Ortom challenges FG to ensure return of over 1.5m Benue IDPs to their homes
…Bags Nigerian NewsDirect Best Gov. Award on Education
By Titus Atondu, Makurdi
Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has called on the Federal Government under the watch of President Muhammadu Buhari to exercise the powers bestowed on him as the President of Nigeria and end the attacks and killings of Benue farmers by armed armed herdsmen.
Ortom also stated that the Federal Government should do the needful by ensuring the provision of security to the affected Benue communities for the return of over 1.5million Internally Displaced Person’s (IDPs), housed in various Camps across the State due to the continuous attacks.
The Governor gave the challenge in an address shortly after he received an award presented to him as the Best Education Governor of the year by Nigerian NewsDirect Newspaper during its 11th Anniversary Lecture and Award Ceremony titled: Public Sector Financing: The Oil Revenue, Challenges, Solutions and Prospects held at Federal Palace Hotels, Lagos State.
Represented by the Benue State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Saawuan Tarnongu, Ortom explained that the Benue State Government under his leadership has recorded landmarks achievement in the education sector by embarking on massive transformation in the sector with the view to ensuring that, education gets to the door steps of Benue Child and under a conducive learning atmosphere.
Ortom further explained that even as his administration is working tirelessly to ensure the provision of infrastructure, instructional learning materials and other basic things in schools across the State for the conducive learning atmosphere for Benue Child, his administration is at the same time faced with the challenge of feeding and taking care of over 1.5million IDPs scattered across the State due to the continuous attacks by armed herdsmen..
“I’m calling on you, the Media, as the fourth estate of the realm to champion the course to appeal to Mr. President of this country to do the needful by ensuring the return of Benue IDPs in Camps over the years to their ancestral homes, as he did to the other States of the Federation at the North.
Benue should also be given the same attention other than the opposite because they are part of this country and have played a significant role by voting the present leadership of this country to power,” Ortom maintained.
Gov. Ortom appreciated the Publisher, Management and Staff of the Nigerian NewsDirect Newspaper for beaming their search light on Benue State governance particularly on the education sector and found him worthy of the award as the Best Education Governor.
The Governor further explained that the award given to him was not a mistake but as a true reflection of the tremendous achievement recorded in the education sector since he came on board as the Governor.
He sued for collective support from all Nigerians to Nigerian NewsDirect Newspaper for consistency in the discharge of their constitutional responsibility of information gathering and dissemination.
The Managing Director and Publisher/ Editor-in-Chief of the Nigerian NewsDirect Newspaper, Dr. Samuel Ibiyemi, in a letter titled: NewsDirect 11th Anniversary letter of appreciation addressed to the Executive Governor of Benue State Dr. Samuel Ortom on the 22nd January, 2022 thanked the Governor for his physical presence and support through his Education Commissioner Hon. Saawuan Tarnong at the anniversary.
Dr. Ibiyemi further explained that not everyone that takes the trouble to break their schedule particularly with the challenges of multiple appointments and find time to attend events.
The Publisher stated that Governor Samuel Ortom presence shows that Nigerian NewsDirect Newspaper is very important to him, and that in such manner shall God Almighty continue to increase his helpers and end permanently attacks on Benue farmers by bandits.
He pledged that Nigerian NewsDirect will do everything possible to increase its support for the good his administration does.
