The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Benue

  • Ortom to Akume: showcase your achievements, leave me alone

    Gov Samuel Ortom of Benue has advised Sen. George Akume to showcase his achievements in his 11 years sojourn as senator, “instead of castigating me at every opportunity”.

    “Akume should showcase his score card. He has been in the senate for more than 11 years and the constituents want to hear what he has done.

    “He appears obsessed with abusing me every minute; that is not what the people want to hear,” Ortom told newsmen on Monday in Makurdi.

    The governor spoke through his Special Adviser on Media and ICT, Mr Tahav Agerzua, at a special interaction with newsmen.

    “The man (Akume) keeps insulting me at every turn. But, while he is raising questions about me, more questions are being raised about whether he has been an asset or liability to the people,” he said.

    He also criticised a situation where politicians arrogate divine powers to themselves, stressing that only God had the power to decide the fate of man.

    “Nobody should boast that he can make someone governor. Only God can do that. Mr Aper Aku became the first civilian governor of Benue without anyone’s support. Rev. Fr Moses Adasu moved from the Church to the Government House without a political godfather.

    Read Also: My life under threat, says Ortom

    “So, it is wrong for anyone to claim that he made me governor and could unseat me,” he said.

    The governor dismissed claims that he recently gave N2 billion to PDP’s eight governorship candidates, and wondered where such money could have come from.

    He also rejected claims that he was afraid to contest the PDP governorship tickets with other aspirants, pointing out that he ran the entire PDP governorship primary before moving to the APC to pick its ticket in 2014.

    Ortom alleged that Akume was struggling to pit him against PDP governorship aspirants because he rejected the automatic ticket offered by the APC.

    “PDP will not force Ortom on its members. Let all aspirants canvass for votes from the delegates and refrain from media wars,” he said.

  • Forgotten children of Benue (2)

    •Concerns over rising population of children orphaned by herdsmen attacks

     

    Joshua was only two and very engrossed in stamping his feet on the low lying undulating field of his hometown in Agatu, a region in Benue State renowned for its fertile soil and large water bodies.
    In 2014, a bunch of armed herdsmen with lean bodies invaded his hometown. While other people fled into safety to escape the unexpected attacks, Joshua stood by the side of his bedridden father, a farmer who struck by illness.
    “As death got closer, the hapless little boy could not fathom an escape route, so he ran under the bed at the sight of armed men who pulled down the door to the house with little effort.
    Joshua’s father was slaughtered in his presence. The herdsmen made a video, handing him the phone to say something as they recorded the gory scene.

    For two days, Joshua was left in seclusion. The villagers only took note of him when they returned to count the dead and prepare their bodies for burial.

    “The villagers felt terrorised by Joshua’s experience because he had seen things that a child should not see. They quickly released him to me,” Favour Enewa Adah Paul, the 35-year-old lady raising children displaced by farmers/herdsmen conflicts in Makurdi recalls.

    She added that when Joshua came into the house, he constantly had nightmares and was hostile to other children.

    A Home of refuge and succor

    Favour Enewa Aaah-Paul

    Since 2014, Favour has busied herself with giving children like Joshua (who has now grown into a six-year-old with a bubbly smile) a good chance at life.

    The Tivid Orphange Home, located in the North Bank area of Makurdi, Benue State capital, could be accessed from a tiny untarred path. Tall maize ridges adorn the dual colored painted wall of the large compound which houses an apartment, a playground and a makeshift building serving as classrooms.

    The home caters for orphans from areas invaded by herdsmen, such as Agatu, Guma, Logo and some parts of Nasarawa and Taraba states. It was officially opened in 2014 with nine children orphaned by herdsmen attacks in Agatu and now houses 55 children. Favour intends to bring in 20 more children orphaned by the January 2 herdsmen attacks in Guma Local Government Area as the new school term begins in September.

    The signboard of the Tivid Orphanage Home

     

    A single mother, Favour draws strength from her own ordeal. Ten years ago, she was drugged and then raped and gave birth to twins. One of them died, leaving her helpless with the burden of raising her son alone.

    When the Agatu crisis started in 2012 and many people were displaced, she emptied her savings to buy food items which were served to some of the displaced persons for breakfast.

    During the distribution of the food, she noticed that while some mothers were pushing to collect huge portions for their children, other children stood far away, helpless as they had no one to fight for them.

    She said: “I remember asking myself why these children were on their own. My mind didn’t take me to the fact that some children were orphaned from the crisis. From that sight, I developed a passion for them,” she said, placing her hands on the large table in a corner which has been turned into an office space in the home.

    When she ran out of her savings and the feeding programme at the displaced persons camp ended, Favour had resigned to moving on when a dream changed the course of her action.

