Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia has made a startling allegation, claiming that there was widespread looting of the government house in Makurdi during the tenure of former Governor Samuel Ortom, who belonged to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). According to Governor Alia, upon assuming office, he found no single official car or truck to operate with, as they had all been carted away.
The governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Tersoo Kula, issued a statement on Thursday, affirming that the decision to sweep away all last-minute appointments made by the former governor would remain irreversible.
The governor’s statement comes in response to calls by the PDP in the state, demanding that Governor Alia reverse his decision, which resulted in the nullification of all last-minute appointments made by Ortom.
However, Governor Alia has urged the PDP to seek forgiveness from the people of the state and to refrain from playing to the gallery. He accused the party of imposing untold pain and penury on the people.
Governor Alia revealed that he inherited an empty treasury and a staggering debt profile of N187.56 billion, along with accumulated months of unpaid salaries and entitlements of civil servants and pensioners in the state.
“The level of decay caused by the immediate past administration stinks in the severely vandalized offices of state civil servants, such that the new government must have to start from scratch to acquire the necessary equipment for the system to start working again,” part of the statement read.
