Former Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has advised Governor Hyacinth Alia to refrain from using him as a scapegoat for the ongoing humanitarian crisis and insecurity in the state, claiming that focusing just on his name won’t stop the murders.
Ortom expressed concern that the Alia-led administration is still avoiding its duties by pointing the finger at previous leadership in a statement released on his behalf on Sunday by his former chief press secretary, Terver Akase.
In response to recent remarks made by Governor Alia claiming Benue recorded more over four million internally displaced people during Ortom’s administration, the former governor believes the assertion is untrue and misleading.
“Under Ortom’s watch, Benue State recorded the highest number of IDPs in its history, with over four million people displaced from their ancestral homes,” noted Governor Alia in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula. This image demonstrates how reactive rhetoric fails when security architecture is not strategically supported.
Akase responded by disputing the statistics and raising concerns about the governor’s priorities.
Chief Ortom never stated that there were four million internally displaced people. To create precise, verified data, the administration collaborated with respectable humanitarian organizations. He said, “The 1.5 million figure was officially recorded and is the same figure that Governor Alia inherited, accepted, and presented to partners.”
Additionally, Akase charged that the Alia government constantly framed any disagreement as an assault on Ortom.
Whether it is pertinent or not, Governor Alia and his staff have made it their goal to bring Ortom’s name up in every situation since he took office. “This obsession won’t resolve the state’s crisis,” Akase stated.
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He took issue with the way the government handled the latest IDP protest at the Makurdi International Market camp, where the displaced people claimed to have felt abandoned.
“The Executive Secretary of SEMA was spotted at a sumptuous wedding in the UK, while IDPs were demonstrating against neglect and hunger. A press release addressing that ignominious insensitivity was what we expected. Rather, we received yet another assault on Ortom,” he said.
Akase said that the time for excuses was over and asked the governor to put President Bola Tinubu’s security roadmap into action during his most recent visit to the state.
“The President provided actionable measures to alleviate Benue’s insecurity.” “Instead of taking action, Governor Alia keeps making excuses. One day, he blames foreign mercenaries, the next Abuja politicians, and now even religious leaders,” he claimed.
