….. Should Publish Financial Records of the State
My dear brother Terver Akase, you are a very loyal aide to your boss and I admire that so much about you. That’s how it should be. I’ll however want you to take a few steps backward and look at the following points I’m about to share with you and the rest of my brothers and sisters in the state, and maybe, you will find some truths that have evaded you as a result of your loyalty.
1. First of all, my principal, HE Gov Hyacinth Alia does not need to discredit your boss. Ortom has no credibility before anyone within the state. He lost that a long time ago when he betrayed the trust of the people who voted for him against all odds. I remember the then-governor, Gabriel Torwua Suswam vowed that ORTOM would never be governor.
He used to say he didn’t know who would succeed him but knew him who would not (Ortom). The electorates took to the streets and proved Suswam wrong. And in case you have forgotten my dear brother, this was basically because of the tears he shed now and then while addressing Benue people as a result of their plight and they thought, he truly cared for them until he proved he had other plans other than changing the fortunes of the state.
So my dear brother, Ortom lost his credibility a long time ago before Governor Alia came on board. When you make a promise to a people, to change their fortunes for good but fail to do so over time, you lose credibility. Alia does not need to push ORTOM, he had fallen before the people, a long time ago.
2. Having said that, I want to agree with you that His Excellency Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia quoted a figure of N359 billion in Okpoga, the headquarters of Okpokwu LG area of Benue state, I was there. What he said was correct and you have not denied it either. Let me tell you how. Your focus here is on salary arrears. True?
That being the case, I want to assure you that nobody tempered with the Salary arrears, it is still at 187.56 billion as your quote of the chief press secretary indicates. Salary arrears! But what His Excellency, Gov Alia was referring to was far more than arrears. He was referring to the,
a. Arrears of the state civil servants for over 6 months
b. Salaries of LG workers for 11 months
c. Primary school teachers for 11 months
d. Nonpayment of Pensions of over 72 months (which is over 3 years)
e. Nonpayment of Gratuities for uncountable years.
Haba Terver Akase my dear brother, when you add all of these together is it not over N359 billion as my principal stated?
So, you see my dear brother, what His Excellency, Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia said was correct. And I want to assure you that His Excellency does not have intentions of defrauding the state so he does not need to lie about figures, neither does he have reason to announce inflated and nonexistent figures regarding state resources. I recall the slogan of the previous administration was “paucity of funds”. That’s not the case with Alia’s Administration.
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3. I find it laughable when you say that Gov. Alia and his people are obsessed with Dr Samuel Ortom. My principal is too busy with the business of the state to focus on an individual. The man and his team just returned from a thank-you tour around the state. This is very hectic. I’m not sure such a person has time to plot against another.
I’m so happy you said your boss inherited debts in 2015. The question I’d like you to answer is “What did he do with the person he inherited those debts from?” Maybe I should refresh your memory, my dear brother. Your boss, Dr Samuel Ortom did not give his predecessor one minute of breath. Gabriel Torwua Suswam Tingir Dom Agya was in and out of prison more times than I can count.
Accusations upon accusations. EFCC, ICPC, and all the anti-graft agencies became the abode of the former governor. It took the intervention of the traditional council. So you see, if Governor Alia were to take the path of your boss, I’m not sure we would be doing this write-up now, the topic would have been different. So rather than accuse my principal of being obsessed with your boss, you should be grateful for the breath of fresh air your boss takes every day.
4. The biggest joy of every appointee in Alia’s administration is they have a boss who has nothing to hide. I don’t know what informed your conclusion that we recoil into silence whenever a question is put to us on how our government is managing the resources of the state. Isn’t it obvious how the funds are being managed?
Road projects, other infrastructure development, employment (500 at Teaching Hospital. Consistent payment of salaries, pensions, and gratuities. And I can assure you that if Governor Alia wasn’t held back by your boss (with huge debts, arrears, and infrastructure deficits), we would have been years ahead. How can one see all of these and still claim there has been Zero accountability since 2023? Maybe you need to get in touch with the ordinary man on the street to tell you how well funds are being managed in the state. It’s obvious to everyone.
You said this administration has not told Benue people what it is receiving, but you said it’s 3 times what the previous administration received. Are you not a Benue citizen? How did you know your own? Who told you? Besides my dear brother, this information is in the public domain. I remember that FAAC announces whatever is shared amongst the states on Radio and Television, including Radio Nigeria where both of us served this country.
So every information you need is already available in the public domain. So we don’t need to accept any challenge from you or your boss. And I wonder why you are giving your boss credit for taking steps to ease off the debt burden when he was the initiator of most of these debts.
5. I have not known you for fake news but I’m worried about your unverifiable statement that the federal government released 50 billion to Northern states with insecurity. I did all the research I could, asked all the questions I knew how to, and reached out to both state and federal. I can’t find a document supporting your claim. Please I’ll need you to help me with these documents. Until then, there is no 50 billion released to anyone, but even if there was, there is enough evidence of judicious use of funds in the state.
6. I want to thank your principal most sincerely for the good wishes and kind prayers and wish to assure him that our Benue shall indeed be great again, under the watchful eyes of my principal, the Executive governor of Benue state, His Excellency, Rev Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia. The next 12 months hold a lot of promise and I’m sure you will soon become a proud BENUE son. The Governor’s focus, dedication, and commitment to the development of the state is unwavering, his love for the state is unyielding.
Surely, our Benue shall be great again!
Solomon Iorpev is the Technical Adviser to the Benue State Governor on Media, Publicity, and Strategic Communications. He writes from Makurdi.