    According to her, it was during the cold harmattan season in November. She had covered her child in a duvet and was making to close the windows to keep the room warm when her mind travelled to the scene of naked children sleeping in uncompleted buildings.

    “God took me to an IDP camp and I saw children that were naked. God told me to go and take care of these children,” she said.

    The next day, she spent the whole day visiting an orphanage at Gboko, after which she started bringing some of the orphaned children into her family house in Agatu. She travelled back to Makurdi to house them in a rented space which now houses a teeming number of children.

    Although the home was originally founded to provide succour for displaced children, she has also welcomed abandoned babies since she understands their needs, having been abandoned at the point when she was pregnant with her child.

    During the process of selecting the children into the home, Favour was flustered by the fact that the displaced persons preferred the male children to be sheltered than the female.

    “They believe education will favour the boys more. I am from Agatu and the people will tell you openly that education is not for girls. Most times, they wanted me to take the older boys, but I declined since I don’t have the strength. I wanted young children who would be amenable to the training I give them,” she said.

    Teaching them forgiveness

    Children at the Tivid Home singing to welcome visitors to the home

    With the home now bustling with children, few of them few months old and to age 12 or thereabout, there are usually frictions arising from their co-existence. Benue State, a largely rural area with scattered settlements, is inhabited predominantly by the TIV, Idoma and Igede people. Since some of the children were not exposed to speaking English from home, friction would often arise from the admixture of diverse languages in the house.

    Also, since the children are exposed to toxic stress and many of them suffer post-traumatic stress disorders, they often come into the home hostile.

    “We had to become judges settling cases every now and then,” Favour said of the disposition she and her staff have adopted in resolving conflicts in the home.

    She offered that the home has succeeded in curbing aggressive behaviour through the introduction of education to the children and also exposing them to places of interest such as the zoo, parks and children parties.

    Since nothing should be left to chance, the children brought into the home also have to undergo health screening and medical tests.

    Hope of shelter hangs in the balance

    Abandoned toddlers taking a nap in the bed placed in the sitting room of the orphanage

    For children like Joshua and the 54 other children in Tivid orphanage, their hope of continued stay in the orphanage hangs in the balance. The compound housing the Tivid Orphanage Home has been put up for sale. The classrooms where the children study are in a shambles. There are not enough textbooks to go round and there is no furniture in the living room. The kitchen is out of shape and the doors to the wash rooms have broken down. To accommodate more children, the home needs more beds and furniture. The home also needs to pay staff salaries as volunteers only come once in a week.

    Implication for Early Childhood Development

    With the violent clashes between herders and farmers stemming from an intense struggle for economic survival, the mental wellbeing of many of the displaced children is under threat.

    Children in displaced settings also stand the risk of being exposed to toxic stress. A growing number of research has shown that the stress of growing in poverty can have long-term effects on children’s brain and cognitive development. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is also an issue for displaced children as the trauma of war and conflict could result into difficulty in learning, cause depression and dependency on drug use.

    A child’s right activist, Betty Abah, founder of Centre for Children’s Health Education, Orientation and Protection (CEE-HOPE), said the humanitarian crisis in Benue has implications for illnesses and long-term growth deficiencies for the affected children.

    Emphasising that continuity of children’s education should be a priority even in displacement, she bemoaned the fact that the education of thousands of children in Benue’s IDP camps have been disrupted.

    “This is not a good development with Nigeria still toping the chart for having the highest number of out-of-school children in the world. Neither the state nor the Federal Government has shown any determination. They are so fixated on the next election and our children in and out of IDP camps are the ones paying the price of their insensitivity,” Abbah said.

    She added that with the recent development, fundamentalism and all sorts of socially deviant behaviors can creep in by the time the children grow into their youthful years.

    Describing the current state of the children in the camp as disheartening, Abah, a Benue State indigene, blamed both the federal and state governments for failing the children.
    She also points at members of the society who have taken fleeting interest on the suffering of the children, saying they are children born to the giant of Africa whose welfare the giant cannot guarantee.

    “It’s simply sad that after escaping brute murder in the hands of herdsmen militia, these poor kids still die of malnutrition in the camps. The Benue State Government claims to have spent billions of naira on security and welfare of the IDPs, I am compelled to ask him if he used it for noodles or kulikuli for the children, because most of the children in most of the camps are malnourished,” Abah lamented.

    Continuing she said: “This is a state that owes workers’ salaries for several months, yet you can’t feed your own displaced people. What do you do with the federal allocations, supposing the state does not generate any internal revenue? If there is anything to be done, is it not to feed the displaced people out of which the governor has made so much political capital?

    She pleaded with the Federal Government to take more than a cursory look at the plight of the IDPs in Benue since over 100,000 people are displaced and most of them are children.

