Gov Alia should respond to Budgit report on his poor performance and leave former Gov Ortom Alone
Governor Hyacinth Alia, through his Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, in a statement today, while attacking Chief Simon Shango, Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Elders Council in Benue State, left the issues Shango raised and, in his usual diversionary style, launched an unprovoked attack on the immediate past Governor of the state, Chief Samuel Ortom.
Elder Shango had, in a statement titled “Nigeria’s Security Crisis: Between Trump’s Outrage and Benue’s Leadership Failure,” held Governor Alia responsible for the persistent killings and worsening insecurity in Benue.
His statement followed U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s recent comments warning that Nigeria could face sanctions over the persecution of Christians.
Rather than respond to the critical issues raised, Governor Alia deflected blame by attacking his predecessor, Chief Samuel Ortom.
He questioned what the Ortom administration had achieved on security, claiming that internally displaced persons (IDPs) were not resettled even during Ortom’s tenure, and alleging that his own administration had done better by enabling some farmers to return to their homes.
The reaction reflects a desperate attempt by Governor Alia to distract the public from his government’s poor performance and mounting criticism of his leadership.
Recent independent assessments have placed Benue among the least-performing states in Nigeria under his watch.
Budget’s 2025 Fiscal Performance Index ranked Benue at the bottom, out of 35 states, exposing gross mismanagement and financial recklessness.
Despite the ₦327.61 billion revenue received in 2024, the highest in Benue’s history, the state remains burdened by unpaid arrears of salaries, pensions, and gratuities, while infrastructure continues to decay. BudgiT’s report further revealed that ₦353.81 billion was spent, with almost ₦200 billion wasted on unproductive ventures.
Similarly, the Good Governance Rating Index (GGRI), a UK-based organization, rated Governor Alia among Nigeria’s worst-performing governors between 2023 and 2025. The report observed that Governor Alia had shown “little willingness to confront insecurity, leaving thousands of internally displaced persons without hope of resettlement, amid growing poverty, corruption, and lack of clear development direction.” Governor Alia has neither disputed nor addressed these damning findings.
In contrast, former Governor Samuel Ortom demonstrated uncommon courage in defending the people of Benue from violent herdsmen. His enactment of the Anti-Open Grazing Law and establishment of the Livestock Guards curtailed the activities of armed herders and restored relative calm to the state, despite opposition from the Buhari administration. Ortom’s firm stance cost him politically. He was denied federal support, faced impeachment plots, and survived an assassination attempt, yet he refused to compromise on the security and dignity of his people.
Regrettably, these gains have been reversed under Governor Alia. Upon assuming office, he dismantled the Livestock Guards and repurposed their operational vehicles, effectively suspending enforcement of the Anti-Open Grazing Law. Shortly after, Fulani herders who had fled Benue during Ortom’s tenure returned, boasting that the new governor had invited them. Predictably, killings and attacks resumed across the state.
When public outrage mounted, Governor Alia issued a 14-day ultimatum to the herders to vacate Benue, an empty pronouncement that was never enforced. Instead, he blamed Benue people for the conflict, accusing them of provoking the herders through cattle rustling, a claim that shocked the nation and emboldened the attackers.
Under the Alia administration, Benue has also suffered massive capital flight, as local contractors have been sidelined. This again is a sharp contrast to the Ortom era when home-based contractors were encouraged to handle major government projects, thereby growing the local economy. Governor Ortom also constructed major roads in Makurdi, Gboko, Otukpo and different parts of the state amounting to many kilometres among numerous other infrastructure. These were in addition to his giant strides in health, education and other sectors.
Benue people are increasingly drawing a sharp contrast between Ortom’s leadership and Alia’s. Ortom risked his life to defend his people and consistently declared that he was “not elected to preside over dead people.” He resisted every federal policy, from open grazing (reopening of grazing routes, RUGA to cattle colonies and the Water Resources Bill that sought to dispossess Benue farmers of their ancestral lands.
Ironically, Governor Alia now enjoys the support of a President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who has demonstrated zero tolerance for the excesses of militant pastoralists. Yet, despite this favourable environment and the release of federal funds to tackle insecurity, Alia has failed to act decisively. The President of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Bello Bodejo, who once openly challenged Ortom, is currently in detention, a development that should have empowered the Benue State Government to restore peace.
Benue State today is facing renewed violence, economic stagnation, and a collapse of public trust. Governor Alia’s habit of blaming others rather than accepting responsibility only deepens public frustration. The difference between Ortom and Alia is clear: one defended the people against oppression at great personal cost, while the other hides behind propaganda to mask failure.
Signed:
Enoch Bemshima Ortese
President, Benue Advocacy Network (BAN)
6th October, 2025
