Ortom and the Burden of Expectations

George Okoh writes that the Benue State governor-elect, Dr. Samuel Ortom is assuming office with the burden of expectations

With the conclusion of the 2015 election in Benue State and the surrounding euphoria of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ousting the People Democratic Party (PDP) in the governorship election slowing down, emphasis and the discussion among the people of the state have now shifted to anxiety and expectations.

From random sampling of opinion of residents of the state, the burden of expectations on the Benue State Governor-elect, Dr. Samuel Ortom is huge. However, the governor-elect has promised to tackle whatever tough task he is likely to engage headlong with the fear of God and support from the electorate.

In his first statement, while on a courtesy visit to the outgoing governor of the state, Ortom stated that the first 100 days of his administration would be dedicated to reconciling the people of the state. He said if the people were united for a common purpose, they could do much more than if they went their separate ways.

“When we assume office, I will dedicate my first 100 days to ensure genuine reconciliation among the people; we would also tap the talents of all the people of the state irrespective of ethnicity, political and religious affiliations in order to enable us make steady progress and move forward as a people.

“It is a known fact that you experienced and patriotic sons and daughters of the state, who sought to offer quality service to the people; I can assure you that I would rely on everyone of you to deliver and by so doing, I pledge to promote excellence above sycophancy and mediocrity.”

The words of Ortom have been acknowledged as one in the right direction by many pundits.

According to a former Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, “What the country and the state needs most importantly is peace,” adding that the state has gone through many political distractions as a result of bickering among the political class. “This has led to a breakdown of security in the state, where sponsored area boys and thugs have taken over the state, demanding for illegal payments from residence”

He said Ortom will have to sit up and improve the security situation in the state, especially in the crises between farmers and Fulani herdsmen. Tsav also advised the incoming administration to as a matter of going forward to clear all salaries owed workers, pensioners and teacher when they are sworn in.

He also urged the incoming APC administration to bring in men with credibility and talent as administrators to propel the state to a greater height.

For Ortom and the APC, it is surely going to be a herculean task of meeting the demands of the electorate in some critical areas.

On the political front, how would he meet the demands of politicians who are scampering for the spoils of their victory? With very lean resources accruing from the federation account and internally generated revenue, the state may not be able to afford a large retinue of political appointees.

He has a large followership of politicians who crossed over from the PDP to the APC when he moved last year. These group also joined forces with the Senator George Akume led APC original group and have been also joined by recent defectors from the PDP shortly and after the elections.

How he will balance and accommodate the plethora of interests is the question on the lips of observers. Also Ortom will face the challenge of working with a PDP-dominated Benue State House of Assembly.

As it stands in the incoming assembly, the PDP had 15 members while the APC has 14 and the Labour Party (LP) with a seat. The PDP is likely going to produce the next speaker and the cooperation of the house or not will determine his performance.

Another issue the former Minister of State for Trade and Investment will be grappling with is where to get enough resources to pay workers’ wages as well as funds for developing infrastructure.

The outgoing government of Dr. Gabriel Suswam has often complained of lack of adequate finances to meet his obligations especially in the areas of payment of salaries to workers and contractors. Obviously the state civil service is over-bloated with workers who are mostly redundant. Will he have the courage to reduce the work force or find an alternative way of funding the state?

One source of generating funds is through a serious tax regime, which residents of Benue are not comfortable with. However, to give an inclination as to what he intends to do, Ortom disclosed that his administration will punish corrupt government officials as one of the measures to curb corruption in the state and conserve scare resources to be able to tackle financial challenges presently confronting the state in consonance with the principles of the Buhari administration at the federal level.

According to him, his administration would also provide an environment conducive for the private sector to thrive and appealed to those with creative and viable business ideas to bring them forward for funding which would be sourced from within and outside the country.

He also pledged to implement the manifesto of the All Progressives Congress, which provided for free and compulsory primary and secondary school education in the state.

Another expectation from the Benue People is for Ortom to complete all the water projects embarked upon by the Suswam regime. Suswam had embarked on the construction of three water works across the three senatorial zones in the state. These water works in Katsina-Ala, Makurdi and Otukpo have been completed but due to reticulation, they have remained largely unused.

From findings, the cost of piping the water is far more expensive than the cost of building the plant. The Ortom government will have no choice when it comes on board to make the provision of water its first priority. Benue state is gifted with the river Benue yet the succeeding governments have not done much in alleviating the suffering of the residents from lack of clean water.

Benue State has a comparative advantage in agriculture and this is an area Ortom is expected to bring his expertise as a farmer to bear. He is rated as one of the top farmers in the state with the Oracle farms owned by him doing very well.

The outgoing government has done quite a lot in the agricultural field and Ortom is expected to consolidate and do better. With over 80 per cent of the state population practising peasant farming, there will be a serious need for the improvement of agriculture in order to earn foreign currency for the state.

Many pundits have also called on the governor-elect to give priority to rural transformations. Many communities in the state still lack access road, potable water, modern clinics, good schools and electricity. Ortom will have to hit the ground running when he comes on board to provide all these essential amenities that will ensure better life for the rural people.

Industrialisation is another area the electorate is demanding a change must take place.Benue is littered with moribund industries owned by government that need to be revamped. It is expected that Ortom as an industrialist will focus on bringing back to life the Taraku mills, Otukpo burnt brick factory, the Mbatiave Cement factory, the Igumale cement, the Wanune tomato, the juice factory and the Owukpa cool mine, among others.

Ortom’s great journey of perseverance and focus will now be put to the toughest test by his own peers, the opposition, and an ever-demanding electorate. The real test for Ortom will be to balance the many and irrationally high set of expectations, and even reach out to calm some of the fears surrounding his incoming APC government.