Now that Governor Alia has realized that the algorithms for combating insecurity are not as simple as he thought during campaign, he should seek help
By Henry Ibya, Makurdi
The immediate past Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, has argued that resulting to attacks on his administration instead of telling Benue people what the current government is doing to curb insecurity and to address the plight of IDPs in the state is completely unacceptable.
Ortom who was reacting to what he described as fresh attacks by Governor Hyacinth Alia, through his Chief Press Secretary regarding the humanitarian crisis in the state, accused the current governor of deviating from core issues to delve into what he described as usual blame game which centers on what the previous administration failed to do.
Ortom in a statement, Monday, in Makurdi, by his media aide, Terver Akase, reminded Governor Alia of his failed promises during campaign to return IDPs to their ancestral homes within his first 100 days in office.
He recalled that Governor Alia, during campaign also accused him of failing to handle the security situation properly, insisting that the present governor used the security situation to blackmail his administration to gain political patronage.
“Now that Governor Alia has realized that the algorithms for combating insecurity are not as simple as he thought during campaign, he should seek help by engaging those who have the knowledge in handling the situation.
“Security is everyone’s responsibility and the government cannot claim to have exclusive solutions”. Ortom advised.
He said if the present administration is unable to utilize the huge federal allocations coming to the state to tackle insecurity, government should call for a stakeholders meeting for experts to assist it with useful advice on ways of dealing with the challenges at hand, arguing that grandstanding in the media and constantly telling the rest of the country that there is relative peace in the state when attacks are currently being carried out on daily basis with secret killings while thousands still being rendered homeless won’t solve the problem.
Ortom equally recalled that the Benue State Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law of 2017 which the present government has suspended was enacted on popular demand by the people, arguing that suspending the law while the people are killed on daily basis is unacceptable.
The immediate past governor, advised Governor Alia, to refrain from seeking scapegoats to blame rather, he should swallow his pride and embrace ideas on the best ways to address the security challenges, urging him to fix what he Ortom couldn’t do by ending the insecurity as he promised the people in 2023 during campaign.