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GOVERNOR ALIA SHOULD FOLLOW THE PRESIDENT TINUBU ROADMAP TO SECURITY IN BENUE AND LEAVE SCAPEGOATS, ALIBIS
We read a statement issued by the Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, through his Chief Press Secretary, in which the Governor, while responding to the member representing Makurdi/Guma Federal Constituency, Rt. Hon. Dickson Tarkighir, dedicated a large part of the statement to unprovoked vituperation against the immediate past Governor of the State, Chief Samuel Ortom, as he has consistently done since he took office.
Governor Alia and his appointees are obsessed with the name Samuel Ortom to the extent that even when a discourse has nothing to do with the former governor, they find a way to drag him in.
In his latest statement, Governor Alia, among other things, claimed that “under Ortom’s watch, Benue State recorded the highest number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in its history, with over 4 million people displaced from their ancestral homes. This figure underscores the failure of reactive rhetoric without strategic support for security architecture.”
As if Benue State is in some contest to determine under whose leadership more people are/were killed, Governor Alia gleefully asserted in his statement that during his time, the number of internally displaced persons has dropped to less than 1.5 million.
At no point in his two tenures did Governor Ortom claim that Benue had four million IDPs. The Ortom administration engaged in several strategic partnership initiatives that brought expertise, professionalism, and promoted proper data collection for effective and efficient coordination and management of IDPs in the state. Through these initiatives, the administration developed the Benue State Humanitarian Response Plan and generated empirical and verifiable data on IDPs and Cameroonian refugees through Benue SEMA, in collaboration with and partnership among MDAs, local, national, and international organizations such as NEMA, NCFRMI, UNHCR, IOM, UNDP, UNICEF, MSF, ICRC, FJDP, BENGONET, Jiredoo Foundation, among others.
Governor Alia inherited, accepted, mentioned, and presented the same data of 1.5 million IDPs handed to him by the Ortom administration several times to the media and humanitarian partners at the beginning of his government in 2023. It is indeed the same data and operational structures established by the previous administration that Governor Alia has continued to use to this day.
Once again, we are left with no other choice than to advise Governor Alia and his team to stop playing games with the insecurity situation confronting the state. People are being killed like animals by armed herders. Trying to minimize the magnitude of the attacks by concealing casualty figures, the number of displaced persons, and making the attacks appear as mere communal clashes or skirmishes will not help solve the problem.
Since the killing of innocent Benue people by armed herders intensified under Alia, the governor has peddled varying narratives regarding the attacks. At one point, he says those on a killing spree in the state are foreigners and not Nigerians. At another instance, he claims the killings are reprisals because according to him, Benue people rustled Fulani cows and were selling in wheelbarrows. In yet another case, the governor blames those he brands as “Abuja politicians” as sponsors of the killings. His latest accusation was against clergymen in the state, whom he tagged as “religious bandits.” This clearly indicates that the governor either has no clue about what the security situation is or is deliberately trying to mislead the public.
We advise the Governor to adopt the security roadmap that President Bola Tinubu personally crafted for him when the President visited the state. It has been five days since the President visited and made very useful recommendations on addressing insecurity in the state, but the Governor has apparently yet to begin implementing any of the recommendations.
Governor Alia should take advantage of the huge allocations now coming to the state from the federation’s account following the removal of fuel subsidies to address the security situation in the state and also foster development in various sectors.
Only two days ago, hundreds of IDPs camped at the Makurdi International Market protested and chose to leave the camp out of frustration because they felt abandoned by the government. While the IDPs were protesting, pictures emerged on social media showing the man who is saddled with the responsibility of looking after them (the Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA) attending a lavish wedding in the United Kingdom.
We expected that Governor Alia’s press release would address the plight of the IDPs and tell the people what his government has done to alleviate their suffering.
We recommend that to fight the insecurity ravaging parts of Benue State, the governor should allow the 23 local governments to take control of their resources to enable them effectively mobilize security in their domains and also provide development for their people. Fortunately, allocations to the local governments, similar to those of the state government, have increased by 400% since fuel subsidy was removed by Mr President in 2023 and the Supreme Court gave a landmark judgment granting full financial autonomy for local governments. The governor should obey the Supreme Court judgment and let the councils run their affairs. The 23 local governments have been lamenting; the Benue State House of Assembly has also passed resolutions repeatedly urging Governor Alia to allow local governments control their resources, but sadly, all such pleas and interventions have fallen on deaf ears.
Finally, we want to emphasize that henceforth, any falsehood propagated by the current administration against the former governor will be met with a corresponding response from us. Chief Ortom is no longer the governor; he played his role and stepped aside. The mantle of leadership now rests with the current governor.
If Governor Alia and his administration are out of their depth in handling the security challenges in the state, they should publicly admit their incapacity and call stakeholders for help as President Tinubu also counseled him recently, rather than throwing canisters at imaginary opponents.
Terver Akase
For H.E Ortom
June 22, 2025.
