Benue 2019: Ortom listed among Nigeria governors likely to lose second term

Before assumption of office in May 2015, Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State had promised to reposition the Food Basket state. Ortom’s promises were carefully encapsulated in the blueprint of his administration: “Our Collective Vision for a New Benue,” which was meant to be a compass for effectively dealing with the challenges of governance in the state when the government finally hit the ground running.

The government, under the All Progressives Congress (APC), was expected to be guided by the five strategic areas of the blueprint, such as Provision of Good Governance anchored on the fear of God, Agriculture-driven Industrialisation with a passion, Provision of Critical Infrastructure to facilitate development, STEAM-based Education/Health Services and Promotion of Gender Equality, women, children, youth and people with disability.

Besides, Ortom had, during his inaugural speech on May, 29, 2015, promised to reconcile all aggrieved people in the state within his 100 days in office.

However three years into the lifespan of the administration, some of the promises made had become a reality, others appear stalled, occasioned by excuses of financial/economic recession, as well as security challenges, while the remaining are likely to become a plea bargain to secure a second term mandate.

For instance, the governor has kept his promise to stand solidly on the decision of his people by not compromising their interest on the enactment of laws like the Prohibition of Open Grazing of Livestock, Prohibition of Abduction, Kidnapping, Hostage-taking, and Secret Cults Law, 2017.

The governor, in affecting the agricultural, educational and health sectors of the state, engaged and brought back international development agencies that had earlier left because the state defaulted in counterpart funding.

To this end, UNDP, IFAD, World Bank, UNFPA, DFID, USAID, CRUDAN, Mercy Corps and several other bilateral and multi-lateral agencies showed up to work with the state government to support social and economic development of the state.

So far, over 40 health care centres had been built by the administration between May 29, 2015 and now, while the government had procured and supplied ambulances, as well as essential drugs to Agatu, Gboko, Ohimini, Oju, Tarka and Ushongo local government areas of the state.

Although the state government had mobilised contractors to site in order to complete 11 road projects scattered across the state, its achievement in this area has suffered frustration, which was blamed on the limited resources available to the administration.

Until the beginning of this year, payment of salaries has been a problem.

Another humanitarian problem of the state is the nearly 180,000 people living in eight internally displaced persons camps, occasioned by suspected herders invasion of their land, killings of people and displacement from their homes, which invariably poses a major threat to food security as another cropping season has arrived and farmers are still in camps.

Based on these promises and the administration’s performance so far, the focus of the Ortom campaign for a second term will be hinged on his ability to contend with perceived adversaries of the grazing law to ensure its non-reversal.

By Hope Abah

FULL LIST HERE