    “There is a huge humanitarian crisis in the North East but Benue is not any better. Benue needs attention. We can’t afford to fail the children. The suffering is too enormous for these innocent children. And it is completely preventable and manageable. With reports of killings still ongoing, most of the displaced persons in Benue, Pleateau and beyond are not prepared to go home. They deserve protection and welfare, particularly the vulnerable children,” she stated.

    In a report about the displaced children published last week, the DG of the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Emmanuel Shior, accused the federal government and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) of neglecting the displaced persons in Benue. In response, a regional director with SEMA, Mr Luggard Ishaku, described the claims as untrue.

    “We sent some items to Benue and I wonder why they said NEMA is neglecting them. We are presently working on sending another set of relief materials to them. The process is only being delayed by procurement process,” he stated, adding that he would be able to give more information on the development when he returns to the office.

    Benue, Nigeria’s acclaimed food basket accounts for 70 per cent of Nigeria’s soybean production. Its rich agricultural products include yam, rice, beans, cassava, sweet potato, sorghum, millet, sesame and other nutritious products. It’s a dark irony that children who grew up in an environment where these food items are in surplus are now faced with an acute shortage with no hope in sight.

  • Saraki: PDP calls for arrest of Miyetti Allah leader

    The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately order the arrest of the National Coordinator of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association in Benue State, Alhaji Garus Gololo.

    Gololo had, in an interview published in a national newspaper on Wednesday, called on the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki to resign his position or be forced to do so.

    Gololo however, did not state how the association intend to force Saraki out of office.

    But in a reaction Wednesday by the spokesman of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, described the outburst of the Miyetti Allah leader as being in tandem with the threats by the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and “agents of the Buhari Presidency” to force Saraki out of office.

    Saying Gololo’s outburst was “ominous and revealing”, the PDP noted that his statement has exposed the synergy between the APC and some “troublesome elements” who are being used to stoke division and create violent crisis that had resulted into daily bloodlettings in various parts of the country.

    The statement said, “It is now abundantly clear to Nigerians that those fomenting crisis, including the bloody clashes in Benue, Taraba, Zamfara, Nassarawa, Plateau, Kaduna, Edo, Borno, Yobe, Enugu, Kogi, Adamawa and other states in our country, have political backers, who now want to channel them to achieve their unpatriotic quest to subvert our constitution and forcefully take over the National Assembly.

    “Before now, to majority of Nigerians, the Miyetti Allah has always represented the military wing of the APC and the Buhari Presidency. It is incontrovertible that they have now become the fourth arm of government that can determine when and how to forcefully remove the number three citizen, the President of the Senate.

    “It is common knowledge that Mr. President has come under heavy public criticisms on how his body language has condoned the unguarded utterances and actions of these characters.

    “However, in the light of these treasonable and inciting utterances by Miyetti Allah, we demand that President Muhammadu Buhari, should within the next 24 hours, order the arrest and commence immediate trial of the leadership of this group, otherwise Nigerians will henceforth hold him directly responsible for the utterances and actions of the Miyetti Allah.

    “Finally, the PDP is aware that Miyetti Allah does not represent the views and interests of the vast majority of cattle breeders or even any ethnic group in the country.

    “We therefore urge all good spirited Nigerians to rise in condemnation of the actions and utterances of these misguided elements, who are being used to attempt a constitutional breach that portends grave danger to national cohesion and our hard earned democracy”.

  • Leave Benue officials alone, court orders EFCC

    The Federal High Court, Abuja on Monday, restrained the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from investigating Benue government officials pending the determination of the substantive originating summons.

    The order of the court will hamstring EFCC from taking further steps that will jeopardise a suit filed against it by the Benue government.

    The Benue government had filed the suit after the agency allegedly froze its accounts on Aug. 7.

    The vacation judge, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba, who inherited the suit from another vacation judge said that he needed time to familiarise himself with the suit before he could hear it.

    Justice Dimgba adjourned the suit until Aug. 29 and ordered the EFCC to stop the investigation of Benue government officials pending the determination of the substantive originating summons.

    The suit was filed in Makurdi by the state government’s counsel, Mr Emeka Etiaba (SAN) who secured leave of court for the matter to be heard by a vacation court on the grounds that it was urgent.

    The suit was assigned to Justice Babatunde Quadri who on Aug. 9, summoned the EFCC to appear in court on Aug. 14 before transferring the matter to Justice Dimgba.

    The commission in its response said  it was only investigating some officials of the state government, against whom some citizens made allegations of diversion of public funds, money laundering and related offences.

    The EFCC said its activities in Benue were within its constitutional powers. It faulted claim by the Benue State’s Attorney General that the investigation being carried out amounted to usurping the functions of House of Assembly.

