The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Gov Samuel Ortom

  • Sam Omatseye: Pain in the heart of hate preacher

    The Chairman, Editorial Board of The Nation Newspaper, Sam Omatseye is in tears. He is in deep pain and regret. The pain in Omatseye’s heart began the day Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State was declared winner of the 2019 election.

    Omatseye knew that his emotion-laden commentaries enmeshed in acrimony as published on the back page of The Nation had failed to elicit the rejection of Governor Ortom among Benue people – a target he set for himself long before the polls. Omatseye’s diatribe on Governor Ortom sounds much like the frustration which reality thrusts upon a drunken debtor who must face his creditor the next morning. His pain is nonetheless understandable.

    I keep wondering what interest the Chairman of a newspaper’s editorial board has in the politics of a state as we have seen in Sam’s frequent outings on Benue State in the last one year. Wither goes Omatseye’s toga of neutrality? Why so much venom upon one governor?

    Sam’s latest column as published on the back page of April 1, 2019 edition of The Nation sought to paint Governor Ortom as a tribal warlord who preaches hate, division and fear using the herdsmen attacks on Benue communities. He in the same column portrayed Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong as a peace-loving man and one who cherishes the unity of all Nigerians living in his state.

    Omatseye has apparently lost the meaning of democracy which confers on the people the right to choose their leaders.

    The curious question is; who paid Sam Omatseye to denigrate Benue people calling them lovers of food and sex? His words, “I hear they make pounded yam by the day and make love at night.”

    Omatseye is clearly on a mission to trigger national hatred towards Benue people and leaders of the State. Quite unfortunate! It is sad because Sam is not known to own cattle. Even if he owns cows, his animals graze far away from the Benue Valley. So why so much anger that Governor Ortom signed a law and insisted that the legislation be implemented? Was Sam aware of the public hearings that took place in the three senatorial districts of Benue before the State House of Assembly passed the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Bill?

    Ironically, in the entirety of the 173-line column in The Nation, Omatseye has failed to fault the 2019 Benue election which gave Governor Ortom his 2nd term. There is nowhere in the piece that he said Governor Ortom was not genuinely voted by the people. This implies that he has also admitted that truly, the Benue State Governor is loved by his people despite vicious daily ‘sermons’ by angry men like Sam Omatseye who try to shred his reputation and political credentials.

    Perhaps Sam needs to be reminded that Governor Ortom scored one of the widest margins by any Governor seeking re-election. He polled 434,473 votes to beat his closest rival and candidate of the APC, Emmanuel Jime, who got 345,155 votes – a margin of 89, 318.

    Omatseye’s latest bile against Governor Ortom is a veiled attack on Benue people majority of who renewed the Governor’s mandate last month. By repeatedly playing down the herdsmen invasion and killing of hundreds of innocent people, Omatseye has not only chosen the path of infamy but also played the card of a conspirator and that of an editor who uses his medium to insult an entire state. Sam implied in one of his paragraphs that the January 11, 2018 mass burial of 73 Benue victims of herdsmen attacks was a mere political event. We forgive Sam Omatseye. But it must be stated that no dance on the graves of the victims can be more painful and shameful!

    Omatseye should have known that under Governor Samuel Ortom Benue has garduated 172 doctors between 2015 and 2018. He should also have known that regular payment of salaries resumed in the State since January 2018 while efforts are in top gear to clear the arrears.

    The Nation’s Editorial Board Chairman ought to have told Nigerians in his column that he is now a card carrying member of All Progressives Congress, APC. He didn’t need to hide under the journalism cloak of impartiality to play the political talking drum.

    • Terver Akase

    Chief Press Secretary

    April 01, 2019.

  • Ortom has no business seeking second term – APC

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship candidate in BenueMr Emmanuel Jime, has berated Gov. Samuel Ortom for allegedly failing to pay workers’ salaries or execute meaningful projects in the state since assuming office in 2015.

    Jime said on Tuesday in Katsina-Ala while addressing APC supporters during his campaign, that though the state had received more than N402 billion from the federation account, there was nothing tangible to show that was of immense benefit to the people.

    Jime noted that the governor had not only failed to pay the salary arrears of workers, but also failed to create jobs or address the poverty level of people in Benue.

    Jime pledged that if elected, he would provide jobs, build industries and ensure that the Katsina-Ala Yam Flour Mill commence production.

