News
Bailout loan: Benue gov’t give details after misleading online reports
Benue State government has reacted to the trending reports alleging that Benue State House of Assembly approved fresh loan for the State, describing the report as misleading and politically motivated.
In a statement by the Special Adviser to the governor on Media and Publicity, Mr Terver Akase on Monday, Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom said, mischief makers chose to sponsor a misleading report as a smear campaign against him and the Speaker of the Assembly, addi g that it wasn’t a fresh loan.
The statement reads: “We read a sponsored online publication aimed at smearing the reputation of Governor Samuel Ortom and the Speaker, Benue State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Titus Uba in which authors of the piece attempted to cast the present administration as one thriving only on loans.
“While we are not bothered by the jaundiced intent of those behind the article, we find it pertinent to put the records straight for the benefit of Benue people who may be misled by the politically-motivated publication.
“Since 2015 when Samuel Ortom became the Governor of Benue State, the only thing critics have desperately tried to use against him is payment of salaries and pensions. But such critics also know that Governor Ortom was not responsible for the recession which Nigeria went into in 2016, making it difficult for 27 states including Benue to pay salaries and pensions.
“The Ortom administration, like those of other states, in 2015 applied for the bailout which the Federal Government had resolved to give to states to cushion the adverse effects of the recession and enable them to pay the outstanding salaries and pensions. The Benue State Executive Council sought the approval of the State House of Assembly and applied for N61 billion bailout which would have addressed the backlog of the emoluments.
“The Federal Ministry of Finance and Central Bank of Nigeria, for whatever reason, approved and released only N28 billion of the bailout, leaving N41 billion pending. Out of the N28 billion that came to the state, N15.5 billion was for the 23 local government areas while N12.5 went to the state for payment of the outstanding emoluments.
“Recall that Kogi and some other states later re-validated the 2015 bailout application and were given the balance of the total amount they originally requested.
“The Benue State Government also made several efforts to get the N41 billion balance released to it, but such efforts could not yield results as the Federal Government was not forthcoming until recently.
“The N41 billion loan facility the Benue State House of Assembly approved a few days ago was therefore only a re-validation of the application for the pending bailout of N41 billion and not a fresh loan approval. Out of the N41 billion, N17 billion will go for payment of the arrears of salaries and pensions at the state level, while N24 billion will go to local governments.
“This is an undisputed fact those who authored the online publication don’t want the people to know. Their fear is that once Governor Ortom is able to get the funds and clear the arrears of salaries and pensions, they will no longer have anything to hold as a tool to tarnish his image and that of his administration. They are the real enemies of Benue workers and retirees. As far as their aim of painting the Governor in bad colours is achieved, the interest of the workers and pensioners does not count.
“In their desperation, the authors of the same piece have dragged the Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Titus Uba into their campaign of calumny, branding him with all manner of names.
“The Benue State Assembly is not a Titus Uba house. It is a legislature made up of representatives of all Benue people where other political parties also have members. The recent approval given by the Assembly for the N41 billion bailout request received unanimous support from members of the House. To therefore isolate the Speaker for attacks is not only unfortunate but also smacks of shameful vendetta. It is politics taken too far.”
The Plateau state government has expressed concern over violence in Shimankar (Menkaat), Shendam Local Government Area, of the State which unfortunately caused unnecessary tension within the community.
In a statement by the State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Hon Joyce Lohya Ramnap, made available to journalists in Jos, it condemned in strongest terms and warned such violence would not be tolerated any longer.
The statement called for dialogue to differences and disagreement before it snowballed into violence, adding that government will not allow anyone to undermine peace and unity of the State.
Part of the statement read: “I want to reiterate the Plateau State Government’s unwavering commitment to upholding peace and security for all citizens, especially during such tense moments.”
Acknowledging the swift response of law enforcement agencies and the traditional institutions in containing the situation, we are calling for even greater collaboration between community leaders, security agencies, and the public to prevent further escalation,thus the need to maintain peace, calm and restraint from all parties.
“We urge the people of the community to pursue peaceful resolutions to any disagreements instead of resorting to violence.”
In line with the administration’s “Time is Now” vision under the leadership of Governor Mutfwang, I want to emphasise that the state is focused on ensuring lasting peace and harmony, irrespective of religious or tribal differences.
Government is also assuring the public that security agencies have been instructed to conduct a thorough investigation into the root causes of the skirmishes and to ensure that those responsible for any breach of public peace are held accountable.
Towards this end, Plateau citizens are to remain vigilant yet peaceful and to actively support all efforts to de-escalate the situation as the State Government is committed to fostering a peaceful coexistence for all citizens, the statement further reads.
As protest rocks Benue State against the Chief Judge, Justice Maurice Ikpembese for relocating the Benue Local Government Election Petitions Tribunal from Makurdi to Abuja, Governor Hyacinth Alia has distanced himself from the protest.
Protesters in their hundreds from Benue State took to the streets of Abuja on Monday, for a peaceful protest from the National Assembly to the Supreme Court to express their outrage over the Benue CJ’s decision.
Prior to Monday’s massive protest Justice Ikpembese raised security concerns and moved the Tribunal to Abuja, a development that triggered protest as they are saying the Tribunal would have remained in Makurdi for them to monitor proceedings.
The tribunal is currently handling disputes arising from the Benue State Local Government elections conducted on October 5, 2024.
Reports indicate that 93 petitioners, including aggrieved candidates from both the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party, have filed cases at the tribunal since October 17, 2024.
The Benue State Government, through the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice and Public Order, Mr. Fidelis Mnyim, had questioned the CJ’s unilateral decision, noting that neither the governor nor his office had been formally notified.
News
Shehu Sani debunks Governor Uba Sani’s alleged diversion of LG funds, challenges El-Rufai to publicly tender evidence
Civil Rights Activist and former Senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District, Shehu Sani has debunked the former Governor, Malamn Nasir El-Rufai’s allegation that Governor Uba Sani has diverted the Local Government Councils allocation to buy properties abroad.
Shehu Sani said El-Rufai’s allegation is “falsely crafted to smear the name of of the Governor because of the N420 billion investigation hanging on him like the sword of damocles.”
Reacting to the allegation on Monday, Shehu Sani challenged the former Governor to release proofs of purchases of properties in South Africa, Seychelles and London by Uba Sani publicly.
He said, Kaduna people would not forget in a hurry how Nasir El-Rufai plundered the State in eight years as Governor of the State, stressing that he should stop pushing falsehood into the public space.
He said: “As Kaduna indigenes, we are all living witnesses to how El-Rufai plundered the State and now investigation has indicted him and he should face it rather than pushing falsehood into the public domain.
El-Rufai should be bold enough to show proofs linking governor Uba Sani in the purchase of properties in South Africa, Seychelles and London, then we will take him serious.
“But he should be ready answer for the whereabouts of N420 billion because that money is substantial enough to develop Kaduna State to an extent”, Shehu Sani maintained.
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