Presidency, Ortom return to trenches, as Benue governor says Buhari government ‘bereft of ideas’

War of words between the Presidency and Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has picked up from they left off in 2021, as the latter has blasted the Muhammadu Buhari Government for ‘chasing shadows,’ and being ‘bereft of ideas’ over the plight of the country.

Governor Ortom was responding to a statement issued by the Presidency, Tuesday, where it accused the Benue Governor of being among the ‘leaders who do not create ideas to solve problems but rather blame others for their woes.’

The Presidency in the statement signed by President Buhari’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, further carpeted Ortom as holding ‘the country’s longest record of unpaid salaries and pensions.’

The statement titled; “The Incongruence of Governor Samuel Ortom on Arise TV,” by Shehu, catalogued Ortom’s woes, barely days after the Benue governor had accused President Buhbari of shutting him out of the State House in Abuja.

The Presidency said Ortom had continued to blame the President who had not owed federal workers for his woes, instead of raising money to settle unpaid salaries.

“There are two types of politicians in Nigeria today. The first are politicians who are leaders that offer solutions to the challenges facing the voters and the country. They bring forward policies, and implement them, to improve the lives of others.

“The second, politicians who offer excuses for the challenges voters face. They avoid ideas and instead blame others for problems they have either not solved or have themselves created.

“President Buhari is a leader. He inherited a treasury that had been emptied by successive previous administrations – and he sought and succeeded in repatriating billions of dollars of stolen funds from overseas. His administration discovered more than 500,000 bank accounts operated by Ministries, Agencies and Departments.

“In these accounts, the money belonging to the government was kept. Same government agencies went to the banks to borrow money kept by sister agencies at exorbitant interest rates. What is more, some of the signatories had left the service or were “unknown” and so no one had access to the funds.

“MDAs are now compelled to use the Treasury Single Account, TSA, domiciled in the Central Bank of Nigeria. And the President brought forward the first and only plan to address farmer-herder clashes in 100 years, supporting states to rediscover grazing reserves and create ranching lands that have successfully reduced tensions while increasing harmony and saving lives.

“Governor Samuel Ortom, office holder, is that other politician. He inherited unpaid salaries and pension arrears – and rather than find a way to raise the funds to pay them, he has blamed the President.

“This is a President who has not failed to pay the salary of those working for the federal government and declared the failure of states to do so a national disaster. To avert this, he had, at various times lent money to the states in excess of N1.682 trillion, and Benue, Mr Ortom’s state did not miss out on all occasions: Salary Bailout, Excess Crude Loan and Budget Support loan, each repayable in 20 years. Lagos for instance didn’t collect any of the loans.

“A few other states declined to take one or two. Mr Ortom, an office holder who collected on all occasions, currently holds the country’s longest record of unpaid salaries and pensions, has no reason, absolutely no reason, to blame President Buhari for the mess in which he put his state and its workers.

“Having first come claiming that his predecessors created the arrears, it was his business to prove that he was better by paying. Instead of doing that, he joined them! And while he runs up even further salary and pension debts on top of those he was bequeathed, instead of respecting the voters who elected him to office, he publicly attacks them in unprintable words and has raised his own thuggish militia to harass and violate them.

“The Governor now claims the voters wish to be ‘rescued by the PDP’ and ‘regret voting for Buhari.’ The voters, of course, will not be asked to vote for the President again because – as a leader – President Buhari and the All Progressives Congress, APC respect term limits and the constitution, and will stand down next year at the end of his second democratically elected mandate. It seems unlikely, however, that any voter would seriously consider it possible to be “rescued” by a party that would today, allow a politician such as Governor Ortom in its ranks.”

However, by Wednesday afternoon, the Benue State Governor, through his media aide, Nathaniel Ikyur, returned fire, as he hit back at the Presidency, saying the Muhamadu Buhari government was bereft of ideas and empty in tackling the nation’s myriad of problems, even as he asked the government ‘to desist from mudslinging and address issues bothering the country.’

“The Governor decried the rate at which the sovereignty of Nigeria is daily being compromised with the activities of armed Fulani herdsmen that has continued to kill and sack communities across the country. “The President Buhari’s state of Katsina is badly hit with the activities of these terrorists. It is the President’s failure to secure Nigeria that has allowed terrorists to take over most states. This is not the making of Governor Ortom.

“For more than a year, the Governor has been shut out from seeing the President. Is this too a lie? Has President Buhari’s government not spent billions of dollars in ‘Turning Around the Maintenance’ of the nation’s refineries without commensurate results from the facilities?

“Is it Governor Ortom that stopped the President from revamping the country’s refineries after such humongous sums were spent on it? Why did Garba Shehu fail to see all of these but choose to gloss over them?

“It is therefore curious that Garba did not address the issues Governor Ortom raised in the interview with AriseTV. Rather, he went about chasing shadows, trying in vain to paint the governor in bad light. In doing so, he turns to accuse the governor of funding a militia group. This is the height of irresponsibility.

“Rather than take the advice Governor Ortom offers for the collective good of the nation, Garba Shehu and those hired to insult the Governor find it easy to ignore the weighty issues that bother on national security but rather go about in circles.

“We think the President and his handlers will do well to take Governor Ortom seriously when he speaks than indulging in unnecessary mudslinging.

“It is uncharitable and truly a betrayal of hope for the President Muhammadu Buhari government who has consistently blamed past administrations to now find it convenient to accuse Governor Ortom of blaming others before him. This is ridiculous and has exposed the Buhari government of being bereft of ideas and indeed empty of tackling the nation’s myriad of problems,” Ortom’s statement read.