A Nigerian governor, who sacrificed his personal comfort for that of his people is Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom. His first term in office was characterized by unrest caused by incessant attacks and killing by herdsmen, leading to explosion of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP). In face of the heat, Governor Ortom stood by his people, laughing last today. BABATUNDE ODOFIN examines how he weathered the storm.
Since Benue State was carved out of the defunct Benue-Plateau State by the regime of the late General Murtala Ramat Muhammed on February 3, 1976, the state has been governed by 16 governors and administrators, covering military and civilian administrations. Each governor and administrator left the Government House in Makurdi, the state capital with report cards which today live in the memories of an average indigene of the state acclaimed as Food Basket of Nigeria.
Of all the governors, the incumbent Mr Samuel Ortom, who had served the country as Minister of State Trade and Investment, occupies a special chapter in the history of Benue State administration. Aside that he won governorship elections in 2015 on the platform of the then new political party, All Progressives Congress (APC), he won his second term on the ticket of the opposition party, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP).
The movement was attestation of Governor Ortom’s political muscle in a country where an incumbent governor was denied ticket for second term in Lagos State in the 2019 governorship elections, which ushered in Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. But beyond Governor Ortom’s political strength, what worked for him and which is still working for him in the heart of his people, is his undisguised love for Benue State and his people.
His eventual change of party from APC to PDP was said to have been stimulated by his obstinate adherence to the general interest of his people in face of certain orchestrated plot to tamper with the security and peace of the people whom he had taken a oath to protect come rain come shine.. Governor Ortom put his feet firmly on the ground and insisted that he was ready to flow and sink with his people.
Even when some carrots were said to have been offered him, he responded with a declaration that he would never compromise his people because of a pot of porridge. The result was his return to the PDP, a party under whose government he served as minister during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Governor Ortom is not a regular politician, regarded as an opportunist who rode to the Government House with the instrumentality of his wealth and strong connection with corridor of power, especially at national level. However, he is a tested administrator also exposed to different sectors of governance long before his rise to his current office.
He does not play on words to entertain the people; rather he speaks with figure, facts and authority, all of which are difficult to ignore or controvert. His submission on ranching, for instance, remains a blueprint to resolving herdsmen versus famers’ accumulated tension in the country. Drawing reference from other countries of the world, Ortom pointed out that over 200 million cattle are reared in India and Brazil respectively as against Nigeria’s less than 200 million.
In an interview, he revealed his discovery in Swaziland where major export earning is beef reared through ranching. In the US, Kenya and Ghana, according to him, grazing is non-existent. Specifically, he recalled government policy against grazing in Ghana. “In Ghana, last year, they ordered that if you can’t ranch and move about with your cattle, it should be turned to ‘suya.’ Why can’t we ranch? We are still thinking that we are in the 50s. What was the total population of Nigeria when we were in the 50s; less than 40 million. Today, what is the population? We are now over 200 million. And this is something that has been analyzed and discussed and accepted. If you look at it and check where we are today and where we will be, in terms of progression in 2030, Nigeria will be 450 million people. So if you have 200 million sitting on 923,000 square kilometers, and you are having this kind of challenge, what will happen when you are 450 million? Schools alone, I can imagine the space that it will occupy and then you talk of roads, hospitals, several other activities; so what are you going to do? So it’s better to start planning now. And globally the best practice in animal husbandry is ranching,” he revealed.
Notwithstanding, economic recession and aftermath of security challenges witnessed in the state during which lives and property were lost, Governor Ortom can stand up and beat his chest for the landmark he has achieved from 2015 till date. History will be kind to him for his passionate and quick response to the sufferings of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP). More than 5000 of those people benefited from the temporary shelter provided by the government, all of whom were given basic needs to survive the emergency situation which they unfortunately found themselves.
The governor further said, “we have established and more than 500, 000 people who had been displaced are living with relatives. It’s not an easy task. For a state that the economy is driven by the civil service and actively supported by peasant farming, when the farmers are displaced and are no longer contributing to add value to the economy, it becomes a problem. It’s quite challenging, and in the next few years, if this continues, whatever economic activities that are happening around this area can no longer go on; so we pray that the matter will be over.”
Considering the stability he has so far brought back to the state as evident in the Meti Allah’ recent rapprochement, Governor Ortom may have written his name in gold and secured a special place for himself in the history of Benue State as a governor who refused to betray his people when doing so would have earned him favour of the central government.