The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Benue state

  • Ortom declares emergency on salary payment

    Ortom declares emergency on salary payment

    Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom,on saturday declared a state of emergency on salary payment.

    Governor Ortom made the announcement at a meeting with Labour leaders at the New Banquet Hall of Government House in Makurdi.
    He also set up a committee to work out details of its implementation.
    The committee has the Deputy Governor, Engr. Benson Abounu as chairman and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Mr Matthew Uyina, as Secretary.

    Other members are Commissioners of Finance, Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, their colleagues in the Ministries of Health and Information as well as Advisers on Labour, Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Development Cooperation, Rural Development and Cooperatives.

    Labour leaders on the committee are Comrade Godwin Anya, State Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Terungwa Igbe, President, Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, Comrade Philip Ter Nongu, State Chairman, Joint Councils one, two and three, and Comrade Ordue Tartenger, Trade Union Congress chairman.

    Governor Ortom stated that the implications of the declaration included prioritization of salary payment as well as the exploration of every means of obtaining funds to clear arrears including  borrowing.

    He said the committee’s terms of reference would include pruning of the State wage bill, fishing out ghost workers and perpetrators of fraud with regard to the issue.

  • Corps member dies of heart failure in Sokoto

    Corps member dies of heart failure in Sokoto

    A Corps member, Anthony Ochai, from Benue State, has died of heart failure in Sokoto, the State NYSC Coordinator, Alhaji Musa Abubakar, has said.

    Abubakar made the disclosure in Sokoto on Friday, during the passing out ceremony of 1,411 corps members deployed to the state under the 2016 batch ”A”, Stream One.

    He said:” The late corps member was serving at the Government Secondary School, Tsamaye, Sabon-Birni Local Government in the state.

    ” The deceased was resting after a football match between the various batches of the scheme, suddenly he just collapsed and died.

    ” His remains were brought to the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto and it was  confirmed that he died of heart failure.”

    Abubakar further stated that the late corps member hailed from Ugbokolo village, in Ukopo local government of Benue state.

    The coordinator also said that the remains of the late  Ochai would be buried on Friday in his home town, in Benue State.

    Abubakar further disclosed that 10 corps members had their service year extended by between three months to one year, for abscondment.

    In the same vein, 10 corps members were given state merit awards, while four others received the Chairman’s commendation certificate.

    He added that 85 other corps members were given commendation letters for outstanding performance.

    Abubakar advised the outgoing corps members to continue to be good ambassadors of the service

     

  • Ortom: Why I ordered armed herdsmen out of Benue

    Ortom: Why I ordered armed herdsmen out of Benue

    Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, on Thursday said that he ordered the expulsion of armed herdsmen out of his state was to protect the lives and property of his people.

    Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, he said that it was incumbent on him to secure the people against any internal and external aggression.

    Stressing that he couldn’t have continued watching helplessly while his people were getting killed by the herders, he said that his action is in line with the rule of law.

    The governor also disclosed that he had appropriately directed the security agencies to ensure that the armed herdsmen were arrested and prosecuted.

    He said: “I  ordered armed herdsmen out of my state. They are not friendly to my people. They are killing them and I cannot tolerate that. My job as governor is to provide security for lives and property.

    “I cannot watch seeing people being killed unprovoked. It is not right. The only thing my people are living on is farming. When you go to their farmland and destroy their crop and then when they complain you kill them, that will never be acceptable. I will not fold my hands to watch this happen.

    “I have told the security men to ensure they arrest of all those who have arms. You are aware that through my amnesty Programme, I was able to disarm the criminal elements in my society because I believe in the rule of law and due process.

    “Without the rule of law, there is no way we can govern. A stronger person will come and take over the affairs of the state from where ever you are. And so, we must abide by the rule of law. The impunity is what we should stand up and fight outside from corruption.” he said

    He went on: “Another thing is impunity, it is worse than corruption. So, why we are fighting corruption, we just also fight impunity. This is not right. Those armed herdsmen, are they above the law?

    “So, the security men must track and arrest them and prosecute them according to the law. I have told my people that as farmers, they have no business carrying arms. And so, I will protect them as long as I am governor is my state.” he said

    He also refuted the claims that his directives were not accepted by the  Commissioner of police, stressing that they were both on the same page.

    “People with arms? The commissioner of police should arrest those people with arms. These are not licensed arms. I was with him when we went to Buruku, he never said anything to contradict what I said earlier. I don’t know where this fabrication is coming from. As far as I am concerned, I am in touch with my security council in Benue State. We meet regularly and all these problems we discuss them when we meet.

