By National Record
THE NEWLY sworn-in chairman of Guma LGA of Benue State, Hon. Maurice Orwough, has been picked as the chairman of the Benue State chapter of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON).
National Record gathered from well-informed sources within the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) that Hon. Orwough was picked as the state ALGON chairman after a strong endorsement by Governor Hyacinth Alia.
He emerged a few hours after the inauguration ceremony of the 23 local government chairmen at Government House, Makurdi in the early hours of Monday.
Speaking during a reception organised in his honour at the Makurdi residence of the State’s Commissioner of Health and Human Services, Dr Yanmar Ortese, who hails from Guma LGA, Orwough confirmed Governor Alia’s role in his emergence when he alluded to how he emerged as ALGON chairman, profusely expressing gratitude to the governor for nurturing him politically up to the position of council chairman.
He said his emergence as the ALGON chairman was unexpected even to him even as he said he had vied for it.
“I want to say this on record. I want everybody seated here, apart from traditional rulers, to stand up and thank the Governor of Benue State and the entire Kunav people for what they have done to us.
“I went for inauguration today. I never told people that I was contesting for ALGON chairman but some people just believed that the position was suitable for me and they were calling me ALGON. One thing about me is that when I am contesting for a position, I don’t feel that if I don’t succeed, I will die because I was living even without it.
“I was announced ALGON chairman today but even as I’m standing here now, I have not started feeling that I’m the ALGON chairman because it came unexpectedly even though I thought it was possible,” Orwough stated.
Speaking further, he Orwough armed robbers operating along Makurdi-Lafia road, especially between an area after Agan toll gate and Yelewata, to steer clear immediately or they will be eliminated by security operatives.
The chairman, who expressed concern that the said portion of the road is always impassable at evenings as a result of criminal activities, also warned Guma youths to stop giving their people a bad name. He equally warned the youths against cultism in Guma local government.
“I have already told you that we have three categories of insecurity in Guma local government; Fulani issue, Alago issue and our brothers who mount checkpoints on the road to snatch people’s motorcycles at night.
“On the issue of armed robbery, I am sending a message to those criminals even now. If you pass Agan to where Guma borders Yelewata, anybody who is robbing people along this road in order to give Guma a bad name so that people can’t travel from Makurdi to Lafia at night, I know their leaders very well, I know them.
“If those roadblocks are not dismantled, the day I will go to Gbajimba, the death of many foolish people will be recorded,” Orwough stated as he equally warned against cultism in Guma local government.
