By Amos Aar
BENUE State Governor, Rev. Fr Hyacinth Alia, surprised Benue public for allegedly capitulating in an alleged sack of his Special Adviser on the Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs (BLGCA), Dr Dennis Akura, by quietly reinstating him less than 24 hours after news of the sack had been reported on radio, online news platforms and social media.
Dr Akura’s alleged removal was on Thursday reported as having been directed to immediately handover to Mr Denen Aondoakaa. The reports noted that Akura had complied with the alleged directive.
The News reports of Akura’s sack had been aired on Brothers FM, Makurdi, just as the report had also gone viral on social media platforms and online newspapers.
However, in less than 24 hours after the announcement, the sack was allegedly quietly reversed without a corresponding public announcement or official explanation from state government functionaries.
Both Aondoakaa and Dr Akura hail from Mbadede council ward of Vandeikya local government just as Governor Alia.
National Record gathered from sources within the Bureau that Rev. Fr. Alia’s decision to anull Akura’s sack may be due to alleged pressure mounted on him by traditional rulers from Vandeikya LGA.
A source knowledgeable about the politics of Akura’s removal, but who pleaded anonymity, told National Record on Saturday that that the recently deceased Tor Jechira, HRH Clement Uganden, had even threatened to remove his royal beads and hand over to the governor if he had insisted on going ahead with the planned sack when it was muted some weeks ago before the royal father’s demise.
There had been reports of fraud allegations in the Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs under the leadership of Dr Akura involving over N20 billion naira.
When the allegation surfaced in the public, especially in the social media, Dr Akura threatened litigation for alleged defamation.
Acting on the threat, an anti-corruption activist, and Secretary of the Global Integrity Crusade Network (GICN), Mr Uchenna Mojekwu, was remanded by a Makurdi Chief Magistrate’s court on May 6, 2024 over alleged spread of falsehood against Dr Akura.
When contacted on Sunday for enquiries on why Dr Akura’s sack was reversed, Information Officer of the Bureau, Mr Ahangba Ayati, debunked both the sack and reversal rumours, although he admitted to “just a drama of maybe 40 minutes.”
“This was just a drama. Human beings prefer bad news to good news. When it is bad news, it escalates, when it is good news, it doesn’t go round. The whole thing was just a drama of maybe 40 minutes.
“Dr Akura is in full control. He is the Special Adviser, Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
“As of yesterday [Saturday], I wrote a goodwill message on the death of Tor Jechira and he signed on behalf of the Bureau. So, he is in charge,” the information officer told National Record.
Asked what caused the 40-minute drama and what the drama was all about, Ayati said he did not know.
“We don’t know, nobody knows. Whether this was a sack, even suspension, nobody knew because there was no press release and there was not even a circular, a letter, issued to that effect.
“Social media boys are just causing confusion. Government has its working policies if somebody is to be sacked. When you’re employed, you are given a letter and when you are to be sacked, you are also given a letter.
“Akura was not given a letter; we did not go to the press; Chief Press Secretary could not write anything. So, how can you authenticate that something like that happened? What if Akura was just playing a prank to know those who didn’t like him?
“Maybe he wanted to know those who would jubilate if he was sacked. So, there was nothing like that at all,” Ayati noted.