    “And I as far as I am concerned, we are on the same page to ensure that those weigh arms should be arrested otherwise, they should leave the state”, he said.

  • Panic as woman dies of Lassa fever in UCTH

    There has been a sense of panic among staff and patients at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), following the reported death of a 22-year old woman from Lassa fever in the hospital on Wednesday.

    It was gathered that the decease, Itodo Christabel, had become sick in Benue State where she was hospitalized and requested to be transferred to a hospital in Calabar so she could be close to her husband, soldier, who is in the Cross River State capital.

    It was learnt she was admitted at the Eburutu Barracks clinic in Calabar and later transferred to the Navy Hospital in the same city where she was for some days before she was taken to the UCTH, where she died less than 12 hours after she was admitted.

    Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Thomas Agan, confirmed the incident.

    He told reporters that there was no cause for alarm as the matter was under control.

    He said the woman was brought to them when her situation was critical.

    He however worried about doctors and nurses who attended to her and said they have been quarantined and the hospital will officially write to the Health Minister and Director of the Centre for Disease Control.

  • Ortom sacks convicted Executive Secretary

    Ortom sacks convicted Executive Secretary

    Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state had ordered the immediate termination of the appointment of the Executive Secretary (ES) of the Teachers Service Board (TSB), Mr James Pine, for embarrassing the state government.

    The Acting Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr Bem Meladu, revealed this on Monday in Makurdi that the state government was embarrassed by the actions of Pine who assaulted a staff member under him.

    He said that Pine also used criminal force on the staff and while the case was in court, he turned
    down all overtures toward peaceful resolution of the matter.

    The SSG regretted that the matter dragged on in court till he was convicted by a court on charges
    of assault and criminal force.

    He said that very senior officials in government tried to arbitrate in the matter to no avail and
    lamented that the conviction was “very embarrassing to the government”.

    “Ortom has, therefore, directed the termination of his appointment because Pine’s conviction by the court was an embarrassment to the governor, the government and the people of the state.”

    Pine, who was appointed by Ortom in 2015, was dragged to court by one of his subordinates, James Asema, on account of assault and criminal force.

    The magistrate court had on Thursday last week found him guilty and sentenced him to five
    months imprisonment or an option of N10, 000 fine.

  • St. David Mark golf academy aims to become Africa’s hub

    St. David Mark golf academy aims to become Africa’s hub

    The managers of St David Mark Golf Academy and Country Club, Akpegede, Benue State, have said that their aim is to make the institution the sport’s hub in Africa.

    Smarting from their feats at the just concluded Awa Ibrahim Junior Golf Open Championships in Lagos, the Head Coach, Joseph Harvey, said on Wednesday that necessary logistics to achieve that were in place.

    Harvey noted that the four-year-old already had a syllabus for the training of young golfers.

    The academy is sponsored by a golf enthusiast and former Senate President, David Mark, for the less privileged that
    are desirous of playing golf.

    The academy, a 20-hole golf course, established in 2012, is already making its mark as the sport’s leading academy as exhibited at the Championships.

    The academy produced a superlative display to the admiration of spectators where its young golfers won 12 of the 15 medals available at the championships.

    The academy in all won five gold medals on offer, four silver and three bronze medals.

    Harvey said that the result from the championships was expected due to the hard work of the academy’s golfers.

    “They have the right exposure to the game; they merit being champions. The academy gave them much of what was expected of them and some are on scholarships.

    “Going by the vision of the academy, we hope to become a well-respected golf academy and the hub of the game in Africa in the next three years.

    “The academy is now four years old and the students are finding it very easy now but it was not so when we started.

    “We have to borrow the golf kits around when we started but now those kits are free,’’ he said.

    On the academy’s challenges, Harvey said that the uncooperative attitude of some parents was hindering the development
    of the youth.

    “Golfing is relatively new to the people of Otukpo, Akpegede and environs when we started, so, we need the parents’ consent for their children to be available for training.

    “It is a little bit hard getting parental support because some of them don’t understand what golf is. It took the intervention of the owner, former Senate President, David Mark to create more awareness.

    “But for those who allowed their kids, we are already seeing the results. Mark pledges scholarships for the children as a means of encouraging them in the sport and education.

    “The school pays their scholarships and they in turn stay in school. We have about 500 students now in the school and we train twice a week,’’ he said.

    Harvey said that the academy had a short term plan to achieve its vision of making sure that professional golfers graduated from the school.

    “We are currently on a short term module for training the kids because we want some that are adults to grab the skills fast.

    “We have two categories, one for the adults and the other for the kids from age 5 to 14.