    Also, APC senatorial candidate for Benue North East, Mrs Mimi Orubibi, said any governor that executed no projects within the first term of office has no business seeking a second term.

    The APC House of Representatives candidate for Ukum, Logo and Katsina-Ala Federal Constituency, Mr Solomon Wombo, said the incumbent administration in the state has not done enough to improve the wellbeing of the people.

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    Wombo, a former Special Adviser to ex-Governor Gabriel Suswam, noted that in spite of the support the people of  Sankera gave to the PDP, they gained nothing in return.

    He therefore urged them to vote APC in the upcoming elections in order to benefit from the dividends of democracy.

    Also addressing the party supporters, the APC state chairman, Mr Abba Yaro, urged the electorates in the state to vote President Muhammadu Buhari and all APC candidates during the forthcoming polls.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that party flags were presented to APC candidates in the area by the chairman. (NAN)

  • Why I defected to PDP – Ortom

    Gov Samuel Ortom has said that he chose to pursue his governorship ambition on the platform of the PDP because it was a more credible alternative for him to achieve his policies.

    Ortom stated this on Monday in Makurdi, during the flag-off of his governorship campaign.

    The governor, who won his election on the platform of the APC where he defected to, after losing the PDP governorship ticket in 2014, returned to the PDP some months ago.

    “We had to abandon that platform in search of one that offers more accommodation and support for our policies, especially the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law 2017,” he said.

    He regretted that highly paced officials in the APC-led Federal Government made various attempts to frustrate an imperative legislation aimed at finding lasting peace between farmers and herders in the state.

    “Such frustrating efforts by highly placed members of the federal government necessitated my exit from the party to one that will not compromise our stance on a matter so key to the Benue people.

    “This is the platform on which we seek the renewal of our mandate. No one will bend us as far as the Ranching Law is concerned because we draw consent and sustained support from the Benue people,” he said.

    Ortom, while reacting to critics’ allegation that he had not performed, declared that he had done well “given the circumstances of our economy and unwarranted aggression and attacks on Benue”.

    “I may not be a genius, but I perfectly know what I wanted as a governor. I cannot lie to the people that trust me. Take this truth from me; my government has done well, and statistics don’t lie.”

    Commenting on the issue of nonpayment of salaries, the governor said that funds were being sourced to pay outstanding arrears of salaries, gratuities, and pensions.

    Also speaking, the former Senate President, David Mark, appealed to the Benue electorate to vote massively for all candidates seeking elections on the party’s platform to secure a better future for the state.

    The immediate former governor of the state and a senatorial candidate of the party, Mr Gabriel Suswam, accused the APC of being insensitive to the plight of Nigerians.

    He, therefore, urged the people to vote for the PDP and reject the APC.

    Earlier, in his remarks, former Minister of Interior, Mr Abba Moro, also a senatorial candidate, assured Ortom that the people from Benue South Senatorial zone would vote for the PDP.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that dignitaries at the event included the National Deputy Secretary of the party, Mr Emmanuel Agbo, an ex senate president, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, PDP board member, Mrs. Margaret Icheen, and Ortom’s appointees.(NAN)

  • Living conditions in IDPs camps deplorable, unbearable – Ortom

    Living conditions in IDPs camps deplorable, unbearable – Ortom

    Gov Samuel Ortom has decried the ‘deplorable conditions’ of the camps hosting people displaced by the incessant attacks on Benue rural communities, and called for urgent measures to address the situation.

    “The camps are terrible; the living conditions there are nauseating. Something urgent must be done to assist the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs),” Ortom said on Thursday.

    Ortom spoke in Makurdi when he received members of the Sir Ahmadu Bello Foundation, led by is chairman, Babangda Aliyu, at the Banquet hall of the Benue People’s House, Makurdi.

    He said that 60 per cent of the IDPs were children who had missed examinations and did not know when to return to school.

    ” The facilities at the camps are inadequate and too deplorable to provide minimum comfort for these children.

    “The attacks keep going on and more people are fleeing their homes and taking refuge in the camps, making them overcrowded.

    “In spite of the presence of “Exercise Cat Race”, herders are still killing and displacing local farmers from their ancestral homes.

    “The Benue people are law abiding and have refrained from resorting to violence even at the height of provocation, but we cannot continue like this,” he said.

    He called on members of the foundation to appeal to the federal government to pursue justice for his people.

    “All we ask of the federal government is justice, the rule of law and an end to impunity. We have suffered too much in the hands of the herders who carry out these attacks against our people with impunity.

