Wannune road 36.732k
- Vandeikya – Kotiyough – Adikpo road 32.00km
- Ge – Ikyobo – Agbeede – Amua – Anshagba road 37km
- Tordonga – Zaki Biam with spur to Tsewuaze – Tiza – Shila road 45.14km
- Daudu – Gbajimba road
Below are the new road contracts awarded by the present administration:
10.Mobile Police Barracks – Yaikyo – Apir road 24km
- Origbo – Imande – Akpur – Gbajimba road 40. 397km
– Released N300 million for the construction of Benue State House of Assembly quarters
Saving cost of governance
-` Trimming of Government by reducing the number of Commissioners from 17 to 13 and advisers from 28 to 20. This is to cut the cost of governance.
Judiciary
- Major intervention in the Judiciary –
- Approval has been given for the renovation of Ministry of Justice Headquarters, Makurdi and work is at advanced stage on renovation of Judges Quarters in Makurdi and Otukpo,
- Appointment of President, Customary Court of Appeal, two Judges of the Customary Court of Appeal and One judge for the State high Court.
- Reactivation of Payment of wardrobe allowances to government lawyers,
- Inauguration of the Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy and granting of amnesty to over 100 convicts.
Security
- Introduction and prosecution of Amnesty Programme which led to the recovery of over 400 arms and Light weapons, thousands of ammunition while over 700 youths embraced the amnesty and surrendered their weapons. The initiative has brought peace to various parts of the state.
- Sustained effort to promotion of peace between farmers and herdsmen as well as deepening inter-state peace building efforts.
- Contacts with the Presidency, Chief of Army Staff and Inspector General of police with efforts to contain Herders assault in Agatu, Tarka, Makurdi, Gwer West, Logo, Buruku and Guma.
Accountability/Transparency
- Setting Up of Judicial Commission of Inquiry into funds which accrued to Benue state and how they were utilized between 2007 and 2015
- Setting up the Administrative Commission of Inquiry into the sale and lease of government property within the same period.
- The Judicial Commission of Inquiry submitted its report recently and indicted 52 individuals and 10 corporate bodies who are to refund over N107 billion to the coffers of the state and further investigate the misappropriation of N44Billion.
- A white paper has already been issued on the Justice Kpojime Commission’s report and implementation is in progress.
- Introduction of Treasury Single Account, TSA, at the local government level
- Inclusion of labour unions like NLC, TUC and NUT for the first time, as part of the joint account committee.
Media/ICT
- Collaboration with the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA for the establishment of Benue State Information Technology Development Agency, BITDA
- Procurement and installation of new transmitter at Radio Benue,
- Payment of N13 million as part of partnership between Benue State Government and Daar Communications for the establishment of AIT Radio and Television stations in Makurdi.
- Partnership with the Federal Ministry of Communication Technology and the Rockefeller Foundation for training of 1,500 unemployed youths from the 23 local government areas of the state on how to access online jobs.
Public/Private Partnership
- Re-engagement with Development Partners, UN, UNHCR, UNFPA, World Bank, IFAD, USAID for the provision of Education, Health services etc.
- Signing of MOU with Chinese, German and American investors on infrastructure.
- Payment of over N5.5Billion counterpart fund to international development partners
Water Supply
- The restoration of water supply in Otukpo and Katsina-Ala at the cost of N600 million
- Commencement of process to reticulate water in Makurdi
Internal Revenue
- Benue State Board of Internal Revenue Service BIRS has been repositioned with new Borad and management
- Proactive steps taken to boost the Internally Generated Revenue, IGR of the state by introducing the Point of Sale (POS) machines.
- The monthly IGR of Benue State has increased from about N250Million to an average of N500 million monthly.
Governor Ortom believes that Benue shall rise again and occupy its place of pride among states of this republic. All that he needs now is support and faith from the people that things will improve no matter how difficult the present circumstances are.
Akase is Chief Press Secretary to the Benue State Governor.