Ortom creating hurdles for incoming government, Benue APC raises alarm

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State has raised an alarm, alleging that Governor Samuel Ortom’s administration is creating hurdles for the incoming government of Reverend Father Hyacinth Alia.

APC State Chairman, Comrade Austin Agada, at a press conference yesterday in Makurdi, also alleged that the outgoing government plans to divert the state’s financial resources through last minute awards of contracts.

In a swift reaction, the State Commissioner of Information, Culture and Tourism, Mike Inalegwu, however, took a swipe on the APC, saying, “The APC government is desperate. Ortom’s government has not ceased to exist after the election.”

Inalegwu said government is continuity and that it’s a plus for the APC administration to proceed from where the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) government would hand over the baton.

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Earlier, Agada said the outgoing Samuel Ortom-led PDP Government has embarked on emergency awards of contracts worth billions of naira, adding that the government plans to build an Airport at Kura, along Naka Road, about 12 kilometres from Makurdi town.

“How do we trust a government that has buried a chunk of taxpayers’ money into an unrealistic Cargo Airport for almost eight years despite promising its completion in 18 months to build for the state an airport in just two months?”

Reacting, Inalegwu maintained that government is a continuity and that workers promotion was granted to them every three years as stipulated by rules.

“So, there was an accumulated promotion of civil servants and a need for them to be encouraged and motivated. So, the Ortom’s administration since coming on board in 2015 has been approving promotions. And till the last six months, we were still approving promotions of those who are due.”

On the airport project, he said Benue was given approval on March 1st, to construct a civil airport and that if it was approved in 2016, the airport would have been completed today but since it has been approved now, the government is continuity.

“The land has been acquired and the only thing we can do at the interim is to clear the land so that it would be accessed by the government and the incoming administration can decide to construct it. The hurdle is the acquisition of a licence, which we have got and it is a plus for the incoming government,” he said.

He noted that no contract has been awarded for it, saying, “We have not handed over to the government so how do they think that whatever we are doing today will create a burden for the incoming government?”