Stop Attacking Me, Show Benue People The ₦100bn Figures!” – Ortom Fires Back At Gov Alia

Former Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has accused his successor, Governor Hyacinth Alia, of resorting to personal attacks instead of providing transparency over the state’s finances and the controversial ₦100 billion loan recently approved by his administration.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

In a statement issued on Sunday through his Media Adviser, Terver Akase, Ortom described Alia’s comments against him as “baseless, diversionary, and a deliberate attempt to avoid accountability.”

According to Akase, rather than addressing legitimate concerns raised by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) about the loan approval, the Alia administration has chosen to “attack Ortom to divert public attention.”

He questioned how the government had managed the significant revenues that accrued to the state since May 2023, alleging that several contracts had been awarded “without due process or budgetary backing.”

Akase stated,

“Each time Governor Alia is confronted with questions bordering on transparency in governance or the welfare of Benue people, his reflex action is to attack Chief Ortom instead of providing facts and figures.”

He cited examples such as the ₦68.3 billion road project from Wurukum Roundabout to the Air Force Base in Makurdi and another ₦73 billion project allegedly leading to Alia’s hometown in Vandeikya Local Government Area, describing them as “questionable and opaque expenditures.”

The former governor’s aide accused the Alia administration of maintaining secrecy around the state’s finances and failing to account for the management of public funds despite increased federal allocations following the removal of fuel subsidy.

He also faulted the government’s claim that ₦7.4 billion is spent monthly on debt servicing, noting inconsistencies in the figures.

“The government says it has spent ₦214.6 billion on debt servicing in 29 months — ₦52.5 billion more than the ₦162.1 billion total debt it declared. These figures simply don’t add up,” Akase stated.

He further revealed that as of May 2023, the Ortom administration had already secured pending federal approvals, including a ₦41 billion bailout balance, a ₦20 billion CBN facility, and refunds from subsidy and SURE-P deductions. Akase challenged the current government to disclose whether those funds have been received and how they were utilized.

Emphasizing that Ortom left behind “verifiable records” of his government’s financial dealings and projects, Akase urged Governor Alia to publish the official handover documents if he believes otherwise.

“Benue people elected him to govern, not to campaign against his predecessors,” the statement read.
“Chief Ortom has moved on with dignity as a statesman and expects Governor Alia to focus on delivering good governance, especially given the substantial resources now at the state’s disposal.”