Former Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly Hon. David Iorhemba is a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant. He spoke with Uja Emmanuel on the succession battle in the Northcentral state.
Why do you want to govern Benue State in 2015?
I am eminently qualified to govern the state on the platform of the PDP. For some reasons, I consider myself very versatile in the affairs of the state. I am conversant with the three arms of government. I worked in the Benue State judiciary for 21 years. I was a clerk, registrar, court member, area court Judge and Chief Magistrate in Gboko before I resigned. I later went into private legal practice. I was appointed Senior Special Assistant to the Benue State governor on Legal Matters. Thereafter, I resigned, contested and won a by-election, following the death of Hon. Yogbo, who represented Guma Constituency. I re-contested in 2011 and won. I became the Speaker. With these experiences, I have been exposed to the challenges of the state. I’m therefore, conversant with the rural setting of the state, based on my postings as a judiciary staff. I served at the Area Court, Agasha, Abinsi. I was the Court Registrar in Udei, Naka, Aliade, Makurdi, Area Court in Korinya, Ihugh, Lessel, Ikyado; Area Gourt Judge at Ammaafu, Acting Area Court Judge at Akpagher Mbatyav, Magistrate at Vandeikya and ant back to Gboko.
With these experiences, I have discovered that the major problem of the state is rural development. Take a look at the case of Guma Local Government Area, Gbajumba is the only local government headquarters in Benue State that does not have a tarred road linking it with Makurdi. I will contribute my quota to the development of the state by providing roads. Rural farmers will be able to transport their produce to urban markets to improve their financial standing. When rural roads are opened, security challenges, education sector and others are addressed. Those of us living in border towns such as Guma, near Nasarawa State, are usually attacked by mercenaries from Nasarawa State with the use of motor cycles. They come through bush paths to attack us. But, due to poor road network, it becomes difficult to fight back and, even when security operatives are alerted, they hardly make impact as a result of the bad terrain.
Some of the schools set up by the SUBEB in 1976 have no structure because contractors are unable to access the sites due to lack of roads. So, the provision of roads in rural communities can boost education and agriculture. Today, farmers don’t have value for their produce because they cannot take them to the market.Therefore, if elected in 2015, I will make sure we have a law to establish the Benue State Produce Marketing Board to regulate the sale and purchase farm produce and eliminate activities of middle men. Benue as an agrarian state used to witnessed food wastage and this is why the establishment of cottage industry is apt at this moment. I appreciate the efforts of the Benue state government, which established a tomato fruit juice at Annune. But, it is not functioning. Government should lease the company out to a competent people to manage and create employment. I will provide storage facility so that farmers will have value for their produce.
Recently, the Tiv Traditional Council advised some aspirants to step down. What is your reaction?
It does not deter some of us from pursuing our aspiration at all. We feel that the Tiv Area Traditional Council, coming in at this stage, was rather too early. Beside this, the process that led to the purported trimming was also not a proper one. This is because the Tor Tiv and other traditional rulers, who constituted that panel, are fathers to all of us and we feel that, after interacting with us, they should have allowed aspirants a little time to also interact with one another more so that we are aspiring to get nomination on a party platform. But, at the moment, the PDP has not released the guidelines. It may be that the chosen ones may even be caught out with the party guidelines. I feel strongly that the party guidelines will catch up with some of the aspirants selected by the Tiv Area Traditional Council. So, on the whole, I’m forging ahead with my consultation. You can see that, in 2007, the Sankera leaders met in Katsina -Ala Local Government to pick their preferred aspirants. Katsina -Ala elders chose Prof. Iorwuese Hagher. Ukum local government produced Prof. Mvendaga Jibo and Logo local government produced the late Biishibi Ati. But, it happened that all the nominees from these three local governments did not make it at the primaries. Rather, Gabriel Suswam, who was not nominated at all, got the ticket and became the governor. So, I feel that the trimming was not done in good faith and the forum of Minda PDP aspirants has contacted our chairman, Prof. David Ker to state our position on the matter.
How do you intend to tackle the challenge of industrialisation?
If elected, I intend to run industries through Public Private Partnership (PPP). Most of the farm produce are located in a particular area of the state. Yams are largely produced in Ukum, Logo and Katsina-Ala local government areas. Therefore, my government will invite a competent company to come and partner with the government. Government will provide land and put up structures while the intended company with expertise in citing a yam flower will come in and do the rest. We will move to Ushongo, Vandeikya and Konshisha local government areas where oranges abound and establish a factory there and even liaise with Chivita, one of the major fruit producers ,to come and operate it.
How do intend to open up local government areas stem rural/urban drift?
The government, in conjunction with the twenty three local government councils, will procure earth moving equipments so that each council will have it. Graders, pay loaders and tippers will ease their work. For example, if Vandeikya Local Government decides to construct a road from Chi Mbagbera to Adambge Mbayongu, the council will provide the diesel and the operators and the community will render essential services. I am going to decentralise the Ministry of Rural Development, which will be saddled with the role of supervising ongoing projects. This is because this ministry has been unable to supervise rural development in most, if not all the areas.
Given the shortfall in the allocation to the state from the Federation Account, how would you jerk up the internally generated revenue? There is a lot of internal revenue that are untapped in the state. First, I will bring revenue consultants to take an inventory of houses in Benue State. We will provide a template. All the houses located on a particular street will be numbered and government will try to find out how one acquires the land, whether it was through traditional means or it was through agreement, through purchase, by allocation, whether one have the C of O or not. Therefore, a special account will be opened for owners to pay ground rent. Through this, government will generate revenue from it. Government will obtain a bank facility to maintain such streets while banks will be made to live up to its corporate social responsibility. The registration of motor cycles plate numbers will also give us money and many other sources like bill boards will be taped from. We will reorganise the Revenue Board for better performance.
What is your concept of Makurdi Master Plan?
The original master plan of Makurdi, which is the state capital, is highly distorted. Beside, development has caught up with it. One of the ways to solve the problem is to open up streets.
