Former Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom
By TYAV SAM TYAV, Makurdi –
Immediate past Governor of Benue State, Chief Dr. Samuel Ortom has revealed that the present precarious situation which herdsmen are killing Nigerians with impunity was caused by the former President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari.
In an interactive session with journalists in his Makurdi residence, Chief Ortom told journalists that the immediate past President of Nigeria brought the country to where it has found itself today.
Ortom informed that Buhari wanted to take Nigeria from top to bottom and succeeded in doing it but expressed the confidence that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was doing his best to correct the anomaly and sued for support from all Nigerians to enable the President do even better.
The immediate past Governor also appreciated the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu led government for ensuring the maintenance of rule of law and repositioning of things adding that the President in his early hours in office announced the removal of fuel subsidy which was only benefiting a few Nigerians.
“I commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for what he is doing. It is not about partisanship but commitment. He is adding value to …”
According to the former Governor, the killing of innocent Nigerians by the herders could be attributed to the refusal of the Buhari led federal government to embrace the global best practices in animals husbandry which he emphasised was ranching.
He insisted that there were no incidents of farmer- herder clash in countries where animals are far more in number than what Nigeria could boast of and it is the major source of income but they ranch their cattle.
Ortom noted that the grazing routes and areas which were marked in the 50s have been taken over by development as schools, markets, hospitals and roads among other development efforts have been taken over even as the population of Nigeria which was about fifty million has grown to about two hundred and fifty million people but the land has not increased.
Ortom explained that money realized from subsidy was being used for meaningful development and issues of salaries was no longer an issue for the Governors in the country.
Chief Ortom disclosed that he did his best during his time as governor for the development of the state through construction of roads, rehabilitation and reconstruction of schools, building of health centers and many other things.
He argued that the issue of salary had existed long before he came in as Governor, pointing out that from Aper Aku the first civilian Governor through Akume to Suswam all had problem with salaries, saying that even as they were paying salaries it was not at when due.
The PDP Chieftain in the state who said he would support any credible candidate for presidency from any political party in the south, argued that the northern part of the country would have their turn in 2031.
He called on the Benue people to pray for Governor Alia to succeed in office.