    ” Between 2012 and 2018, we have had 47 attacks on Benue communities. Lives and property worth millions have been lost, but in spite of these attacks, we have remained law abiding.”

    He said it was difficult to revive grazing routes, and called on herdsmen in the state to obey the anti-open grazing law.

    Also speaking, Ortom’s predecessor and deputy chairman of the foundation, Gabriel Suswam, commended the people for supporting their governor on the law, and assured them that the foundation would relay their message to the government.

    He assured Ortom of his support toward achieving peace in the state.

    “I will work with Gov Ortom towards achieving peace in the state; our party differences will not affect this commitment.

    “It was the Tor Tiv that ordered me to work with the governor to ensure peace in the state. As someone who has received so much from the state, I have to obey.”

    Suswam appealed to the federal government to work out modalities toward halting the influx of foreign herders in the country.

    “The killings in the country seem to get worse everyday. Government must rise to this challenge,” he said. (NAN)

  • Buhari remains only credible candidate for 2019 Presidential election

    Buhari remains only credible candidate for 2019 Presidential election

    Gov. Samuel Ortom of Benue says President Muhammadu Buhari deserves to stand for re-election in 2019 because he remains the only credible person with capacity to deliver up to 2023.

    The governor stated this when he fielded questions from State House correspondents after a closed door meeting with Buhari in the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Tuesday.

    According to him, as of now, there is no credible person capable of taking Nigeria out of its current challenges apart from President Buhari.

    “I believe that what God brought him to achieve in this country he will definitely achieve it.

    “Now we see him bouncing every day to the glory of God, we appreciate this and we look forward that God will help him to take us through 2015 to 2019 and then 2019 to 2023 – that is our prayer because for now there is no credible candidate as far as I know that has the capacity to take Nigeria out of where we are today.

    “I believe that Mr President has the capacity,’’ he said.

    The governor, who expressed delight over the current state of the President’s health, said he briefed him about the ecological problem in Benue and his major challenge of payment of workers’ salaries.

    He noted that the inability of the state government to pay outstanding salaries to workers in the state was not deliberate.

    Ortom also dismissed the insinuation that his administration diverted the bail out fund received by the state.

    He said: “It is not deliberate and we have not diverted money whether bail out or Paris club anywhere, the records are there for anyone to scrutinize and see.

    “The situation is that I inherited N69 billion arrears on pensions, gratuities and salaries.

    “Then, over N70 billion contractual obligations and so it has been a huge burden on our finances and so Mr President too has promised to find ways that the state can also get support.’’

    The governor noted that the state wage bill of N7.8 billion monthly was one of the highest in the country.

    “We have said it specially when the leadership of the labour congress came and we dialogue and we have set up technical committees comprising technical team from labour congress and technical team from my government, they will look at it and review wage bill and ensure that leakages are eliminated, salary padding and ghost workers and all that.

    “I want to assure you that we are going to prosecute anyone who is found culpable in the salary inflation.

    “Honestly, N7.8 billion wage bill for Benue is out of place and there is no way we will continue in this manner.

    “We have looked at the wage bill and compare with what people are collecting elsewhere in the country and we have done to an average of N4.5 billion that we just have to review it to that,’’ he added.

    He disclosed that the average income for Benue both from federation account and Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) stood at slightly above N6 billion.

    “So, if you are paying salaries alone, you have a deficit of N1.8 billion a month. It is impossible and we have security issues to tackle and several other things that government must run and so it becomes a big problem.’’(NAN)

  • NEMA DG in Benue to inspect flood affected areas

    NEMA DG in Benue to inspect flood affected areas

    The Director General (DG), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Mustapha Maihaja has arrived Makurdi to inspect the flood affected areas in the state.

    Maihaja upon his arrival told newsmen that he and his team were in the state on the directives of President Mohammedu Buhari to assess the flood situation and find ways of assisting the victims.

    He disclosed that trucks of relief materials were on the way from Abuja to Makurdi and in the next three days more materials will arrive the state.

    He explained that Federal Government was concerned with the devastation the flood has caused and as responsible government decided to quickly intervene.

    Gov Samuel Ortom, while receiving Maihaja, commended President Buhari for his prompt action to bring relief to the affected people.

    Ortom said that the prompt response clearly showed the people the love the president had for them.

    He appealed to residents to continue cooperating with the government by moving away from all flood prone areas until the situation subsides.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that more than