Killer herdsmen: Ortom tackles Buhari till last minute in office, says president’s 8 years worst, waste

Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom on Friday queried President Muhammadu Buhari for his inability to tame killer herdsmen of Fulani stock who heinously killed, maimed and wreck the people of Benue State for the past eight years of his administration.

While inaugurating the headquarters of the Benue State Community Volunteer Guards (BSCVGs), the governor recalled how Buhari previously said, he is retiring to cattle tending in Daura, Katsina State in the North West, saying: “The President told us he is retiring to tend to his cattle, is it because he is returning to be a herder that he failed to deal decisively with herdsmen? That was unfair to Nigerians.”

He berated the outgoing President and described Buhari’s administration as the worst and waste in the history of Nigeria’s democracy, stating that he refused to disarm Fulani herdsmen who have masterminded different killings in the country.

Ortom who is outgoing after eight years as governor of Benue State lamented what he called ‘lackluster administration’ in addressing insecurity not only in Benue State, but across the country.

Though Buhari has apologised to Nigerians for his failures, the governor noted that he must also be told that he failed woefully and Nigerians were feeling the impact of that failure because “we are all suffering.”

The governor lashed at Buhari and comparatively wrote off his administration when he said: “I served under the then President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration and we all saw how Nigeria flourished under that administration. We all knew what the prices of foods and services were at the time.

“We also know what our exchange rate was at the time and what it is today. I want Nigerians to do a simple comparison and you will realise how bad it has been under this government and how Nigeria has been taken several years backwards by the Buhari’s government.

“The fact is that never in the history of Nigeria did we experience this kind of bad governance in the country.
“Corruption is so endemic in this government yet people who steal chicken are thrown into prison but people in government who are busy stealing the wealth of the people are walking free.”

“The President recently apologised to Nigerians; we accept the apology but he must be told that he failed woefully and Nigerians are feeling the impact of that failure because we are all suffering.”

The governor who recalled how he was denied several accruals because of his insistence on equity, fairness and justice, vowed he would continue to speak out against injustice in the country.

He insisted “Like a former lawmaker would say, ‘if you talk you die, if you don’t talk you die. So for me it is better to talk and die because I will also speak the truth no matter whose ox is gored.”

Buhari is set to handover to a new administration on Monday 29th May, 2023 and Ortom will also handover to another administration same day.