Editor’s note: Makurdi-based public affairs analyst, Igba Ogbole writes on the challenges faced by the administration of Governor Samuel Ortom in Benue state amidst the recession that has slowed down economic activities across the nation.
Read below:
The leadership question in Nigeria has, since the nation’s independence in 1960, been the subject of study and commentary by different shades of researchers, analysts and public affairs commentators.
The consensus has been that over the years, Nigeria has not been blessed with a consummate leadership with the capacity to properly harness and effectively deploy its abundant resources to achieve the desired national growth for the socio-economic well-being of the citizens.
In fact, it is the consensus of most students of Nigeria’s history that the comparatively stunted growth of the country can rightly be blamed on the profligacy of past leaderships, their lack of political will to save for the rainy day in the era of abundant oil wealth and the absence of a patriotic vision to diversify the economy and make wise investments.
President Muhammadu Buhari came into government when the economic was on the brink of collapse. Photo credit: Aso Rock
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Indeed, it is worth re-echoing the truism already in the public domain, that the discovery of crude oil in Nigeria in 1956, and particularly the revenue windfall that accrued therefrom, brought easy money and confusion to our leaders then, and killed the spirit of enterprise and hard work in both the government and most citizens.
The resultant total dependence on oil revenue, lack of diversification of the economy, abandonment of pre-oil sources of income such as agriculture, and a culture of laziness in identifying and tapping other non-oil revenue sources, effectively laid the foundation for the hard times we are experiencing today.
Unfortunately for the present leadership at all levels, it did not only inherit the hangover of this monolithic and unproductive economy that has been the lot of the country over the ages, but also assumed the mantle of leadership at a time the economy was and is experiencing excruciating recession.
The state governments have to contend with not just depending on only one major source of revenue-the monthly allocation from the federation account, but also the sad reality that what comes from that account had depreciated remarkably because the price of oil on the international market has fallen remarkably, translating to a reduction in what gets into the national purse for sharing.
In Benue state for instance, available information indicates that since the Ortom administration came on board, the monthly share of the state from the federation account has dropped drastically.
In addition, the administration had to contend with the absence of any viable government industry and very few private enterprises that could have ordinarily boosted the Internal Revenue Generation portfolio of government.
The Ortom administration said it had to also contend with a deficit treasury, arrears of salary and pension, a high wage bill and insecurity orchestrated by herdsmen attacks on farming communities, thuggery and other acts of criminality.
There is no doubt that Governor Ortom has very good intentions for Benue citizens considering his well-articulated development vision for the state, but the poor state of the economy has unarguably raised the bar of the challenges today’s leaders faces in the task of providing good governance.
Governor Samuel Ortom has made efforts to deliver the dividends of democracy despite the present challenges. Photo credit: Terver Akase
It is however stating the obvious that despite the challenges, Governor Ortom has, to a large extent, driven many aspects of his development agenda to successful conclusion and this is evident in several sectors.
These include the prevailing relative peace in the state today courtesy of the administration’s amnesty programme and the Open-Grazing Prohibition and Establishment of Ranches Law, the massive construction of several rural roads, electrification of rural communities, construction and equipping of many Primary Health Centres, renovation and construction of primary and secondary schools across the state.
It is also to the credit of the administration that through its Full Disclosure Policy, transparency and accountability have been placed on the front burner of governance in the state, with all revenue accruals to the state and their expenditure made public.
Indeed, the achievements of the administration so far, which cannot be captured here in detail because it is not the primary focus of this piece, are well articulated in its two years score card presented to Benue people on Monday, the twenty second of last May during a stakeholders meeting at the Benue People’s House, Makurdi which drew their applause.
Unfortunately, because Benue state is essentially a civil service state where the economy is largely stimulated by the workers’ salary, the present challenge of salary payment, occasioned by the poor state of the economy, appears to have overshadowed the administration’s otherwise laudable infrastructural development across the state.
Of course, members of the society reserve the right to constructively draw the attention of government to development issues that agitate their minds, but it is also important and only fair that where achievements are genuinely recorded, they should be acknowledged and commended.
The propensity for engaging in disinformation, misinformation, outright falsehood, pernicious propaganda and even direct insults are completely antithetical to the spirit of brotherhood and unity which our collective Benueness deserves, and should be discouraged by all.
Governor Ortom has consistently said that the Worker deserves his wage and we are confident that the government committee set up to tackle the salary challenge is intensifying efforts and weighing the various options towards achieving success in its assignment.
We enjoin all bureaucrats involved in the salary payment process to fully support the committee arrive at the true workforce and salary portfolio of the state, once and for all.
We also urge the government to intensify efforts at internal revenue generation, ensuring that all leakages are properly plugged and all funds so generated are accounted for and paid into government coffers.
The times demand the understanding and support of all citizens for their leaders, while the leaders should on their part be challenged by the poor state of the economy to break new grounds and take uncommon actions in the search for the way out.
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If there is any lesson to be learnt from the current recession and its attendant consequences, it is that, all of us, the government, leaders and citizens, must exercise a lot of discipline and avoid the proclivity for wastage in whatever form.
Most importantly, the citizens must keep faith in their government and leaders, recognizing that this is a very challenging period, and remain confident that with God the situation can only get better.
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Watch Governor Ortom and All Progressives Congress chieftains in Benue state speak on opposition elements in Benue state on ZENITHBLOG.com TV:
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