The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Benue govt

  • Benue govt orders probe of BSU building collapse

    The Benue State government has urged authorities of the State University in Makurdi (BSU) to investigate the circumstances surrounding the collapse of the multi-million naira Faculty of Social Sciences office/theatre complex, which collapsed on Sunday.

    There was no casualty in the incident as the students were not on campus due to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike.

    Deputy Governor Benson Abounu, who visited the institution, directed the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Msugh Kembe, to find out the cause of the collapse and determine if the necessary safety measures were in place in building the structure.

    Abounu also directed Kembe to notify relevant professionals and government agencies connected with the building for an urgent meeting of the parties that took part in its construction with a view to resolving the matter.

    The deputy governor said government cannot lose the project like, adding that the incident was unfortunate.

    He told the vice chancellor to furnish him with the outcome of the investigation, including contractual obligations when a similar disaster occurs.

    Kembe said the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) had visited the school.

    Abounu, a chartered engineer of London and Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (FNSE), was accompanied by the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Titus Uba, and the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Anthony Ijohor (SAN).

    The building, which was built with the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) in 2015, collapsed last Sunday morning.

     

     

  • Benue faults EFCC’s N23bn claim

    … Ortom will be exonerated – Aide

    The Benue State Government on Saturday faulted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) over its claim that over N23billion in state accounts was withdrawn and diverted.

    It asked the anti-graft agency to stop publishing figures without stating how impropriety has been established.

    The state government accused EFCC of now acting like a strike squad of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and boasted that any genuine, fair, just and equitable investigation would surely exonerate Governor Samuel Ortom.

    The government disclosed these in a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Terver Akase.

    He said: “After succumbing to nationwide condemnation of its illegal freezing of Benue State Government accounts, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has resorted to yet another shameful act in its desperation to cripple governance in the state.

    “The anti-graft agency’s latest move is the bandying of figures in national dailies claiming that such figures are those of transactions in the accounts owned by the Benue State Government.

    “In The Nation Newspaper of Saturday, August 11, 2018, EFCC claimed among other things that a staff of the Benue State Government whose name it gave as ‘Agbo Amada’ has been sacked ‘to avoid making him available for interrogation.’

    “The Commission could not disclose where the said government staff worked before he was sacked obviously because such a person does not exist.”

    The state government challenged the EFCC to release more details if it has its facts right.

     

     

  • Benue govt urges residents to obey anti-open grazing law

    Benue govt urges residents to obey anti-open grazing law

    Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has urged residents of the state to ranch their livestock or face the wrath of the law.

    In a broadcast to the citizens of the state, the governor said open grazing has been banned in the state .

    According to the governor:  “ Today, first November, 2017, marks the beginning of the prohibition of open grazing in Benue State. I call on all citizens residing in Benue State who are into cattle or livestock business to abide by this law.

    “There is no more open grazing in Benue State. All those who are interested in doing livestock business must ranch their livestock, otherwise the law will catch up with them. Let me appeal to all citizens to be law abiding”, he said.

    Governor Ortom, however, advised residents against taking the law into their hands in instances of trespass.

    “No one should take laws into his hands. We have put in place adequate machinery to enforce the law. Where there are trespasses or infringements of the law, report to the appropriate quarters and it will be duly handled by the team put in place. I want to appeal to all of us to be law abiding.

    “The law seeks to protect farmers and herdsmen alike. The law seeks to ensure peace for all citizens. The law is not targeted at any individual or group of people or any ethnic group.  All of us must team together and work to ensure the success of this law.

    “We have suffered hardship, we have suffered pains, we have suffered sorrow.  We have lost so much from both sides and we cannot allow this to continue as leaders with the responsibility of providing security for lives and property.

    “I want all citizens to join hands with government to ensure that we adopt this method of ranching which is the global best practice for all those in livestock business all over the world”  he said.

     

     

     

  • Benue govt suspends commissioner, sole administrator

    The Benue State Executive Council has suspended the Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Tourism, Mr. Sekav Dzua Iyortyom, for three months, following alleged murder charges against him.

    Commissioner for Information and Orientation Odeh Ageh announced the suspension yesterday after the council’s meeting at the Benue Peoples’ House, Makurdi.

    Ageh said the Sole Administrator of Buruku Local Government, Mr. David Yiman, was also suspended for three months for a similar offence.

    He said the decision of the council would be communicated to the House of Assembly, which will also be requested to approve an acting administrator for Buruku.

    The commissioner said the council approved contracts for four major roads at N21.5 billion.

    The roads include the 52-kilometre Yogbo-Udei-Udei branch road (N6.5 billion), 55 kilometre Ikyov-Utange-Mbagwaza-Mbagba-Lessel road (N5.9 billion); Obagaji-Okokolo-Abian-Agagbe road (N5.5 billion) and the 21 kilometre Otukpo Icho-Odutajie-Aondona road (N2.6 billion).

    The state Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has accepted the government’s offer to pay two months from Paris and London clubs refund of N12.7 billion.

    Chairman Comrade Godwin Anya told reporters yesterday in Makurdi labour accepted the decision because of the sincerity of concerns raised by the government.

    He added that based on the agreement, payment will begin next week.

    Anya said Governor Samuel Ortom promised during Tuesday’s meeting the government will consider their request to pay additional month with improved December allocation.

    On complaints July pay of some workers were slashed, the NLC boss said the governor promised his administration will look into the matter.

  • Don, legislator, sue Benue govt over last minute actions

    A University Don  Professor  Aloysius Ihuah, and member of the State House of Assembly, Mr Benjamin Adanyi, have sued the state government under Governor Gabriel Suswam over last minute employments, appointments, and sale of government property.

    In separate writ of summons filed by Prof. Tony Ijohor, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Professor Ihuah, of the Benue State University and Minority Leader of the state assembly, Mr Adanyi are praying the Makurdi High Court to restrain the state government from employing 4,500 workers and making further last minute appointments.

    Professor Ihuah averred that as a public servant duly employed by the state government, he has not been paid his salary for the past three months while other workers have not been paid for over five months yet the government was seeking to employ over 4, 500 staff and further compound the situation.

    He stated that the first defendant has also concluded arrangements to lease some state owned companies including the Benue Fertilizer Blending and Chemical Company Limited, adding that the actions would put the state into more difficult financial state.

    According to the plaintiff, the current market value of the Benue Fertilizer Blending and Chemical Company with its machinery, warehouses and other facilities is above N200 billion while the current market rate of leased properties such as the plant is N250 million per annum, pointing out that it was being leased out to a crony at a give away N2. 5 million per annum.

    The Minority Leader of the state assembly said the appointment of some members of the Local Government Service Commission whose appointments Governor Suswam sought to replace or reappoint had not expired and sought the court to restrain the governor from carrying out the action.

    Also joined in the suits is the Attorney General of the state while AT & S, the firm that has been earmarked as a beneficiary of the lease has been joined in the suit challenging the lease.

    No date has yet been fixed for hearing of the motions in respect of the cases.