    It said its investigation in Benue was informed by petitions from indigenes of the state, including former Commissioner of Police, Abubakar Tsav and Joel Magnus, President of a group, Concerned Citizens of Benue State Transparency Anti-Corruption Group, Gboko, Benue State.

    It stated that the petitioners identified some officials of the state government, whom they accused of diverting the state’s funds and engaging in money laundering and other related financial crimes, a development, which informed why the state has been unable to pay staff salaries.

    “In carrying out its onerous duties, the 1st defendant, being a responsible agency of government, has employed the best practices of extending invitation to concerned State Government functionaries through high ranking government officials such as Secretary to the State Government, Permanent Secretaries of relevant ministries/agencies, Accountant General of the state and Liaison Officer, Benue State Liaison Office, Abuja without resorting to crude and uncivilised methods.

    “The 1st defendant is not investigating the accounts and/or appropriation, disbursement and administration of funds of Benue State Government. The 1st defendant is only investigating economic and financial crimes, money laundering related offences allegedly committed by some officials of Benue State Government.

    “The ongoing investigation cannot result into a shutdown or grinding to a halt, the activities of governance in Benue State as the 1st defendant is not an army of occupation. Indeed, the 1st defendant has not shut down government offices/business as it has been inviting relevant state government officials to make statements and/or furnish relevant documents as the need arises.

    “The ongoing investigation can only result in restoring the confidence of citizens of Benue State, who are calling for accountability, transparency and probity in the affairs of government of their state. It may well be that the outcome of investigation may prove the allegations as baseless, which is in the interest of the government of Benue State.

    “That contrary to the depositions contained in paragraphs 12 13 of the affidavit in support of the originating summons, the business of governance of Benue State has not in any way suffered or been destabilised consequent upon the ongoing investigation, as relevant officials only report as the need arises, who report and make statements and or bring relevant documents in furtherance of investigation.

    “That contrary to the depositions contained in paragraphs 21, 22 and 25 of the affidavit in support of the Originating Summons, it is not true that honouring invitations by relevant Benue State Government officials in furtherance of ongoing invitation is distracting or causing inconveniences to the officials invited, who by virtue of their offices and responsibilities/duties, their statements are crucial to the investigation, which is very painstaking.

    “That contrary to the depositions contained in paragraphs 23 and 24 of the affidavit in support of the originating summons, the statutory duties of the 1st defendant of investigating criminal allegations are never in conflict with the constitutional duties of the 4th defendant, hence there is no usurpation of the official functions of the 4th defendant, whose constitutional duties are quite distinct and different from the statutory duties of the 1st defendant.

    “The 1st defendant has never interfered with the federal principles relating to the tiers to the tiers of government, as the 1st defendant is only discharging its statutory duties.

    The Chief Press Secretary to Gov. Samuel Ortom, Terver Akase had raised the alarm on Aug. 7 over the freezing of the state government’s accounts by the EFCC before it was later unfrozen. (NAN)

  • Onslaught on Ortom, Benue

    WHETHER by design or coincidence, the federal government has given the impression it is persecuting both Governor Samuel Ortom and his state, Benue. When the state groaned under the onslaught of rampaging and murderous herdsmen, it was difficult selling the idea that it was orchestrated by a complicit government. The government was negligent, even conniving, but it could hardly be accused of orchestrating murder against its own people. But moments, not even months, after a hesitant and generally beleaguered Mr Ortom defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the federal government let loose upon him the genius of apocalypse. First at the gates, like the Barbarians attacking Rome, were the police who gave protection to some eight rebel lawmakers in their futile and fanatical attempt to usurp the authority of the legislative majority and impeach the governor. However, not only were the usurpation and impeachment efforts resisted, they were demolished.

    Second, and more perniciously, APC officials began an onslaught of verbal abuse and intimidation on the governor and his person. Beginning with the party’s chairman, the irrepressible and sometimes flighty Adams Oshiomhole, party leaders did not spare any effort in hurling withering insults at Mr Ortom. He is described as treacherous, incompetent, variable, and insatiable and pugnacious. Mr Oshiomhole was particularly unsparing, dismissing the governor as good riddance to bad rubbish. Few defended the governor. He in fact does not seem as if he has any friend left in Nigeria. Apart from Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka, and a few whispers from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to which Mr Ortom migrated, no one else of substance defended the governor without sounding like a disgruntled anti-Buhari politician and critic.

