2022 Benue Local Council Election, Another Vote of Confidence for Ortom

Image

By Jerome-Mario Chijioke Utomi 

When Robert N. Bellah, an American sociologist and the Elliott Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley, among other things argued that two of the most basic components of a good life are success in one’s work and the joy that comes from serving one’s community, noting that the two are so closely intertwined that a person cannot usually have one without having the other, he neither had Dr Samuel Orotm, the Governor of Benue state and the only Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governor from the North Central part of the country in mind nor the state itself.

But with the recent disclosure by the Chairman of Benue State Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC), Mr Tersoo Loko, at the commission’s headquarters in Makurdi, that the PDP cleared all the 23 local government areas at the just-concluded council polls held on Saturday in Benue State, and the joy that follows the announcement, it is not only evident that words of Robert N. Bellah has become words made flesh and now dwells among the people of the state.

Rather, the development glaringly exemplifies a vote of confidence and success in Governor Ortom’s ceaseless efforts to serve and save the state. It more than anything else showcases the joy that comes from serving one’s community dutifully.

There are indeed several reasons why this feat achieved by PDP of which Ortom is the leader elicits positive reactions/comments.

First and very important is the strategic position/role that local government as the third tier of government plays as the life wire of state of the federation.

Says a recent report, local governments and elections are two essential features of modern democracies. They help to establish, nurture and sustain democracy and democratic political culture. Elections provide the electorate with the power to freely participate in choosing their leaders and in providing the much-needed support and legitimacy to the state.

During the First Republic, the native authorities (as local governments were then called) were under the control of the regional governments. The Constitution of the Second Republic (1979-1983) gave state governors the power to dissolve local councils and appoint Caretaker Committees to run the affairs of local councils.

Today, ‘the 1999 Constitution currently being operated empowers state governors to appoint chairpersons of State Independent Electoral Commissions, the electoral umpires mandated to conduct local government elections in the 36 states of the federation.

As the situation stands, there is some ambiguity as to whether the state governors can dissolve local councils before elections are conducted at the expiration of their tenure, but often, state governors capitalise on this ambiguity to dissolve local councils at the end of their tenure and appoint Caretaker Committees. Often, these Committees are staffed with cronies and party sympathisers’.

Despite these constitutional loopholes, Ortom, unlike his counterparts neither dissolved local councils nor appointed Caretaker Committees as witnessed in some states such as; Anambra State where Caretaker Committees took charge of local council affairs for about 10 years under four successive governors – Chris Ngige, Peter Obi, Andy Uba and Virginia Etiaba and again Peter Obi who towards the end of his administration organized election on January 11, 2014. Those elected have since vacated their positions in 2016. As of the time of filing this report, no local council elections have been held in the state since the dissolution under Governor Willy Obiano’s led administration.

From this latest development flow so many observations.

The Benue State governor has confirmed as true my earlier position in a similar piece Ortom; Between Leadership and Demagoguery that Ortom remains an authentic leader who daily demonstrates a passion for his purpose, practices leadership values consistently led and protected the people of Benue State with his heart as well as his head, established long-term relationship with his people/followers and have the self-discipline to get results.

That he is not among the public office holders in the country who do not have the interest of the people at heart or contemplate providing security and a robust economy which are the two major responsibilities of any democratically elected government. He is not engrossed with holding on to the people’s commonwealth. And most importantly, he is in no way reputed for using people to further his own ends, via; intimidation, being sly, getting things done by lying or other dishonest means.

In truth, the name Ortom now means different things to different people.

For other state Governors, the lesson Ortom is handing down to his contemporary is that bearing the tag Excellency does not confer excellence or greatness to anyone, but requires hard work for excellence to be outstanding, demands consistency for a star to shine, and persistence for stardom to be recognized. In the same vein, while Nigerian youths, presently see him as a leader that they can trust and look up to emulate, that the virtue which makes up values are the things we must exhibit in our behaviour, attitudes/character such as; love, discipline, tolerance, respect for human life, peace, non-violence, honesty, integrity, loyalty, fairness, fidelity and other ethical values that promote mutual co-existence, the people of Benue State on their parts, views him as a unifying factor; particularly now that he has a credible local council election in the state.

To some socio-political commentators, he is ‘Ortom the Tough’ known for speaking the truth about the true picture of the security situation to the government and recognising that sovereignty belongs to the people.

To this group, the Benue State Governor is someone who understands that ‘human relations must be encouraged in the right direction. That any act of negation or denial can lead society to anarchy, chaos and unwanted societal conflict which of course, would be detrimental to human peaceful co-existence’.

Finally, in my view, Ortom has validly proved that he is not among those voted to provide good and qualitative leadership; elected to bring the nation’s economy out of the woods and was chosen to bring democracy dividends to the people.

But instead of providing these responsibilities, they visited the masses with cluelessness and utopia. Instead of reviving the comatose economy, they threw it further down into recession and instead of bringing dividends of democracy, they democratized poverty, institutionalized unemployment and ‘governmentalized’ hopelessness and frustration.

Making this development worthwhile is the fact that he achieved this feat at a time in a country where constructive debate is often seen as unnecessary, messy and divisive, where the debate over differing political ideas and strategies is perceived as destructive to the nation’s interest.

