Benue Killings: Ortom Laments Iminent Famine, Hunger In Benue
From Msughshima Andrew, Makurdi
Loading ...Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has raised an alarm over iminent famine and hunger in the state following the large number of state farmers who have been displaced from their ancestral land.
Governor Samuel Ortom who stated this while briefing newsmen in Makurdi today, to mark the 2018 Democracy Day celebration, lamented that most Benue farmers have been displaced by the Fulani herdsmen militia and cannot access their lands for this farming season.
Ortom who stated that the situation is a major threat to food security therefore called on all Benue people who have access to vacant land to take advantage of it and plant quick yielding crops to avert the iminent famine and hunger looming in the state.
“I want to make a special appeal to every citizen of Benue state who have vacant land or can get such should cultivate and plant quick yielding plants such as maize, rice, cassava, guinea corn and other crops to avert iminent famine in the land.”
Ortom who lamented the insurgency stated that over 495 people have been killed in the state between January and May, 2017.
According to him, there are 180,000 IDPs in eight camps covering Guma, Logo and Makurdi LGAs while over 500,000 others displaced people are staying with relatives or in uncompleted buildings all over the state.
“In IDP camps, we have over 80,000 children of school age, 2,442 pregnant women and 2,766 nursing mothers. These statistics are as scary as they stand as facts staring this country in the face.
“We have a humanitarian crises on our hands and the challenge now is how to get the displaced persons back to their homes. The situation is also a major threat to food security as we are already in another cropping season”, Ortom said.
He however noted that despite the challenges facing the state in the last three years, his administration has worked assiduously to keep and deliver on the contract and campaign promises made to the people of the state.
He named completion of 11 road projects scattered across the state and declaration of armnesty programme which ensured retrieval of hundreds of weapons from criminals and their destruction in accordance with the specifications of the United Nations.
Governor Ortom also said his administration has built over 40 healthcare centres from May 29, 2015 to date and has also procured and supplied ambulances as well as essential drugs to Agatu, Gboko, Ohimini, Oju, Tarka and Ushongo Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.
He said contracts had been given for the rehabilitation, construction and furnishing of 740 Primary Schools in the 23 LGAs of the state.
”Over 400 of such projects have been completed while 2691 youth were trained on Digital Marketing in collaboration with Google Nigeria,” he said.
The governor disclosed that the state council had approved the procurement of 50 units of tractors through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) facility to be distributed to the 23 LGAs of the state to facilitate the 2018 farming activities to aid bumper harvest.
He also said that payment of salary as when due was a major challenge but with God on his side he had started paying workers every month beginning from January 2018.
He thanked the entired Benue people, leaders and members of the APC in the state for their support just as he appreciated Benue civil servants for standing by him even in the face of irregular salary payment pledging to clear backlogs as soon as the state resources improve.
