In the letter, you did not only take unwarranted swipe on Governor Ortom for limiting the ongoing probe in the state to the immediate past administration of Gabriel Suswam, wanting same to be extended to the former Governor, Sen. George Akume administration, but you also hurled attacks, scorn, false allegations and invectives on Governor Ortom and his administration in your failed attempt to smear his image and put his good performance, so far recorded, in bad light.
Not only that, in a fashion that left no one in doubt that you are surely one of the hirelings of the immediate past governor who was not only paid or out to twist the rationale for the inescapable probe of Suswam administration and make it look as if Ortom, by the probe, is "out to witch hunt", or use the probe as a tool for "settling political scores," of which you are not God, but you also spelled doom and bleak political future for the governor, while berating him over salary, bailout and poly/COE lecturers' strike issues, in a way that has portrayed you as lacking in proper understanding of the prevailing issues in the state. Either that or you unabashedly chose to ignore the facts on ground to satisfy the bidding of your paymaster.
With due respect sir, I am constrained to school or enlighten you on the issues in your letter in my capacity as a citizen of Benue state; secondly, as a patriot and thirdly, as an ambassador of the good people of the state (with no regard to political inclination).
I, therefore, consider it as an obligation to cast a beam of light where darkness and confusion has befallen you over the good administration of Governor Samuel Ortom.
On the issue of probe, it is very vital for you to know that Benue people who gave Governor Ortom the four-year mandate, to steer the ship of the state, are the ones who ask to know the whereabouts of their proceeds from the sale of the state's shares in different companies, their multi-billion naira bonds collected on their behalf by Suswam, the proceeds from the sale of government properties including Guest Houses, etc.
Benue people demand to know why — as at record time — despite all these, combined with the accumulation of over N169billion naira debt by Suswam administration, close to seven months salaries of state and local government workers were still unpaid, amidst widespread collapse of state infrastructures and a disturbing non-functional Makurdi, Katsina Ala and Otobi water projects, which have gulped billions.
Governor Ortom himself has severally explained the state's grisly situation, as he met it, to the Benue public at different fora to the understanding of the people.
That was why at the recent state stakeholders's meeting which was held at the New Banquet Hall of the People's House, the stakeholders, regardless of their political parties of allegiance, unanimously approved of the probe panels set up by Governor Ortom to probe into the matter.
Everyone in the administration of Suswam involved in the alleged looting of the state is called to exonerate himself with logical explanation. And there is no sacred cow. So it is very wrong and smacks of ulterior motive on your part to accuse Governor Ortom of witch hunt or using the probe as a tool to settle political scores.
You also wanted Governor Ortom to extend the probe to Sen. Akume administration which is not tenable for the simple reason which even Governor Ortom himself has for umpteenth time explained that he did not take over from Akume. So the question of why he is not probing Akume administration does not even arise at all. Governor Ortom cannot probe him because he did not takeover from him.
The foregoing grisly situation in the state whereby the state treasury was looted dry with many months of workers salaries standing unpaid in the face of dwindling accruals to the state from the Federation Account, is what necessitated Governor Ortom's N28billion bailout with near zero interest and which is even happily repayable over a long time.
With the bailout, Governor Ortom is ironically made to suffer the brunt of Suswam, because he's being made to clear a debt that he did not accrue himself; but his only offence is that he inherited the debt and should pay and he is already paying, moreso because government is a continuum.
Thus, what you and your type have ignored is the fact that it is easier to destroy than to repair. The havoc the immediate past administration wreaked on Benue state requires time, faith and support of the new administration to fix, and every hand must be on deck. I want you to realize that Governor Ortom is not superhuman to be able to fix the state woes of 8 years in just six or seven months.
That is why the lecturers' strike that you alluded to, in your letter is uncalled for, which should be condemned as such by any patriot. But I am sure this point is lost on you. For if anything, the lecturers have no moral justification for the strike, truth be told. It is for lack of patience and unwillingness to face the facts that they went on strike.
So, the content of your letter portrayed you as someone who is completely oblivious of the giant strides of the governor in just 100 days into his four year-term. But I won't bother myself replying all your red-herrings, the sentiments that you tried to whip up to cause disenchantment against the Governor Ortom's administration but leave you to go and read the many achievements of the governor as contained in his 100 days scorecard. So that you would know contrary to your thoughts that Ortom has direction, he is focused and Benue people have been applauding him for his achievements so far.
You have expressed the fear that Sen. Akume will disappoint Governor Ortom as he did to your paymaster without finding out why he abandoned your paymaster, Gabriel Suswam. It may interest you to know that a child that bites off the mother's breast nipple will certainly go hungry or be left to fend for itself.
Sen. Akume was instrumental to the election of Suswam as governor of Benue state in 2007 and what did he get in return? He got disloyalty and outright confrontation, and as such, he had to abandon Suswam and his party to find solace where his views and aspirations were valued and respected.
Governor Ortom is not like your paymaster, he is a God-fearing governor who cannot turn against someone that helped him to the top. Neither is Sen. Akume greedy as to misguide Governor Ortom to jeopardise his future political future, nor are you God to know the end from the beginning.
The people of Benue are happy and satisfied with the achievements credited to Governor Ortom led administration in the last six or seven months. He has displayed enormous characteristics of good governance symbolized by integrity, accountability, transparency, government of inclusiveness and above all, governance based on the fear of God. This contrasts sharply with your paymaster's administration of impunity and corruption of the highest order as being revealed daily by Justice Kpojime-led commission of inquiry, currently sitting in Makurdi.
Written by James Ibechi from Makurdi Benue State.
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