From: Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has said that God who made him Governor would never let him fail.
“The God who made me governor will not allow me to fail in Jesus name”.
Governor Ortom disclosed that prayers have helped him to remain focused in the face of the many challenges he had been confronted with since coming into office.
Ortom who stated this, on Sunday, during a Special Sunday Service held in honour of the First Family at the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), House of Excellence Zonal Headquarters, Kanshio Makurdi.
He explained that he had remained focused in spite of the deficit treasury he inherited from his predecessor.
He listed the debt burdens he inherited to include N69 billion unpaid salaries and pension, contractual obligations amounting to over N70 billion and alleged mismanagement of over N107 billion by the immediate past administration.
The Governor noted that aside from the debt burden, he had also been confronted with serious security challenges, dwindling oil revenue and severe decline in internally generated revenue but had remained focused in spite of all these.
While admiting that Benue was still among the states unable to clear salaries and pension, Governor Ortom averred that God helped him to introduce the amnesty programme which has reduced crime to the barest minimum in the state.
He maintained that the signing of the anti-open grazing, anti-cultism and anti-kidnapping bills into laws were of God’s making stressing that despite the detracting comments being made by some persons on the anti-open grazing law, its implementation would commence in November this year.
According to him, the dedication of the state to God in May last year and prayers of the people, especially Christians, have made him to remain focused and consistent.
He said his administration has been able to make appreciable progress in education, health and other sectors and assured that as soon as the problems of salaries and pension are solved, the state would be taken to another level of development.
He recalled that after his election which was of God’s making, many people came to him to say that they would like to be in the same Church with him and urged the citizenry to rely on God in all that they do.
Earlier, the Pastor in-Charge of RCCG, Benue Province II, Pastor Aderemi Folasayo, had in a sermon titled, ‘Help from Above’, stated that the unique thing with prayer for help from above does is that glory is returned to God at the end of the day.
Folasayo while referring to 2 Chronicles 18 : 31 said Jehoshaphat needed help when the enemies wanted to catch him red handed but he cried unto God and God rescued him, adding that helps from above are helps that attract testimonies and noted that helps from above are always timely.