By Buti Sam Kputu
The recent protest in Makurdi, Benue State, by hundreds of retired civil servants, under the umbrella of the National Union Of Pensioners (NUP), for unpaid pensions of over 30 months raises serious questions for the current regime in the state under Governor Ortom. These are questions that border on integrity and compassion, not the regional or religious politics that is so readily deployed to pull wool over some people’s eyes.
Benue is largely a civil service state where the government virtually monopolises and dominates the economy, which only trickles down to the rest through salaries and contract patronage. It is for this reason that the fate of civil servants in the state gauges the public perception of government as well as its viability, and ultimately its sustainability. The defunct PDP government of Gabriel Suswam lost power in 2015 to Ortom’s APC largely due to unpaid salaries, wages and pensions of a few months. That goes to show the intrisinct relationship between civil service and power in Benue State.
Benue State under Governor Ortom has been hailed nationally for his principled and, sometimes, militant stand against feudalists, marauding herdsmen and Jihadists. Not a few admire him for this. Makurdi, the Benue State capital, is dotted with billboards of the governor, dressed like a Zulu warrior, with bold inscriptions: “THE DEFENDER OF THE BENUE VALLEY”. That summarises the intended legacy of the present governor, never mind the sycophancy and boot-licking politics of the sponsors (some allege it is government sponsored).
Benue State, like many in our country and especially in the North and Middle-Belt, is in dire need of development. Physical infrastructure, especially public schools, are either totally dilapidated or absent. The water works behind the Government House, with the road leading to it, the premises housing the State newspaper (The Nigeria Voice), the IBB Square complex, the forever-uncompleted Makurdi Sheraton Hotel as well as several other moribund industries in the state stand to testify. And there are no social nests to support the poor.
Agreed, Benue IGR is nothing to write home about, but where a government does well to endear itself to the people, that little can become much. Public mistrust of the government in Benue State is fast turning into cynicism. Case in point, there are a number of bill boards somewhere in Makurdi with a bold inscription: “ORTOM IS WORKING”. Someone mischievously added on one “… FOR HIMSELF”. Then I overheard a group of people discussing the current government in one of the numerous food (or gossip?) joints in Makurdi, they were lamenting how they felt scammed by a campaign slogan, “IN GOD WE TRUST”. Their resolution was, “IF THIS WHAT WE GET TRUSTING GOD, WE WILL RATHER TRUST THE DEVIL THE NEXT TIME”. This may sound extreme, but it only reflects their disappointment. And there are many who share same sentiment.
Defending the people against physical, social and economic threats is a principal responsibility of all governments. And no one dare fault any government for that. Be that as it may, a time comes when preoccupation with external threats becomes a diversion and escape from another equally important function of leadership – attending to the social welfare and economic empowerment of of the people. This is where the general perception of ineptitude and non-performance of the Ortom’s government appear to be obliterating his heroism in politics and the integrity of the government under his watch.
The Tiv people have a saying: When a fox is chasing your animals, it is wisdom to first chase the fox away but, afterwards, you must also teach your animals where and how to roam (my paraphrase). In other words, the fox is but just one part of the problem.
Praying the myriads of 2023 governorship aspirants in Benue State understand this.
▪︎ Kputu lives in Lagos and sent this via WhatsApp. He can be reached at butisamkputu07@gmail.com