    “And we train them through our ‘Catch-Them-Young’ programme until they become professional golfers. The target duration is three years,’’ he said.

  • Murder: Mark condemns rising insecurity in Benue

    …Wants security beef up in crime prune areas.

     

    Worried by the un-abating insecurity in parts of Benue State which has claimed scores of lives in recent time, former Senate President, Senator David Mark, Monday condemned in strong terms the menace.

    Mark tasked security operatives to immediately to rise up to the challenge by doing the needful.

    The former Senate President in a statement by his media assistant, Paul Mumeh recalled that a couple of days ago, unknown gunmen invaded a police station in Ado Local Government Area of Benue State during which four police men on duty were  reportedly murdered while some ammunitions  were carted away.

    He noted that in a similar bizarre circumstance, two students of Benue State Polytechnic, Ugbokolo believed to be brothers were murdered in cold blood by gun men suspected to be cultists.

    Senator Mark who said that situation is troubling urged the citizens to cooperate with the security operatives “to fish out the perpetrators of these heinous crimes “.

    He lamented that insecurity was taking a toll on the concerted efforts to attract development, saying that all hands must be on deck to end the menace.

    He cautioned youths in the state to refrain from any act of criminality or violence because “you will  be putting your lives and future in jeopardy.

    He said, “As future leaders, our youths should engage in something productive and meaningful. You cannot position yourselves as future leaders and deliberately destroying the proposed future. Enough is enough. A word is enough for the wise”.

  • Police confirms killing of traditional ruler in Benue

    Police confirms killing of traditional ruler in Benue

    The police in Benue have confirmed the killing of Chief Awuhe Alev, the traditional ruler of Mabayongo district, in Katsina Ala local government council of the state

    Confirming the incidence on Monday to the News Agency of Nigeria, in Makurdi, the police public relations officer, ASP Moses Yamu, said unknown gunmen invaded the traditional ruler’s house in Vingir village on Sunday night and shot him dead.

    He said the police had yet to discover the motive for the killing but added that investigations into the murder were in top gear and assured that the culprits would soon be arrested.

    The police spokesman said additional policemen had been deployed to the area to maintain law and order and appealed to members of the public with useful information that might lead to the arrest of the culprits to volunteer them to security agencies.

    NAN reports that a village in Mbayongo had recently been under siege by security operatives in search of Mr Terwase Akwaza, the former Aide of Gov. Samuel Ortom, who had been accused of killing, kidnaping and cattle rustling.

  • Ortom pledges collaboration with vigilante group on crime

    Ortom pledges collaboration with vigilante group on crime

    Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has assured members of the Benue State Chapter of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria of support  in the fight to rid the society of criminals.
    Governor Ortom who received members of the group at Benue People’s House today, said law enforcement agencies  needed synergy with other organizations to enable them to succeed.
    He said his administration  would continue to make the provision of security and advised the vigilante group to put their house in order in such a manner that organisations with similar objectives would not work at cross purposes.
    The  Governor directed the Special Adviser on Security to harmonise the various vigilante groups in the state into one formidable body that can receive government support.
    He disclosed that law enforcement agents and members of the civilian joint task force recorded a major success recently when they arrested several criminals with  four AK 47 rifles,  one pump action, 250 rounds of live ammunition and eight magazines.
    Governor Ortom said the stick approach would be applied after the carrot approach that was used during the period of amnesty and noted that no criminal would henceforth be spared.
    While insisting that he could not preside over a state dominated by criminals, the Governor said  with the dedication  of the state to God, no stone would be left unturned in the area of the fight against crime even corruption.
    Earlier, the Benue State Commander of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria, Samuel Ahungwa Zungwenen told the Governor that members have been apprehending fake currency dealers and other criminals  and requested him to equip  and furnish their new head.
    Mr Zungwenen said the Governor would be invited to commission the head office adding that as patron of the organization he would be decorated with the appropriate rank during the  occasion.
    He commended the Governor’s security measures since he assumed office especially the amnesty programme and the efforts to end the Fulani herdsmen’s invasion and requested for assistance in the areas of mobility and the permission to produce locally made arms.
    The group was led to Benue People’s House by the state matron, Mrs Regina Akume, JP.
  • Benue: Tribunal strikes out petition against Mark

    Benue: Tribunal strikes out petition against Mark

    The Benue state election petition tribunal sitting in Makurdi, Thursday struck out the petition filed by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress’ (APC), Daniel Onjeh, against Senator David Mark of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in the re-run election.

    Delivery her judgment, Justice Chinyere Gloria Anulube said that Onjeh filed the petition after the 21 days stipulated by the constitution has elapsed.