The Benue State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has alleged that the outgoing administration of Governor Samuel Ortom has embarked on emergency awards of contracts worth billions of Naira.
The state chairman of the APC, Hon. Austine Agada told newsmen in Makurdi, the state capital: “Recently, the Benue State Government through the Commissioner for Information, Culture, and Tourism, Mr Mike Inalegwu, disclosed to reporters that the government plans to build an Airport at Kura, along Naka road, about 12 kilometres from Makurdi town. According to Inalegwu the airport will be built near the Industrial Layout so that cargoes from the airport could be moved easily”.
Agada wondered why Ortom had to wait until less than two months to the end of his administration to award such contracts. “We recall that on the 29th October 2016, Governor Samuel Ortom-led PDP administration flagged off N38 billion cargo airport in Daudu, Guma Local Government; a project he assured will be completed in 18 months. Four years after, there is no visible site of an airport.
“Governor Ortom, while presenting the 2020 budget, announced the re-awarding of the same cargo airport to another company for N12 billion, with an extra N3 billion as compensation to land owners which reportedly didn’t get to the actual owners of the gazetted lands. The N38 billion contract and its N12 billion re-awarding all squashed with the flagging of a mega city for Internally Displaced Persons which has also gone moribund. How do we trust a government that has buried a chunk of taxpayers’ money into an unrealistic cargo airport for almost eight years despite promising its completion in 18 months to build for the state an airport in just two months?,’ the APC leader asked.
Agada further said: One would imagine how a financially reckless governor like Samuel Ortom, who has not employed nor promoted anyone in the last seven years and 10 months with barely two months to exit office has suddenly found his footing in massive employment of staff to the tune of 2,500, at the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and other ministries; an exercise he initiated three years ago, shifting the financial burden to the incoming government. We view this as a clandestine move to pitch the people against our government even before it starts.
“Customarily the incoming government occupies spots in the transition committee so as to receive last-minute briefings of financial transactions to ensure a smooth transition process but instead, the Ortom government is creating more hurdles for the incoming government by increasing the cost of governance with permanent and non-permanent appointments and awarding of contracts with enormous financial obligations, one would wonder if the state was so rich to cater for such financial obligations why is the Ortom government owning plethora of salary arrears, pensions, and gratuities.
“We hereby warn financial institutions, permanent secretaries, MDAs, Ministry of Finance, and the Office of the Accountant General that are collaborating with the outgoing government to increase Benue indebtedness through loans, overdrafts, or other financial obligations to stop forthwith, as this will be viewed as financial sabotage to the incoming administration”.
But in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Bemgba Iortyom, the PDP accused the APC and the governor-elect, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia of impunity by seeking to illegally end Ortom’s tenure before 29th May 2023.
“The plots by Alia and APC have been revealed to include secret meetings held with selected civil servants some of whom they are reported to have threatened and some they have directed to scuttle the smooth running of the Ortom administration by ignoring directives from the governor.
“Benue PDP views as lending credence to the above allegations the press conference addressed yesterday by APC Chairman in the state, Austin Agada, at which he openly canvassed that Governor Ortom should cease the formulation and execution of government policies as Governor and a letter written by Alia to the MD/CEO of the Benue Investment and Property Company seeking to direct the company not to cooperate with the incumbent Ortom administration henceforth.
“While such unprecedented acts of unbridled recklessness as the use of a ‘Governor-Elect’ number plate and siren-heralded motorcade by Alia before his formal inauguration as Governor may be overlooked, his seeking to interfere with and scuttle the running of the legitimate government in power amounts to overreaching himself dangerously. Perhaps, Alia and APC need reminding that Governor Ortom remains the Governor of Benue State till May 29th, 2023 and there cannot within this period be two governors of the state”, PDP said.