    Then, finally, weighed in the ponderous and immoderate Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the anti-graft agency that is increasingly confusing its role as an independent arbiter and national cleanser with the odoriferous role of a partisan fixer and enforcer. The agency fired the first shot shortly after the governor defected by launching an investigation against him for alleged economic crimes. And it did it with fanfare. The timing was so suspicious that Prof Soyinka in disgust queried what manner of democracy the country was operating. “Suddenly,” said the eminent professor in a letter to the besieged governor, “we see the beginning of a heavy-handed campaign, reprisal and unruly circles over your political decision. This goes beyond any immediately-affected state, and alert us all to the threat against uncommon democratic definition and the basic right of free choice of political powers towards its attainment. I can only urge you to remain resilient, unbowed and undeterred… Due to the crisis in the country, someone defected and then the EFCC started chasing him. Does that look like a coincidence or what?”

    Indifferent to national queries over its partisan actions, the EFCC then ramped up its assault on Benue by freezing the state’s accounts, thereby raising the ire of many Nigerians and Benue indigenes who concluded that the EFCC action was nothing short of persecution. Though it later unfroze the state’s accounts, it has substituted that unpopular measure with a new set of invidious actions designed to paralyse the state. Benue State government officials, wailed the governor’s spokesman, were routinely invited to Abuja to be interrogated, thus effectively reducing the state to a hostile department of the federal government. Unitary rule could not be more vile. Now, the anti-graft agency is asking for the minutes of the state’s security meetings, and it is defending that clearly indefensible position on the grounds that it has the law on its side. There is, however, no doubt that the EFCC has been both impolitic in its statements and indiscrete in its actions. It has managed in the process to be numbered among state institutions undermining democracy.

    Both the ruling party and the EFCC must exercise restraint in their actions and statements, particularly against the opposition. The APC will not always be in power, regardless of its best efforts. If it does not join hands with other democrats to institute a liberal democracy which the entire country will repose confidence in, it will one day be hoisted with its own petard. Likewise, the EFCC must recognise that its chairmen have the obligation to guard the independence of the agency and protect its founding principles so that its future can be guaranteed. The EFCC has done very little so far to give confidence that it has not become a willing and savage tool in the hands of the ruling party. This is unfortunate.

  • Army to build N7.5b estate in Benue

    The Army yesterday said it has concluded arrangements to build 321 housing units valued at N7.5 billion in Otukpo and Odimili Local Government Areas of Benue State in the next two years.

    The houses will be built through the Nigeria Army Post Service Housing Development Limited (PSHDL) headed by Brig.-Gen. Mahe Bashir.

    To facilitate the delivery of the project within the period, Gen. Bashir signed a tripartite agreement with the project coordinator, Betoniq West Nigeria Limited, represented by its Chairman, Air Vice Marshal Monday Morgan (rtd), and Chairman of Otukpo council, George Alli, at the PSHDL premises in Abuja yesterday.

    Alli at the occasion handed over the Certificate of Occupancy (CofO) of 30 hectares of land to Gen. Bashir.

    According to Gen. Bashir, the project, which consists of four bedroom duplexes, three bedroom duplexes, four bedroom detached bungalow and two bedroom flats and block of flats would be available for military personnel  and civilians at a 50:50 ratio in line with the directive of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai.

    He explained that in order to meet the over 20 million housing deficit in Nigeria, the PSHDL, since 2006, embarked on the development of estates across the country. As at today, the company has 28 estates across 15 states.

  • Benue: Prove your claims, Ortom challenges Oshiomhole

    Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has challenged All Progressive Congress (APC) Chairman Adams Oshiomhole to prove his claims of mismanagement of the Benue share of bailout funds and the Paris Club refunds.

    Ortom accused Oshiomhole of making “astonishing, unsubstantiated, wild and wide allegations relating to the issue of allocation and payment of salaries, security votes expenditure and the insecurity in Benue State”.

    The governor, who spoke in an August 6 letter written by his counsel, Samuel Irabor, alleged that the ex-Edo governor made libellous statements against him at a press conference on July 27.

    He demanded that Oshiomhole should write a “letter of retraction/apology addressed to our client in respect of the false, defamatory and libelous statement made against him in the sponsored press conference herein complained of.

    “That the said retraction/apology be simultaneously published in the Sunday edition of 10 national dailies circulating within Benue State as well as a paid advertorial to the same effect on the prime time beats of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Channels TV, TVC News, African Independent Television (AIT), Independent Television (ITV) Benin, Radio Nigeria, Radio Benue and Harvest FM, Makurdi.

    “An undertaking not to indulge in any such false publication against our client in future, payment of N10 billion as punitive, general, exemplary and aggravated damages.”

    He warned that should the APC chair fail to meet the terms within seven days, he should prepare to defend a libel suit.

    According to the Benue helmsman, Oshiomhole’s statements were an attempt to “regain political mileage” following Ortom’s recent exit from the APC to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    He claimed that since he exercised his “political freedom” by moving to a party that guaranteed safety for his kinsmen, Oshiomhole had embarked on a campaign of hatred and propaganda against him.

