Middle Belt youths thank Nigerians for recognizing Gov Ortom’s struggle for justice

Nigerians have been applauded for recognizing Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom’s struggle for justice.

The Middle Belt Region, which gave the applause on Monday, was reacting to the news of how residence of Zaria metropolis in Kaduna State manhandled an indigene of Benue who insulted Governor Ortom and desecrated his picture.

Addressing a press conference on Monday, Comrade Terrence Kuanum, Coodinator of the Middle Belt Youth Presidents., said the action is an indication that the painstaking efforts made by Governor Ortom in ensuring justice, fairness and equity for his people are being noticed and appreciated by all Nigerians.

Kuanum, who doubles as President, Benue Youth Forum, said although the group does not subscribe to violence, but it was excited on the strength of the fact that justice was served the young man.

He said the action should serve as a lesson to others who also say negative things about leaders who speak the truth not minding whose ox is gored.

The statement reads in full.

We are equally glad that the painstaking efforts made by His Excellency Governor Samuel Ortom in ensuring justice, fairness and equity for his people are been noticed and appreciated by all Nigerians.

It also goes to show that truth can never be buried no matter the level of power and intimidation that is deployed to bury it.

While the bitter Benue indigene in Kaduna was being beaten, another man from the state was being celebrated in Onitsha in Anambra State was celebrated for carrying Governor Samuel Ortom’s sticker on his car.

With the avalanche of appreciations and acknowledgments across the length and breadth of this country, it is quite commendable and we humbly salute Nigerians for recognizing the sacrifices made by our leader and Governor.

The Benue Youth Forum and Forum of youth organisations in the Middle Belt also acknowledge the solidarity shown by all youth organizations across the region and beyond and we highly applaud such show of love to our leader and mentor.

The struggle to emancipate our people from the jaws of oppression and occupation anchored by armed herders who are out to kill our people and take over our ancestral homes is a task that we have vowed to face and restore our dignity in this country. We stand solidly behind our leader Governor Samuel Ortom in this struggle.

Just recently, we all witnessed how our security agencies woke from their slumber to go after the leaders of IPOB Nnamdi Kanu and Sunday Igboho of Oduduwa republic who are seeking self determination for their people peacefully. Yet, with the daily slaughtering of our kinsmen by militia sponsored by groups such as Miyetti Allah who come out to take responsibility, security agencies keep looking the other way while the terror groups operate freely.

With such injustice being done to our people, we need to always stand behind our courageous leader Governor Ortom who has constantly stood up and spoken for millions of Nigerians who do not have a voice.

We will never let our leaders down by surrendering our land to the foreign armed herders and betray the struggle that’s embarked upon by our leaders to secure our ancestral homes for generations. No single land within the Middle Belt will be made available for any fictitious agricultural policy of the federal government except ranching which is the global best practice of rearing animals.

In a few days to come, the leadership of youth organizations within the Middle Belt will embark on an aggressive sensitization campaign to enlighten our people on the need to ignore all the fake Agricultural policies the federal government is putting up with the sole aim of grabbing land for the Fulani people who they themselves claimed are foreign herders.

Recent revelations by the Emir of Muri have exposed the huge danger that has engulfed our people. The Emir’s confessional statement confirms the fact that indeed, there are foreign Fulanis wielding sophisticated weapons brought by some powers to occupy Nigeria’s forests in the bid to take over the country. We expected that arrests would have been made by now and the said Emir should have been taken in for thorough investigation.

The presidency which has been quick in responding to any aggression extended to the armed foreign herders has been on several occasions called upon to rise up in a similar fashion to defend Nigerians to no avail. The decision of President Muhammadu Buhari and his cabinet to remain mute has always left Nigerians wondering if the President was elected to defend foreign herders and not Nigerians.

Once again, we commend the efforts made by Nigerians to appreciate the boldness of Governor Ortom who has sacrificed the comfort of his office and dammed threats to his life to stand firmly and tall that we must get justice and our human rights must be protected in our own country were foreigners armed herders are being given an open ticket to push us out and take over our ancestral homes.

We pledge our unflinching loyalty and support to Governor Samuel Ortom and his administration.

Nigeria is the only country we have and it is therefore our right to make it work for generations to come.

Lastly, we urge the Federal Government to tender a public apology to Governor Samuel Ortom for the unwarranted media attacks on his person. Now that the entire country has embraced ranching and the Buhari administration has already begun to establish ranches in some states, the Governor deserves apology.