News
Hon. Hafiz Kawu Calls for Unity, Highlights Tinubu and Governor Yusuf’s Achievements in Kano
Hon. Hafiz Kawu, Honourable Commissioner at PENCOM, has urged APC supporters and faithfuls in Kano State to rally behind the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf. Speaking live during a radio program in Kano, Hon. Kawu OON, MNI delivered a compelling message of reconciliation and renewed commitment to the ruling party’s vision for development.
In his remarks, Hon. Kawu emphasized the importance of President Tinubu’s administration to Kano’s progress, pointing to several landmark projects that have reshaped the state’s infrastructure and economic outlook. He cited the Abuja–Kaduna–Kano Expressway reconstruction and the dualization of the Kano–Kongolom Road as evidence of federal commitment to easing transportation and boosting trade. He also highlighted the modernization of the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport and the approval of the Kano Light Rail project as transformative investments in transportation.
Hon. Kawu further pointed to the AKK Gas Pipeline as a strategic investment that will power industries, create jobs, and strengthen Kano’s role as a commercial hub. He noted that the appointments of Kano indigenes into key federal positions demonstrate the President’s recognition of Kano’s strategic importance in national politics.
Turning to state-level initiatives, Hon. Kawu praised Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s urban renewal and rural connectivity projects, including the construction of the Dan Agundi Interchange, the Tal’udu Cloverleaf Overpass, and the revival of 5KM roads across 44 local governments. He described these projects as complementary to federal efforts, ensuring that both urban and rural communities benefit from development.
Addressing internal party divisions, Hon. Kawu noted: “This is the time to set aside differences and return to the fold. The projects we see today are only the beginning of greater things to come under APC leadership. Unity is the key to victory, and victory is the key to sustaining development.”
His live radio broadcast blended detailed references to federal achievements under President Tinubu with state-level initiatives under Governor Yusuf, leaving listeners with a clear message: Kano’s future is tied to APC’s success, and every supporter has a role to play in securing that future.
As the broadcast concluded, Hon. Kawu emphasized that cohesion across the APC structure remains the decisive factor in the political contest ahead. He stressed that only a united APC — working seamlessly from the grassroots to the national stage — can secure victories across all levels of governance and sustain the momentum of development. His words positioned unity not as a plea, but as a strategic imperative for the party’s continued dominance and for the progress of Kano and Nigeria at large.
News
Nigeria Is Not a Muslim Country — Rev Dachomo Counters Sheikh Jingir
The Regional Chairman of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, has rejected comments by Islamic cleric, Sheikh Sani Yahaya Jingir, that Nigeria is a Muslim country.
Jingir had reportedly made the remarks during a programme in Kano State over the weekend while expressing support for the continuation of a Muslim-Muslim political arrangement.
The cleric argued that Muslims constitute the majority in Nigeria and should therefore have the opportunity to lead the country. He also reportedly referred to Christians as infidels and suggested that Christians who were unhappy with the arrangement could leave the country.
Reacting in a statement on Tuesday, Dachomo strongly opposed the comments, insisting that Nigeria is a multi-religious nation and “is not and can never be a Muslim country.”
The COCIN chairman cautioned Jingir and other religious leaders against making statements capable of deepening religious divisions or creating hostility between Christians and Muslims.
Dachomo argued that political leadership should not be determined by religious numerical strength but by competence, justice, good governance and the ability to protect the lives and property of all Nigerians.
“Nigeria is a multi-religious country in which Muslims and Christians have historically participated in the political process and contributed to the development of the nation,” he said.
He urged religious leaders to exercise caution when commenting on political matters, particularly issues capable of affecting relations between religious communities.
According to him, linking political leadership to religious majority could create the impression that one faith has greater ownership of Nigeria than another.
“I urge religious leaders to be mindful of their public statements, particularly when discussing politics and issues capable of affecting relations between different religious communities,” Dachomo added.
News
Muslim-Muslim ticket: No regret over my statement – Sheikh Jingir
Islamic cleric and leader of the Izala Scholars Council, Sheikh Sani Yahaya Jingir, has stood his ground over his Muslim-Muslim ticket comments and description of Christians as “infidels.”
Speaking in an interview with the BBC, Jingir said he had no regrets over his recent declaration of support for a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket, despite the criticism trailing the statement.
He said his position was not politically motivated or intended to campaign for President Bola Tinubu, but was based on what he described as his responsibility as a Muslim.
According to the Islamic cleric, he would continue to support and encourage Muslims to back a Muslim-Muslim ticket, regardless of the criticism his position might attract.
“I have no regrets. I will continue to support and encourage the Muslim-Muslim ticket. What they say will not stop me. They started it; at a point, we suffered in their hands,” he alleged.
DAILY POST recalls that Jingir, during a mass wedding organised by the Kano State Government for 1,500 couples, declared his support for the Muslim-Muslim arrangement and urged Muslims to vote in a manner that would demonstrate their numerical strength in the country.
He further stated that, as a Muslim preacher, he had the right to advocate a political arrangement that was consistent with his religious convictions.
The cleric also challenged claims that Christians or other religious groups constituted a larger proportion of Nigeria’s population than Muslims.
His remarks have continued to generate reactions, with some commentators describing them as divisive, while others have defended his right to express his religious and political views.
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