By Dr Onjefu Okidu
That Governor Samuel Ortom recently swept the entire Makurdi landscape with insult slurs on the entire Benue people is no longer news. In what was seen as a thinly-veiled swipe at an APC bigwig in the state, the Governor under the nose of “God,” precisely in a “church,” struck a blow to whatever it is that energizes his fantasy and obsession with insolence: “if you go round Makurdi town, our people start drinking beer from 9 am and some from there, they will go to sleep, and they come back and insult the governor for not helping them to add value to their lives,” the Governor unequivocally lashed out at the people.
The following heavy backlash pushed the Governor to redefine his target population to mean “those who insult, blackmail and castigate him and who sit in beer parlors for long hours” while accusing the mass media of “complete mischievous misrepresentation.”
In the rapturous reactions to the Governor’s insult, some have raised the following question: Are Benue civil servants and pensioners who experience protracted non-payment of salaries and entitlements, and who as day breaks without oral clean-up have continuously cursed, abused, insulted, castigated, and prayed bad prayers for the Governor also drunkards?
Evidentially, the extended analysis of the question in the media borders on the politico-religious paradox that underscores the Governor’s unproductive utterance. The Governor has said times without number that he loves the Benue people (his people) as Christ loves the Church. Why then unlike Jesus Christ have his actions been glaringly at variance? It is instructive to note that while on earth, even now, Christ is an epitome of love – feeding people, healing people, saving people, protecting people, etc. Goodness and mercy is His motto.
As it is, Benue people, particularly civil servants and pensioners have never been debased, dehumanized, and trampled upon since the creation of the state in 1976. As at the last count, the state civil servants were owed eight months arrears of salaries while the pensioners were owed 29 months of entitlements. Many of them have died untimely, many members of their immediate and extended families have died untimely, many cannot bury their dead, many are critically ill without money for treatment, many are starving every day to death, many of their children are out of school, many have been humbled by ridiculous menial jobs, etc.
Also, there has been a worrying increase in the rate of social vices and insecurity occasioned partly by the non-payment of civil servants and pensioners in the state. Since the coming of Ortom, Benue civil servants and pensioners more or less have been sentenced to an everlasting life of misery. In fact, the civil servants and pensioners have always spoken out strongly about how painful and traumatic their situations are. But, Ortom does not feel their pain and suffering to conquer and shame the demon.
The fact of the matter is that Governor Ortom has moved too far in the demonic direction. Beyond Benue civil servants and pensioners, too many of his actions have clearly projected him as an Anti-Christ.
For all any Benue person cares, the Governor’s continuous unproductive utterances are apparently a well-articulated decoy – a raw cover-up for his inability to build effective solutions to a range of unique challenges facing the state. It shows the depths of the predicament his administration currently finds itself in, amid rising infrastructural deficit, decreasing public enterprise, public policy disasters, widespread insecurity, and corruption.
It appears the Governor will have nothing to tell God on the last day about his great good fortune of being a Governor other than attending “churches” and insulting His creatures. The non-payment of civil servants and pensioners as and when due sums up all the evidence God might need. The Governor’s other malfeasances are directly or indirectly connected to this naked and open evidence.
In Ortom’s heart, there seems to beat a force that refuses to accept certain unpleasant realities. It is this part of him that usually lures him into using unproductive utterances to rally support behind glaring failures to prove that he is optimally performing. It is also for the same reason that he likens himself to Moses taking the Benue people to the Promised Land.
For any listening Benue person, Ortom’s narrative of his Moses personae would sound like bass-baritone in the English Chamber Choir and a fabricated English fairy tale. Since he became Governor, his opponents, critics, and victims have stood in frustration as he continues to manipulate politics and religion to evade good governance.
Hence, from the time the Benue people elected him, Ortom has reached for extreme measures in an effort to maintain his powerful use of secrecy. Lately, the people can see very clearly through the deception he has been selling. Hence, Ortom, the Commander of the Benue valley, the Protector of the Benue people from Fulani herdsmen, appears to be losing his fight to keep his secrets. Even people outside the state can see through the deceptions.
For instance, the personal assistant to President Buhari on social media, Mrs. Laureatta Onochie, recently scored him minus two and minus five for infrastructural development and salary payment respectively. And so, the big question is: where are all the monies accruing to Benue State going? The answer seems to be obvious, very obvious!
Leadership requires empathy and a genuine, deep-rooted fear of God as much as it requires ability, capacity, competence, and integrity. Ortom has always wriggled away from these indicators while hiding under the canopy of born-again and insolence. Altogether, the picture now suggests that the Governor is being formidably pursued by his shadows and the realities of his deception are gradually catching up with him. The truth is coming out!
To be sure, in his recent controversial outburst under reference, he unwittingly testified against himself. “Every new building or land (sic) that you see in Benue State, they say it’s Samuel Ortom that is building, he is stealing and doing that,” the Governor engaged in self-imposed.
Nevertheless, Governor Ortom has a chance this Christmas to open up his hearts and restitute, give Benue civil servants and pensioners their dues, and follow it up with prayers of forgiveness, change his ways, and become filled with the Christmas spirit. Definitely, this new way will help save Benue civil servants and pensioners from gloomy Christmas and pave a heavy path for him. It will go a long way to assuage the pains and trauma they have been passing through.
Truly, the civil servants and pensioners deserve the basic right of living free from the fear of non-payment of salaries and entitlements not only at this Christmas but always.
Merry Christmas in advance!!!
...Dr. Onjefu Okidu writes from Ilorin, Kwara State. He can be reached through: Tel: +234-80-366-36-139, E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
