Benue Govt plans to fill Och’Owukpa, over 300 other vacant traditional stools

Benue State Government has said that it is now set to fill in the vacation traditional stools in the state beginning with the Benue South Senatorial district popularly known as Zone C.

Special Adviser to Governor Samuel Ortom on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Kenneth Achabo disclosed this on Tuesday in a chat with newsmen after a meeting between the state government and stakeholders from the Zone, (Idoma and Igede) held at the Government House, Makurdi.

Achabo noted that the Governor convened the meeting to discuss with the stakeholders in the area so as to rectify certain knotty issues ahead of time.

While explaining that Benue state has over 300 vacant stools Achabo posited that situations where some individuals have occupied the stools for over 20 years in acting capacity was not good enough.

“The essence of the meeting was that we intended to fill vacancies in zone C. In fact, in the whole of Benue, there are over 300 vacant stools and people have been acting in that position for over 20 years and that is not good enough.

“So the essence was to meet with the people of zone C to rectify certain knotty issues. At the meeting issues of excess kindred clan heads and beaded chiefs came up.

“So, a committee has been set up and given four weeks with a mandate to look into the issues and report back to the state Governor for necessary action,” he said.

Achabo is to chair the committee while all the first class chiefs in Idoma land, representative of the Och’Idoma, Chief John Oteje, Ada Ohimini, Attorney General of the state, Justice Ada Onum, Chief Obande Jacob, Barr Anthony Oche and Mr George Alli who is representing ALGON in the committee would be members of the committee.

He assured that all issues of Chieftaincy would be tackled with a view to replicating same in all the three Zones in the state.