Former Minister of Interior, Patrick Abba Moro, has lashed
out at Governor Samuel Ortom, saying he does not deserve a second term.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stalwart described
Ortom’s utterance about second term as an affront to the sensibilities of the
citizenry in Benue State.
This is contained in a statement he personally signed and
made available to newsmen on Sunday.
It reads: “It saddens me always when I hear my governor,
Samuel Ortom talk of a second term when I am sure he has not been able to even
convince himself that he has creditably discharged the mandate given him by the
people in his first term in office. It smacks of mediocrity and political
naivety to even begin to talk of a second term in the midterm of a first term.
“Perhaps, it is instructive to inform Governor Ortom that
Benue State people are suffering. The people are hungry. Public servants have
turned into permanent farmers of cassava, yam, etc. Governor Ortom’s government
owes workers 11 months salaries, the concomitance of which is that, workers
cannot pay school fees; cannot afford to pay hospital bills and are dying in
their numbers from simple and curable ailments. Even pensioners engaged in
endless verifications are dying in their numbers.
“From where I come, there is no sign that government is in
place in Makurdi. Schools are on permanent holiday, no thanks to strikes by
teachers occasioned by non-payment of salaries and allowances and
infrastructures are in serious state of decay. Armed bandits are on the prowl,
killing people by the day unhindered,” Moro remarked.
“The questions on the lips of keen observers of the pathetic
Benue situation are: Does Benue no longer qualify and collect monthly statutory
allocations from the Federation Account? What has the Benue State Government
done with the various loans that have been said to have been taken so far? What
happened to the various bailouts doled out by the Federal Government?
“What happened to the Paris Club refund? What is happening
to internally generated revenues in Benue State? These are questions begging
for answers. Yet, all that we hear from Governor Ortom day in, day out is the
vaulting crave for a second term even when there are clear evidences of crash
mismanagement of a first term on his lap due to inept leadership.
“The reasonable thing for Governor Ortom to do is to come up
with answers to these questions rather than seek the face of God for a second
term. It is ironic that in the face of monumental infrastructural deficit in
Benue today, Governor Ortom’s Oracle Press, Ortom’s Oracle Farms, etc are
blossoming.
“Maybe what we demand of Governor Ortom is for him to
publish for all to see all monies that have accrued to Benue State since he
assumed office two years ago and tell us how he has deployed them. Let us know
that it is lack of fund that is hampering him from discharging his
responsibilities and obligations to Benue people.”
The PDP chieftain said it was unfortunate and disappointing
that some misguided youths could come out to rally support for Ortom’s second
term bid, when it was obvious the governor’s first term has undermined and
compromised the future of the youths in Benue state.
“Have these youths paused to ask whether the Benue State
University, Makurdi is in session and if not, why? Are the Benue State
Polytechnic Ugbokolo, College of Education, Katsina-Ala, College of Education,
Oju, College of Agriculture, Yandev and others in session and functioning
properly? Yet Youths? Whose future has been endangered by Governor Ortom’s
first term are clamouring for a second term for him? God have mercy!
“Perhaps, someone should tell Governor Ortom the home bitter
truth, that it will be easier for the Camel to pass through the eye of the
needle than for Benue people, in this present misery to indulge him with a
second term. Governor Ortom should know that the same God whose face he is
seeking for a second term also created we, the other Benue people. And He is
watching Governor Ortom’s first term.”
Recall that Moro recently expressed disappointment that the
several CSOs and NGOs that cropped up to agitate for good governance during the
Jonathan administration had all lost their voices since the President
Buhari-led APC government came on board.
By Wale Odunsi
