From Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
Benue State government on Friday stated that Nigerians will be too glad to see President Muhammadu Buhari leave office next year because they are tired of failed politicians.
The state government also advised Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media, Mallam Garba Shehu to limit himself to the count down to the departure his principal from office rather than engaging in issues when he has nothing positive to say.
This formed part of a world press conference that was addressed in Makurdi, the state capital by the Commissioner of Information, Culture and Tourism, Michael Inalegwu in response to an earlier write-up credited to Mallam Shehu titled ‘The Incongruence of Governor Samuel Ortom’ in some section of the media.
According to the Information Commissioner, Shehu had in the said write up classified Nigerian politicians under two categories;
“The first are politicians who are leaders that offer solutions to the challenges facing voters and the country. The second politicians who offer excuses for the challenges voters face.
“In Shehu’s perverted sense of judgement and in a bid to earn his pay, he placed President Muhammadu Buhari in the first category and Governor Samuel Ortom in the other,” Inalegwu said.
While describing the categorization as an absurdity, the Information Commissioner said most Nigerians know too well that the reverse is the correct position as, according to him, “Nigerians can hardly wait to see the back of the President leaving Aso Rock Villa next year because of his inept, directionless and failed leadership.”
He said contrary to what the President’s aide wants the world to believe, the Governor Ortom’s ranching law has proven to be effective in checking the murderous assault of herdsmen on Benue communities.
Inalegwu said it was not surprising that the law has been recommended by the National Council of States, recommended by Southern Governors and is being adopted by many states of the federation including the President’s home state of Katsina.
While also shedding more light on the issue of salary owed Benue civil servants, the Information Commissioner who noted that in northern Nigeria, Benue pays the highest salary to its workers, adding that Governor Ortom has cleared all salary arrears being referred to by Shehu in the said write-up and is now up to date.
“It will interest Shehu to know that it is not only Governor Ortom that regrets voting Buhari as President. Majority of Nigerians including his die-hard supporters in 2015 and 2019 do.
“In the light of the foregoing, it is clear that Governor Ortom, rather than President Buhari, is the true leaders. As Shehu has tightly put it, Nigerians has had enough of failed politicians and would be too glad to see one of them (President Buhari) leave office next year,” the Commissioner said.
