By Amos Aar
THE governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, and the youth wing of Kwande United Peoples Organisation (KWUPO) have separately reacted to Governor Samuel Ortom’s statement during the launch of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Campaign Council at the party’s state secretariat last week over the non-payment of workers’ salaries in the state.
Ortom had, at the event, made various allegations against both Fr. Alia and the first civilian governor of Benue State, the late Apollos Aper Aku. He faulted Alia for always promising the masses during his campaign rallies that if voted into office come 2023 general elections, he will pay workers’ salaries and pensions.
In a video clip of Governor Ortom’s address at the event which have gone viral on social media platforms in the state showed him castigating Fr. Alia for his campaign promise to pay workers salaries.
“We are too advanced to be deceived by those mundane things, saying I will do this, I will do that. You were in the church, with what you collected, you didn’t build and now you want to criticise government; I will pay salaries, I will do this. Aper Aku did not pay salaries for 13 months but he is the most celebrated governor today. It is because of the government I inherited lack of payment….”, Ortom said in an incomplete video.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2R4T1Omzvw[/embedyt]
A social media commentator, David Agboh, who might have accessed the full speech of the governor at the occasion, wrote on his Facebook wall unsubstantiated allegations claimed to have been stated by Ortom that Fr. Alia is a 419ner who goes about collecting money from widows and that he is a married priest with over 10 children abroad.
“He said that whenever people visit Fr. Alia he takes the biggest share of food for himself and leaves them hungry. That the suspended priest should repent and go back to the priesthood and the vow he swore to preach the word of God all his life. He requested that the priest should bring one person he raised from the dead or healed from any sickness during his ministry,” Agboh, among other things, stated on his Facebook wall.
Reacting to Ortom’s accusations against him, Fr. Alia, in a viral video at an undesignated event, described the Ortom’s utterances as a show of madness and inability to perform his duties.
“If your kinsmen have sent you, you fail to do the work and you are deceiving them, if your kinsmen have sent you, you are unable to do the work and you are beating their children; you go to Mabkor and beat Jemgbagh, you go to Ipav and beat Jemgbagh. Your own is to continue beating Jemgbagh, so your kinsmen have to cause you to be mad and they have made you mad already,” Alia stated in the video in Tiv language.
Although Fr. Alia did not mention anybody beaten by Governor Ortom in Jemgbagh intermediate area of Tiv land, National Record understood that the current Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Sen. George Akume, is the son of Jemgbagh from Mbakor, Tarka LGA and the PDP national chairman, Sen. Dr Iyorchia Ayu, is Jemgbagh son from Ipav, Gboko LGA and Ortom has been having misunderstanding with them.
In a statement on Sunday signed by its acting national publicity secretary, Akoso Iorfater, the KWUPO youth wing told Ortom to allow the soul of Aper Aku who died over 30 years ago to rest in peace. They advised Ortom to rather emulate the positive strength the first civilian governor of the state not to dwell on his weaknesses, arguing that Aku remained the best governor Benue State has ever produced.
Addressing specifically Ortom’s accusation against the late Aper Aku that he is responsible for his inability to pay salaries, KWUPO defended Aku, saying if Ortom had used the first and second tranches of Paris club refund judiciously, there would have been no challenge of salary payment.
“Indeed, if the recent first and second tranches of Paris refund which is a product of Aper Aku was properly managed Benue workers wouldn’t be crying of non-payment of salaries, pension and gratuity today.
KWUPO’s statement further read: “For over 30 years that our father died, if revenue generation in modern market which is another legacy project of Aku is properly managed and utilized for the purpose of salary, no one would blame Aku of non-payment today.
“How about Benue Links which is another revenue generation company left behind by our late father, Aku?
“Taraku Mills alone is worth taking care of some agencies, but how well is Benue state government utilizing that legacy project left behind by our late father who is being blamed for non-payment of salaries today?
“What did the Benue State government do with the proceeds from the sale of Benue Breweries established by the Late Aku?
“The above companies are just a few mentioned, we can go on and on to point at things Pa Aper Aku left behind for the state to hold unto and be safe reliant in revenue generation towards attainment of her full potentials as the food basket state of the nation, in agricultural sector he left a lot that remained untapped including our very own Ikyogen Cattle Ranch and Ber Agbum.
“Late Aper Aku remained the most selfless public servant Benue has ever produced, his projects were scattered everywhere across the state base on standard principles of establishing a company and not by favoritism and the least thing a Governor after him would do is to play blame games with his name, KWUPO Youth won’t sit back and watch for too long without calling such a person to reset.
“Our late father Aku, had just finish first term in office and got reelected before the military interrupted his government by taking over, if Aku had stayed longer in office like His Excellency Samuel Ortom, no one would be making reference to him that he never paid workers for 13 months, for him, as first democratically elected Governor, he faced a lot of challenges to lay foundation that those after him may not suffer much which was understandable.
“As the father of the state, we appeal with the Governor to look at history and copy the positive aspect of a man and not only the negative so that history won’t be distorted.
“As sons and Daughters of Late Pa Aper Aku, we don’t wish to join issues with the Governor but to set the record straight for the public to know and also make it known that we are not happy that Pa Aku’s name is being dragged in the monkey waters of politics which is needless”.
Some people in Benue State who spoke with National Record but did not want their names mention alleged that during Ortom’s campaign rallies in 2015, he promised to pay pension and salary arrears as well as revive all moribund industries in the state since government according to him was a continuum. They therefore wondered why Ortom would take on Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia for promising to pay salary and pension he is owing.
National Record gathered that Ortom is owing state pensioners 38 months arrears and he is owing local government pensioners 74 months arrears.
In the first term of his administration, Ortom blamed his political godfather and former Governor of Benue State, George Akume, of collecting all state funds from him which was responsible for his inability to pay salaries and pension. Consequently, Akume reportedly announced that Ortom should not give him money and focus on payment of salaries projects execution. Ortom also sacked all state workers whose appointments were allegedly facilitated by Akume under his administration to enable him gain full control of the state’s affairs.
It’s baffling that Ortom is now blaming Aper Aku who died over 30 years ago for being responsible for his inability to pay workers’ salaries and pension!