    Ortom described as false and offensive, “your allegations that our client has confessed to sharing Benue State money with party leaders and that despite collection of bailout funds and Paris Club refunds .”

    He also took exception to a statement credited to Oshiomhole that “Governor Ortom has not, and is not paying salaries… the vicious circle of poverty in Benue State has been deepened under Governor Ortom.

    By deducible analysis, it is also your allegation that our client is responsible for the killings in Benue State, specifically the unfortunate killing of two Catholic priests and their parishioners in Mbalom community which sad event occurred on the morning of 24th April, 2018.

    “It is noteworthy that in the entire web of false accusations that you weaved against our client, you could not bring yourself to mention a single Benue person or any other person for that matter from whom you sourced your false narratives. For the records, the principles of law grounding liability for defamation and libel do not exculpate tale bearers from liability for the reason that the tales they bear are not original to them.

    “It is the complaint of our client that the false and offensive publication has deeply injured his reputation by portraying him in literal, unequivocal and unambiguous terms as a dishonest, fraudulent and violent person who has not only diverted the various intervention funds meant for salaries and arrears by sharing same with party leaders but is also an accomplice to the killings in Benue State.

    “It was in this parlous state that the Samuel Ortom led administration applied for the said N69 billion as bailout funds but it received N28 billion of which N12.5 billion was meant for the state and the balance of it was meant for the local government areas. After carrying out staff verification, the state paid four months arrears for January 2015 – April 2015 and was able to save N1.6 billion as a positive consequence of the verification exercise. Unfortunately the N1.6 billion saved from the verification exercise was garnished by the workers of Taraku Mills Ltd who had earlier secured judgment at the National Industrial Court before our client became Governor.

    “On the issue of Paris Club refund, the expenditure profile by the Benue State Government is also in the public domain as our client, in the spirit of transparency, probity, honesty and accountability, has variously engaged the Benue people through several interactive sessions entailing phone-in programmes vide the state media. The records show that the first tranche of Paris Club refund amounting to N12.7 billion was received in December, 2016 and used in facilitating two months salaries across board. The second tranche came in June 2017 amounting to N6.4 billion and was also used to offset salary, pension and gratuities while the Benue State Government in agreement with the Labour Congress in Benue State took an overdraft of N8 billion in anticipation of the third tranche which was also utilized to settle indebtedness to workers.”

    According to Ortom, the only inference to draw is that Oshiomhole’s “unproven allegation was informed by a dangerously cultivated, albeit unwarranted malice” against him.

  • Row over N23b: Benue tackles EFCC, says Ortom will be exonerated

    The Benue State Government yesterday faulted the Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) over its claim that more than N23billion in some state accounts were withdrawn and diverted.

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

    It expressed regrets that EFCC is acting like a Strike squad of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    It said any genuine, fair, just and equitable investigation will surely exonerate Governor Samuel Ortom.

    The government made its position known in a statement by Terver Akase, who is the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Samuel Ortom.

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

    It said: “It released figures allegedly withdrawn from the Benue State Government accounts without disclosing the dates of the withdrawals and the period during which they were made.

    “The Commission has also not been able to state accounts into which such monies withdrawn were paid to prove that the funds had been diverted.

    “EFCC is contented with publishing the figures without stating how impropriety has been established.

    “Are government monies supposed to be kept in the accounts indefinitely without expenditure?

    “Their objective is apparently to give Governor Samuel Ortom and his administration a bad name.”

    The statement accused the EFCC of turning into a strike squad of the APC for torment.

    It said: “On this score, it is clear that the EFCC has now become both a strike squad of the APC for torment, and their law court for the trial and conviction of political opponents.

    “Only an agency which has the mandate of ruining the reputation of persons perceived to be political opponents of the ruling party would descend to the low level the EFCC is currently heading to, by circulating figures in the conduct of a media trial of Governor Ortom.

    “The agency has ridiculously assumed the role of a law court by passing judgments over political opponents as it is doing at the moment against the Governor.

    “Perhaps, only in this country can such impunity be encouraged by the government at the centre.

    “EFCC should be ashamed to have lied to Nigerians that it began investigation of the present administration in Benue State two years ago.”

    The State Government alleged witch-hunting of Ortom was because he defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC).

     

  • Couple on mission to change Benue story

    Benue State has been in the news for killings and political upheavals. But something unique and heartwarming is happening in the heart of the state. A Benue indigene, Dr Moses Tyorumun Adi, and his wife, Diana, are providing world class tuition-free basic education for indigent school kids in Gboko, a fast-growing town in Benue. The facilities at the Seed of Royalty Academy (SORA International) are as good as can be found anywhere. Dr Adi’s vision is to admit 4,000 pupils who will get tuition-free education and free daily feeding. About 127 of the pupils graduated last month. Dr Adi and wife tell JOSEPH JIBUEZE their vision for the school and what fuels their generosity.

