Here was a man who refused to pay salaries for years citing paucity of funds yet grew his private businesses from petty trading centers to bohemian conglomerates
By Henry Ibya, Makurdi
Benue State Governor, Reverend Father Hyacinth Alia, has described the eight years of his predecessor Samuel Ortom, as mere occupation of space and time, therefore, he shouldn’t be looked onto as a beautiful bride now that he is out of office, arguing that this could only be done by those who detest the fact that Benue is undergoing rapid transformation in infrastructure and other areas.
Governor Alia who was reacting to recent development where the immediate past governor is being courted in some quarters by some politicians, said the former governor suited their purposes which is the intention to disrupt the revolutionary changes taking place in the state.
He argued that the former governor could only be a cannon folder to discredit the regular payment of salaries, pensions and allowances.
Governor Alia in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula in Makurdi, yesterday, said the immediate past Governor Samuel Ortom, could only be described as melting pot by those working against the restoration of the state as the agricultural hub of the country.
He argued that under the Ortom-administration, Makurdi the state capital was the darkest state capital at night in the whole of the country, affirming that today Benue people forget to put their headlights on because the capital is now properly illuminated.
The governor further argued that Benue people could not be so dumb to forget the pains the former governor subjected them to in a hurry, describing his eight year tenure as misadventure and the lowest comparable to any other state in terms of development.
He noted that the former Governor Ortom, remains a reference point for poor judgement, mischief, dismal performance in office, inhumanity to his fellow man and bankruptcy of thought, adding that he is an example of what a leader should never be.
“Here was a man who refused to pay salaries for years citing paucity of funds yet grew his private businesses from petty trading centers to bohemian conglomerates.
“This is a man who became the sole supplier of plastic tables and chairs from his factories to primary schools in the state and yet refused to pay primary school teachers.
“When Ortom held sway as governor, the Benue University Teaching Hospital was a processing site for patients who ended up in mortuaries” Alia recalled, lamenting that roads were equally not his priority.