52 INSIDEPOLITICS
Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State and his predecessor, Gabriel Suswam appeared to have again renewed the existing cold war as their feud over financial matters of the state deepens.
This time, the duo are bickering at each other over a N2billon ecological fund acquired from the Federal Government in 2013 to help the state mitigate flood after the devastation it suffered in 2012.
Ortom had through his media aide, Terver Akase, stirred up the fresh controversy when he recently on the Radio Nigeria network news said that the current flood disaster which wreaked havoc in Makurdi and its environs was because of alleged diversion of N2billion ecological fund for erosion control under the Suswam’s administration in 2013.
But in a reaction, former governor Suswam, refuted his involvement in any shady deal with the said money during his tenure as alleged by Akase who is Ortom’s Chief Press Secretary (CPS).
Akase had reportedly blamed the Suswam’s administration for being responsible for the untold hardship caused by the current flooding in the state because they did not put to use the money meant to control the natural disaster for the purpose it was intended for.
However, the former governor through, the State Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Bemgba Iortyom, denied the claim, describing the allegation as wicked and diversionary.
“This allegation is not only wicked but diversionary and intended to cover the Governor Samuel Ortom’s failure to manage the flood disaster that has rendered over 200,000 people homeless and destroyed property worth millions of Naira in Benue State.
“Suswam wishes to state categorically clear that his administration has nothing to do with the recent floods neither did it divert N2billion or any other ecological fund as mischievously alleged by Governor Ortom’s Media Aide on the Radio Nigeria network news,” he said.
Iortyom stressed that the circumstances surrounding the allocation of the said funds by the federal government to the state in 2013 followed the devastating floods of 2012 which affected nine local government areas.
He explained that the federal government provided relief fund to some states of the federation affected by the floods and that Benue was allocated N2billion which the then state executive council after a careful consideration of a report by the technical committee on assessment of the damages caused by the floods, approved that the funds be channeled into identified ecological projects particularly in the flood-prone communities of the state.
According to him, the ex-governor executed erosion control project with the money in all the designated local government areas, arguing further that against the background that the said monies was used for its purpose, it was therefore, “nonsensical and mischievous for the official of the Benue State Government to not only twist the facts but politicise the unfortunate disaster by attributing the recent floods to the funds that were disbursed and utilised in 2013.
Daily Trust however recalled that Ortom in August, 2015, said that the impact of the money released by the federal government in the aftermath of the 2012 flood in the state was not felt because the fund was diverted.
He also said that no measures were put in place to address the problems of those people displaced by the flood while he called on the federal government to construct buffer dams on rivers Benue and Katsina-Ala as a solution to the perennial flooding along the banks of the two rivers.
Ortom had made the remark when a delegation from the Federal Ministry of Environment, led by the Permanent Secretary, Mrs Nana Mede, paid a courtesy call on him at the Government House in Makurdi.
The governor had equally appealed for the completion of the Idye and Demekpe basin canals as well as construction of what he described as mega drainages in the three major towns of the state to enable free flow of water.
While urging the federal government to sustain the release of ecological funds to states, he disclosed that his cabinet had set up a committee to make emergency arrangements to contain the predicted impending disaster and identify areas where people have blocked drainages and other water channels for subsequent relocation.
Mrs Mede noted that her team was in the state to assess its preparedness to tackle the impending flood, visited prone areas and make arrangements that would forestall a similar occurrence to that of 2012 during which 360 lives were lost and N17billion spent nationwide.
Mede added however, that the dredging of River Benue would be part of a permanent solution to the perennial flooding in Makurdi.
Nevertheless, the N2billion saga in the estimation of some environmentalists was quite insignificant to contain the flood menace in the state as in their opinion, both men ought to sheath their swords and rather seek lasting solution to nib the annual challenge in the bud.
A former State Commissioner of Environment, Nicholas Wende, had said last year that at least N100billion to tackle the menace of flooding in different parts of the state.
He made the disclosure after the 2016 torrential rainfall destroyed properties and rendered people homeless in several locations of the state including Makurdi metropolis.
According to him, the state government submitted a request to the federal government for intervention with further expectation that the latter would dredge the River Benue to serve as a permanent solution to control flooding.
He also had explained that the state government constituted a committee to identify palliative measures for the control of the flood, noting that steps taken so far included media campaign so that people living in flood prone areas would move to higher grounds.
On the other hand, the PDP spokesman contended that the Suswam’s administration judiciously used the N2billion for flood control projects it identified and executed in Makurdi, Guma, Logo, Agatu, Buruku, KatsinaAla, Gwer-West, Kwande and Apa local government areas which were mostly affected by the 2012 floods.
“These projects were identified by the local government council chairmen in the affected LGAs in consultation with the local communities. The projects in Makurdi metropolis being the state capital were however, executed by the state ministry of Environment.
“The flood control project in Makurdi was a 5km flood control channel, which was built along Gboko road in the Makurdi metropolis. Similar projects were executed across the other LGAs,” Iortyom posited.
He therefore added that rather than look for excuses, Ortom should concentrate on providing relief materials and shelter to the displaced persons.
Iortyom argued further that unlike 2012 when the floods occurred as a result of excess water released from Lagado dam from Cameroun, the recent floods were largely as a result of blocked drainages and water channels which he said exposed the failure of the Ortom administration in the area of environmental safety and the failure to take precautionary measures in spite of repeated expert advice about the impending floods.
At the moment, Ortom continues to appeal to the federal government to come to the state’s rescue by dredging the River Benue to curb the yearly disaster, noting that the state lacked enough drainage.
The last have not being heard of the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom and his predecessor, Gabriel Suswam. This time, is the ecological funds that have knocked their heads. Benue was allocated N2billion which the then state executive council after a careful consideration of a report by the technical committee on assessment of the damages caused by the floods, approved that the funds be channeled into identified ecological projects particularly in the flood-prone communities of the state