‘I Have At The Tip Of My Fingers All dirty & Underhand Deals Perpetrated By This Administration’ Ex Gov Gabriel Suswam Begins Fight Back Against Successor, Samuel Ortom

Former Governor of Benue state, Gabriel Suswam has initiated a fight back against what he labels continuous attack by successor Samuel Ortom.

The embattled ex state helmsman perfected this move with a statement providing background for what is amiss as well as issues at state between the sitting and former governors

Since coming into power, my successor and incumbent Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, seems to be overwhelmed or probably has forgotten the supposed mission that took him to Makurdi Government House and is on a daily basis devising desperate means to smear my name before the unsuspecting Benue people. Ex Gov Gabriel Suswam
Recently, the Governor through his media adviser, Tahav Agerzua, took a good part of his time dishing out malicious and demeaning statements on my person in the media.

My only crime, as stated in their statement, was that I accused the state government of been responsible for the petition against me at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

But how was I wrong? What I saw is what I said. It is the same issues raised against me by the former Head of Service, Mr. Mike Iordye’s committee that was set up to do a hatchet job that are raised in the petition in issue by the hired petitioner. So, why is Ortom afraid to claim responsibility?

Those who are followers of political developments in our dear state would have observed, and correctly too, that I have, since leaving Government House, refrained from replying the maliciously fabricated lies and other unwarranted attacks on my person that have become the defining paradigm of the Ortom administration. That my name and supposed misdeeds are recited like strings of rosary at functions as insignificant as naming ceremonies is no longer news.

In order to keep the records straight for posterity, it behooves me to make certain clarifications, especially as regards the diatribes against me by Ortom’s image maker.

It is on record that since the creation of Benue State, I am the first, as the 4th Executive Governor of the state, to have formally passed onto a successor handover notes containing hardcore records with facts and figures. So, it is unfortunate that, in characteristic malevolence towards me, Gov. Ortom, barely six months into his administration, has forgotten that the handover notes I gave to him on the 28th May 2015 were the outcome of the joint transition committee that was set up. As a mater of fact, the joint committee organised the handover ceremony which was elaborately done with wide press coverage.

The meaning of hostility may be different in a dictionary used by the Governor. Otherwise, when he came for a courtesy call on me, did I run away or did he compel me to receive him? I had the option to decline his courtesy call on me, but never did so and he and his team were accorded dignifying reception and attention on all issues. I extended to him sufficient goodwill and support to aid and smoothen the logistical and sundry needs he had preparatory to his formal inauguration and this much was evident in the Special Utility Vehicles I bought for him and his Deputy, without any prompting from any quarters whatsoever. I conducted him around the Government House on an extensive and comprehensive tour to see for himself the up-to-date facilities I was going to handover to him; the same facilities he later turned around to allege were vandalised by me and as such claims a need for hundreds of millions to refurbish. But these are facilities I myself put in place at great cost and which are adjudged to be amongst the best in this country.

Where then is there any indication of hostility, non-supportiveness and discourtesy from me towards Gov. Ortom, as he now wants the world to believe? It is however, on record that I on my part did not received any such warm and supporting welcome from my predecessor, George Akume. Painting a dishonest picture that I frustrated the committee and displayed “hostility” towards him is rather absurd and laughable.

On the debt profile of the state, I still maintain that it is either Ortom’s handlers are lacking the basic knowledge of accounting principles or as is more likely, it is same vengefulness and ill-will which informs their making such an open and deceitful mockery of the Benue economic situation.

Records are there to speak for itself. I left but only a debt profile of N9.7bn. This was basically the balance from the N17bn I borrowed as commercial Bank Loans and bonds. But in computing what the Ortom administration funnily terms the debt profile of my administration, some contractual obligations we entered into without any commitment with contractors amounting to over N50bn were added as debts. Salaries of workers which were only delayed but not denied for obvious reasons this government too is currently grappling with, were equally added to make it bogus by all means.

The entire world heard how Ortom’s government kept dishing out figures, from N90bn, N130bn, and again N190bn as the debt profile left by my administration. What a pitiable inconsistency? And how else would one explain such a travesty?

It is rather unfortunate that the Ortom administration is using every means, including manipulating the innocence and gullibility of the unsuspecting Benue public, to engage in political machinations and intrigues. When I recruited people, as a matter of fact, indigenes of the state, into the civil service to replace those who had retired, died, or were incapacitated due to one reason or the other, Gov. Ortom came in raising false alarm that I had recruited people when there were no resources to pay the employed workers. Those I recruited were hastily and summarily sacked without due process followed. But barely two months into office, is the same government not recruiting massively? And are they not owing workers now? The exercise that was done through due process was cancelled and it is now being done all over again through the back-door, not following due process. The truth is that the law is supreme and those workers who were so unlawfully sacked and who have gone to court will certainly get justice and then this administration which is so bent on manipulating virtually everything will have to deal with the attendant consequences which in this case would surely include an over-bloated workforce.

Let it be known too that when I left government, workers of the state were being owed four months including teachers, while those at the Local Government were being owed two months. This, most painfully was necessitated by the economic downturn that badly affected the country. Many lies were told about this by the people in government today. But what are they telling the people now?

The Ortom administration came, borrowed N10bn bank loan, took N2.7bn and 2.10bn as share from LNG for Local Governments and states respectively, collected an improved monthly statutory allocations for May and June 2015 amongst other very many other consistent revenue accruals. Let us not forget that same govertnment made it public that the entire amount needed to upset the four months arrears was N12.7bn.