BENUE GOVERNORSHIP: SALIENT ISSUES

No doubt, Benue has experienced untold hardship and helplessness under Ortom’s watch, stemming first from non-payment of salaries in the midst of bailout funds, Paris Club Refund, IGR and monthly allocations from the Federation Account, then from inconceivable and unabated genocide. Despite the popularly acclaimed feat of the anti-open grazing law in the state, (the achievement of which is generally ascribed to the Governor), overall, (especially putting into perspective the ignoble and pitiably low level of economic activities in the state), the hardship experienced by the generality of Benue citizens, (a civil service dependent population), occasioned by the nonpayment of salaries, and the near total absence of development projects in the state, his administration can rightly be adjudged a failure.

You might fault my inclination to believe as is held in many quarters that Senator George Akume still determines who governs Benue in order to make the person’s administration an extension of his visionless dispensation from 1999 to 2007 and also to maintain his hold on Benue’s public fund. Be that as it may, it doesn’t debunk the fact that the embattled former Governor of Benue, Gabriel Suswam incurred the wrath of Akume over the struggle to control Benue’s money. Of course, this is common knowledge, but not relayed here as an attempt to rationalize or absolve Suswam or Ortom of their failures.

Talking about Ortom’s recent cabinet dissolution, I saw it coming, having learned from the struggle for supremacy between Suswam and Akume in the past and the aftermath thereof. Moreover, a coalition initially built on the pillars of impunity and aggrandizement was never going to last longer than theirs did, especially if Ortom, being a Christian as he proclaims, had a better motive than that. Obviously, Ortom fell out with his party’s leaders when he publicly accused the Presidency of complicity in the wake of deafening silence and inaction towards the genocide in his state. Nevertheless, it doesn’t make sense to think that position has much to do with his perceived distrust and consequent dissolution of his cabinet. Rather, it’s a clear sign of disagreement with Akume’s imposing supremacy and hold on Benue’s treasury, in which my interest lies.

I’m interested in this disagreement because, like every other rational and informed citizen of Benue, I see that Akume’s hold on the state has never and will never serve any development purpose in the order of Tinubu’s ‘result-oriented Godfatherism’ model, by which he identifies and promotes intellectuals into leadership positions for state and national development, as against deliberate promotion of mediocrity in the shrine of sycophancy. Therefore, an attempt to shove off such hold can only be a step in the right direction. I’ve always maintained that Benue requires a Governor who can be independent of Akume. Perhaps, that way he can have the necessary independence to initiate and execute development policies, even if only to promote his political image and career. If I’m the only one seeing that Akume has shown the tendencies of a leader who wouldn’t want his successor to outshine him, then obviously everyone else’s perception is kind of alien and super optimistic.

I’ll be surprised if anyone doesn’t see that the dissolved cabinet comprised more than 90% of pro-Akume’s appointees and loyalists. I wonder how it felt for Ortom to be caught up in such a web of submission and helplessness as the Chief Executive of Benue State. For me, such can’t last longer than a month after my swearing-in, bearing in mind I’ll be held accountable for the dispensation and not Akume. Whatever his assistance towards your victory was, if he doesn’t mean well for the state, expediency demands you focus on the greater good of the people even if it means betraying his trust. So all along I blamed Ortom for lacking the guts to do the needful. Just when I gave up on him, I learnt about the cabinet’s dissolution.

Now, I know there are two ways to look at this move. For a half-glass-empty person, this is obviously a desperate attempt by Ortom to give appointments to his trusted loyalists who can pay back the trust by delivering their various places to him during elections. Yea, this seems to hold a lot of water, especially, considering elections are just around the corner.

For a half-glass-full person however, this is just an attempt by Ortom to stand up on his feet, (step on toes as he already did when he spoke out against the presidency in the wake of Benue’s genocide), step out of Akume’s shadow and deliver his campaign promises, surrounding himself with people he’s sure will work towards the realization of that goal, irrespective of whether or not he’ll be voted the second time. After all, there’s no such guarantee no matter what.

A great leader must have the courage and foresight to make expedient decisions for the greater good of his people. I saw flashes of such a leader in Ortom in the circumstance that led to his fall out with the powers that be in APC. At that point I saw in him a leader who is willing to make enemies for good, protect his people at the expense of the benefits of the reigning sycophancy in Nigerian politics, and couldn’t have been more proud of him. Seeing him stand tall against the chief manipulator of our common values in Benue, makes me yearn to see him given another shot at it, in the proper sense of it. My preference for Ortom is especially higher against an Akume backed candidate.

Now, am I attempting to rationalize Ortom’s non salary payment? No way!!! However, I itch to see what an independent Ortom can do differently from an Akume controlled Ortom.

Terungwa Isaac Tivlumun

if he truly want to free himself from all dis problems he's facing, he has to defect to anoda party,or else he will still be caught up in d same web he's trying to free himself from

As if u saw it coming! Just after you made your observation, He decamped...