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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State has raised an alarm, alleging that Governor Samuel Ortom’s administration is creating hurdles for the incoming government of Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia.
The state chairman of the party, Comrade Austin Agada, at a press conference in Makurdi, the state capital,on Saturday, also alleged that the outgoing government plans to divert the state’s financial resources through last minute awards of contracts.
Agada said the outgoing Samuel Ortom-led PDP government has embarked on emergency awards of contracts worth billions of naira, adding that the administration plans to build an airport at Kura, along Naka Road, about 12 kilometres from Makurdi town.
“How do we trust a government that has buried a chunk of taxpayers’ money into an unrealistic cargo airport for almost eight years, despite promising its completion in 18 months to build for the state an airport in just two months?” Agada said.
But in a swift reaction, the Commissioner of Information, Culture and Tourism, Mike Inalegwu, took a swipe at APC, saying Ortom’s administration has not ceased to exist after the general elections.
Inalegwu said government is a continuity and it is a plus for the APC administration to proceed from where the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government would hand over the baton.
The commissioner maintained that workers were promoted every three years as stipulated by the rules.
“So, there was an accumulated promotion of civil servants and a need for them to be encouraged and motivated. So, the Ortom’s administration since coming on board in 2015 has been approving promotions. And till the last six months, we were still approving promotions of those who are due,” he said.
On the airport project, he said Benue was given approval on March 1, to construct a civil airport and that if it was approved in 2016, the airport would have been completed today.
“The land has been acquired and the only thing we can do at the interim is to clear the land so that it would be accessed by the government and the incoming administration can decide to construct it. The hurdle is the acquisition of a licence, which we have gotten and it is a plus for the incoming government,” he said.
Inalegwu noted that no contract has been awarded for it.
“We have not handed over to the government so how do they think that whatever we are doing today will create a burden for the incoming government?” the commissioner queried.