    A first time visitor to the Seed of Royalty Academy (SORA International) in Gboko, Benue State, may mistake it for a private university. The beautiful structures are imposing. The facilities are world-class. A standby diesel-powered generator provides steady power supply. The massive school auditorium, with a gallery, is better than what can be found in most Nigerian universities.

    The school sprawls over 60 plots of land and currently has nearly 2,000 nursery and primary pupils. The President/Founder, Dr Moses Tyorumun Adi’s target is to provide fully funded tuition-free quality education to 4,000 pupils each academic session when the school’s expansion is completed.

    Presently, the school has 637 pupils in the nursery section and about 1,200 in the primary section.

    They only pay a maintenance fee of N5,500, but with a staff strength of 202, the fee is nowhere near enough to pay a term’s salaries, let alone the overhead costs that includes the maintenance of over 12 buses that convey the students. The Adis subsidise the rest.

    SORA International hires the best teachers and has a monthly wage bill of over N4 million. More than 100 children are on scholarship (for those who cannot afford the maintenance fee or are unable to buy textbooks).

    So far, Dr Adi has made over N500 million worth of investment in the school and has never owed staff salary since inception. “The school is not aimed at profit-making,” Dr Adi, also a Christian reverend, said.

     

    High standards

    Despite being tuition-free, standards are high. Pupils of SORA International are as good as their peers. In the 2017 MAN Olympiad, a SORA International pupil, Stephanie Akange, came third overall at the state level of the competition. She was crowned “the Queen of Mathematics” in the state and came first at the national level.

    In the 2018 Nigerian Tulip National Mathematics Competition, Terlumun Tersur emerged as the Gold medal winner at the national level.

    Also this year, two of SORA International pupils, Silas Doose and Abele Chivirter, came second and third in the MAN Olympiad.

    Last month, 127 pupils graduated from the primary school. Among them are two children of a serving House of Representatives member Hon. Iorember Benjamin Wayo, who represents Kwande/Ushongo Federal Constituency.

    On why he sent his children to SORA International when he could have sent them abroad or to schools in Abuja, the lawmaker, a one-time magistrate in the Benue State judiciary, said the standards at SORA International were as good as he could get elsewhere.

    “I was a lawyer in Gboko and I found this property for Dr Adi. So, I’ve been part of the school since inception. I have no regrets whatsoever enrolling my kids in SORA International. The quality of teaching and moral education given the children is perfect,” he said.

    An actress and radio presenter, Jessica Tsevende, whose younger sister also graduated from SORA International, was full of praises for Dr Adi and his wife Dianna, who is the school’s proprietress.

    She said: “SORA International is a great school. I could barely solve some of the take-home tasks they gave my sister. If we were to pay N50,000 or more per term for her, I’d still consider it cheap, considering the quality of education my sister got.

    “Yet, she schooled here almost free of charge. The school does not appeal for funds. I haven’t heard the owner call for support from politicians. He funds it all alone.

    “At first I didn’t understand why my dad chose the school. I thought the standard would be too low for my sister. But I was blown away when I first visited the school. It turned out my dad was right as my sister’s Common Entrance result was amazing. She had very good grades.

    “I believe the standard of teaching is very good and I must confess its high and better than what others have. Their facilities are outstanding. The President is doing a great job. I’m very impressed with the serene environment. To think that it’s all almost free is just awesome and surreal.”

     

    Applications galore

    The story is SORA International is well known in Gboko. According to the head teacher Mr Tyam Michael, they receive more applications each session than they can admit. They can only admit a few so as to maintain the standards.

    “We have a crèche, a play group, Nursery 1-3 and Primary I to 6. The school is designed to accommodate a population of 4,000 when completed.

    “That is why you can see the structures on ground and the ongoing expansion. There are 67 classrooms for the primary school. A class has a maximum of 30 pupils. We’re looking for efficiency.

    “The school is not built to make profit. The owner decided that this is what he can offer to the society. The cheapest fee you can find in other standard schools around Gboko is N10,000 or more and you cannot compare their facilities with ours.

    “By the time the buildings are completed, there will be nothing like payment of school fees in SORA International.

    “We have a total staff strength of 202, both academic and non-academic. So, what the pupils pay cannot be enough to pay a month’s salaries let alone maintaining the school. Dr Adi pays us with his personal funds.

    “I think it’s only the building that is stopping him from removing the maintenance fee completely. That is his vision.

    “Requests for admission are always much, but we cannot admit everyone for now. A dining hall is under construction and the aim is to provide the pupils with daily free meals as well,” Michael said.

     

    Head girl speaks The graduating head girl, Doose Olaitan, gave a moving speech that drew a thunderous applause from the packed auditorium.

