Benue: You Had 8 Years, We've Had Just 2, Gov Alia Slams Ortom's Loyalists

• Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, sends strong words to critics from the Samuel Ortom-led administration, highlighting achievements in office
• Tersoo Kula, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Alia, made the statements during a press briefing in the state house on Thursday, July 17
• Kula explains the record-breaking achievements in Nigerian education by the state

Makurdi, Benue State - Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, has reaffirmed his commitment to governance as he slammed critics from the past Samuel Ortom-led administration over statements directed to undermine his administration in the state.

This was disclosed in a statement made available to Legit.ng on Friday, July 18.

According to the statement, Governor Alia, represented by his Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, made this statement during a press briefing at the government house in Makurdi on Thursday, July 17.

The statement revealed that Governor Alia said he would not be deterred from delivering the good dividends of democracy for the people of the state, no matter the calculated distractions, especially from those who, in the past, were reckless in the state's administration.

Citing a comment made by the former Commissioner for Education, Prof. Dennis Ityavyar, criticising the Alia-led administration, the governor said the critics don't have the moral compass to discredit his effort in the state.

The statement reads, "When, rather than criticisms, attacks on government come from those whose own tenure was marked by unprecedented abuse of process, starvation of due diligence and institutionalisation of monumental corruption, they ring hollow and reek of selective memory and self-cleansing hypocrisy."

"He challenged critics to show evidence of similar progress during their tenure, particularly Prof. Ityavyar, whom he accused of overseeing the collapse of the School of Nursing and Midwifery in Makurdi, as well as being linked to unaddressed scholarship fraud and illegal student levies."

The governor noted that the former commissioner is attempting to discredit the remarkable achievements being made in the state’s educational sector.

Benue State clears 38 months' salary backlog

The statement further revealed that the Chief Press Secretary explained how Governor Alia's administration resolved long-standing debts owed to lecturers in tertiary institutions in the state.

"Alia administration had resolved some long-standing industrial crises involving university lecturers by paying 38 months' arrears of earned allowances for both academic and non-academic staff, a feat yet to be achieved by most universities across the country." The statement explained

The statement concluded by revealing that Kula reaffirmed the Alia administration’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and the delivery of quality governance across all sectors, calling on critics to compare 'their eight years with our two years, and let the people judge."

Analyst slams Samuel Ortom over anti-grazing comment

Legit.ng previously reported that a Benue state-based political analyst, Isaac Uzaan, has slammed the immediate past governor of Benue state, Samuel Ortom, over his comment on Agate Radio criticising the current administration of Governor Hyacinth Alia for allegedly not upholding the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law in the state.

Legit.ng gathered that Ortom made the statement during the media interaction in Makurdi, the state capital, on Thursday, July 10.

Source: Legit.ng