January 23, (THEWILL) – Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has said that the bad policy of the All Progressives Congress-dominated Federal Government has brought hunger, malnutrition and hardship to Nigerians and will not be forgotten in a hurry.
He also described the ‘artificial’ rice pyramid mounted in Abuja to portray the country as producers of rice, even when Nigerians go to bed hungry almost every day, as fake and a mockery.
The governor, who made the statement while signing the 2017 amendment to the Anti-Open Grazing Prohibition Law at the Benue Peoples House, Makurdi, last Thursday, noted that some of the 5,000 bags of rice were from MIVA Rice Company, but no credit was given to Benue State as the producer of the commodity.
Ortom said, “The Federal Government is rather deceiving unsuspecting members of the public that it was the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) policy that yielded fruit,
“The pain inflicted on Nigerians by the APC government is too much to bear. The economy is in bad shape. The 419 rice pyramid in Abuja is fake and aimed at mocking hungry Nigerians. The government should chase out terrorist foreign Fulani herdsmen harassing farmers for them to carryout farming activities in the country.”
The governor also alleged that the Federal Government was not fighting corruption, but persecuting its perceived enemies, insisting that the former governors of Plateau and Taraba States, Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame, are victims of such witch-hunting.
According to him, some former governors who stole more than Dariye and Nyame allegedly did, have been made members of the federal executive council by the Muhammadu Buhari administration.
“Let us do the right thing by protecting the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, by ensuring fairness, equity and justice for all so that things will work well for the country. Mr President, all is not well”.
“The Bible says, I will strike the Shepherd and the sheep will scatter. Nigerians are scattered and don’t know what to do. Sycophants and mediocre in the corridors of power are deceiving Mr president that all is well.”
He decried a situation where bandits are able to freely mount checkpoints in some parts of the country to kidnap innocent Nigerians and kill those whose families are unable to pay ransom.
He, however, commended President Buhari for accepting the PDP Governors Forum’s advise not to impose a mode of party primaries on political parties in the country; urging him to sign the revised the Electoral Act into law as soon as the National Assembly presents it to him.
Under the Revised 2017 Anti Open Grazing, Prohibition and Ranches Law, any cow arrested will attract a fine of N50,000 rather than N2,000, while N20,000 will be paid daily on each cow staying at the quarantine camp, among others.
He therefore charged the people of Benue State to obtain their PVC in order to participate in the 2023 general election and decide who governs them.
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