    She decried the poor attention paid to girl-child education, and paid tribute to Dr Adi and his wife for giving people like her a head-start in life.

    “A look at the structures of this school will suggest to anyone that if the Adis had been selfish as the others, this place would have been a five-star hotel in Benue, which could have been a safe haven for evil men to carry out their activities and defile young girls like me. They decided to stand out by building a proper foundation for us,” she said.

     

    Driven by passion

    Dr Adi’s dream is to make SORA International the biggest privately owned Christian faith-based nursery and primary school in sub Saharan Africa “with the sole objective of providing affordable and accessible education for underprivileged children at minimal or no cost.”

    A secondary arm, SORA Heights, with semester academic structure, has already taken off, with boarding facilities.

    Dr Adi holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Security Management and a PhD holder in Criminology from the University of Port Harcourt.

    He was formerly the Security Intelligence Manager at the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) during which he ensured that Shell was able to sustain oil production operations without disruptions at the height of the Niger Delta militancy.

    After leaving Shell, he went into business as a security consultant and investor. He is the Chief Executive Officer of Threatmit Security and Safety Consultants.

    He took over the moribund Benue State and Chemical Fertilizer Company, based at the Industrial layout in Makurdi and turned it around to optimal production capacity within record period of four months. It is now known as SORA Fertiliser.

    A philanthropist, Dr Adi believes that life is about touching lives. His home in Gboko is a three-bedroom flat he built 20 years ago. He said he would rather add more structures to the school than build a mansion in his hometown.

    On what drives him, he said: “It is to see children who are under-privileged have the best that life can offer that their parents cannot afford. This school was not established with the intention of making profit.”

    On whether he has the resources to cope with the envisaged population, he said: “God will provide for it. That’s what I want – to be embarrassed by God.

    “Anything that is of God, he funds it; that’s the faith I have. Once we provide the classes for the children to come in, God will provide the resources. We’re looking at having a hundred classes.”

    On his plans for the school, Dr Adi said: “In the next two to three years, we may be close to about 3,000 pupils. In five years, it could get to 4,000. That’s the ultimate.

    “Once God prospers the businesses we’re doing outside the school, and we see that the income can take care of the salaries and daily feeding provisions, then we’ll start the free daily feeding.

    “Every child that comes here will have free lunch, and that will be the happiest day of our lives. They will come to school not worrying about what to eat. There will be no tuition fees.

    “As the Lord gives us profit in our businesses, we’ll plough it back into this school. We’ll invest in bonds, and whatever interests accrue will be ploughed into the school. This is so that even when we’re dead, the school can continue to do what we started when we were alive.

    “I spend over N4 million monthly on salaries from my pocket. The total income per term is barely N8 million. There are four months in a term. If every month we’re paying N4 million plus, then salaries alone are over N16 million per term, not to talk of the diesel costs, medicals. We give God the glory. I’m proud to tell God I used everything I have for the good of the children.”

    Dr Adi said he is joyous seeing the pupils perform excellently. “That’s what gives us joy. God wants to encourage us to continue doing what we’re doing. We wanted to roof and deck two buildings. Both were to cost N25 million. Where would the money come from?

    “But as I talk to you, the money is coming in, and our promise to God is that it’ll be used on these buildings. You have seen faith in action here. This is wonderland.”

    The proprietress, Mrs Adi, said she was in full support of her husband’s acts of kindness.

    “Not at all,” she said when asked if she ever thought the husband was spending too much. “We’re together. The students are simply great. They’re teachable.”

    On her experience running the school, she said: “There have been challenges, but the Bible tells me that with God, all things are possible. So everything you’re seeing here is through God’s grace.”

  • PDP calls for unfreezing of Benue, Akwa Ibom accounts

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called for immediate unfreezing of the official accounts of Akwa Ibom and Benue states  blocked by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)

    PDP in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan on Wednesday in Abuja called on Acting President Yemi Osinbajo  to immediately order the EFCC to unfreeze the  accounts.

    He described the action of the anti-graft agency as a direct attack on innocent Nigerians in the two states.

    Ologbondiyan described the action  illegal, unconstitutional, overtly wicked and unjustifiable under any laws and practice of Nigeria.

    He advised the Presidency not to hide under the EFCC to unleash punishment and hardship on the people in states perceived to be opposed to the All Progressives Congress (APC) 2019 re-election bid.

    “Nigerians are all aware that no section of our constitution or any law in Nigeria for that matter confers any agency of the Federal Government with powers to interfere or put any restrictions on funds belonging or accruable to states as federating units of our nation.

    “Apart from its State Assembly, no other government body or institution has the powers of appropriation or restrictions on any funds belonging
    to the state.(NAN)