Jerome-Mario Utomi is the Programme Coordinator (Media and Public Policy), Social and Economic Justice Advocacy (SEJA), Lagos. He can be reached via [email protected]/08032725374

Share
Related Stories
Image
21-November-2023

National Contradictions Tinubu Must Resolve in 2024

By Michael Owhoko, PhD Any Nigerian with a rational and open mind knows that the complexity of governance in Nigeria today is rooted in the country’s political system, which by any stretch of imagination and logic, is unsuitable for a heterogenous society like Nigeria with over 250 ethnic groups that is characterized by incompatible cultures, varied history, background and interests. These ethnic groups were hitherto independent nations that ceded their sovereignty to the Nigerian state under federalism, a political system that took cognizance of their peculiarities and agreed upon by the country’s founding fathers. But ever since this system was

Image
08-December-2023

Delta State Proposed Budget 2024 and Critical Concerns

By Jerome-Mario Utomi It is common knowledge that Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, recently, presented a N714.4 billion Appropriation Bill tagged ‘Budget of Hope and Optimism,’ for the 2024 fiscal year to the state House of Assembly. What is, however, uncertain to Deltans and the watching world is whose interest the bill, if passed, is meant to serve or protect. There is also the concern as to whether it will herald into the political geography called Delta state, a just or an unjust law. As we are now, a just law is ‘a man-made code that squares with moral laws

Image
06-November-2023

What Next After the Re-opening of the Markets in Lagos?

By Olutayo Irantiola In the last few weeks, many markets across Lagos State have been locked and opened by the Ministry of Environment and the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA). There is no gainsaying that these markets are due for closure. However, what next after the re-opening of the markets? One of the places in town synonymous with huge refuse generation is the markets. Many times, markets are considered to belong to nobody; as such, traders want their immediate environment habitable for their businesses, and at the close of the day, they “drop” the byproducts of their wares somewhere, mainly

Image
16-November-2023

Development: Why Revolutions Fail in Africa

By Nneka Okumazie Revolutions are often based on change, but the success of any revolution is not just the change of power. Africa has been running on the assumption of revolution for new power for decades but no African country has gone far with replacements of people in power across levels of government. Two of the factors that make revolutions succeed are great ideas and cooperation. There might be a cap on how great an idea is or its interval to maturity, but the greater the idea the better the chances for success of the revolution, even with minimal cooperation.

More Stories
Image
29-April-2018

CBN Sells N223b OMO Bills to Refinance Maturing T-Bills

By Dipo Olowookere Last week, treasury bills worth N226.68 billion were sold by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) via the Open Market Operations (OMO) to refinace the matured T-bills worth N226.68 billion. As a result, according to analysts at Cowry Asset, NIBOR for all tenor buckets rose on renewed liquidity strain: NIBOR for overnight, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months tenor buckets rose w-o-w to 3.59% (from 3.38%), 12.05% (from 11.31%), 14.00% (from 12.57%) and 15.84% (from 13.56%) respectively. Elsewhere, NITTY rose for most maturities tracked on renewed sell pressure: yields on the 1 month, 3 months and

Image
01-February-2017

Agric, Transport Boost Business Activity in January

By Modupe Gbadeyanka Efforts by the Federal Government to change the Nigeria from an oil-dependent economy to agro-based seem to be yielding going by the latest report from Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). In its Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for the month of January 2017 released yesterday, the CBN disclosed that the business activity index recorded a significant growth. The report said this was mainly enhanced by both the agricultural and the transportation & warehousing industries. The CBN explained that the agricultural sector of the business activity index improved by 3.2 points, while the transportation & warehousing industry gained 10.0

Image
13-June-2022

Digital Wealth Managers Threaten Traditional Players’ Dominance—BCG Report

A report by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) has revealed that online platforms offering wealth management services and delivering faster customer growth, cheaper cost structures, and superior innovation, command a significant market premium, threatening the market dominance of traditional players. According to the study, these digital wealth managers have an edge over their traditional counterparts as they are democratising investment opportunities for a large group of investors, automating operations, providing customizable discretionary mandates at scale, using hybrid models for investment advisory and creating teams that use data for client acquisition and offering exposure to cryptocurrencies. In the report titled Global Wealth

Image
04-February-2017

NNPC Adopts AspenOne to Boost Refinery Operations

By Modupe Gbadeyanka The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has adopted the ‘AspenOne Engineering’ Software to optimize its engineering operations as part of efforts to keep the nation’s three refineries up and running. AspenONE software is an American product which enables process industry companies to optimize their engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain operations, giving AspenTech customers the benefit to achieve, increase capacity, improve margins, reduce costs, become more energy efficient, and achieve excellence in operational goals. Group General Manager, Engineering and Technology Division of the NNPC, Engr. Farouk Sa’id, made this disclosure during a four-day AspenOne Engineering Software awareness workshop

Image
27-April-2021

CAP Blames Raw Materials Shortage for Poor Q1 2021 Earnings

By Dipo Olowookere The earnings of CAP Plc in the first quarter of 2021 were not impressive and the company blamed this on the global shortage of raw materials. In the period under review, the revenue generated by the firm dropped by 9.5 per cent to N2.1 billion from N2.3 billion, while the gross profit reduced by 39.9 per cent to N701.0 million from N1.2 billion, with the other operating income down to N24.0 million from N28.0 million. The company, which majorly deals with chemicals and plans to merge with Portland Paints, said it was able to cut down its

Image
28-September-2017

Investors and Exporters Forex Window Attracts $11.2b

By Modupe Gbadeyanka The Investors and Exporters (I&E) Forex window put in place by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has attracted about $11.2 billion as at September 15, 2017. This is according to a report released by FBN Capital, the investment and research arm of FBN Holdings Plc. “The pick-up in oil production has been an obvious positive for accumulation. Officials are encouraging the view that it is back at, or close to the 2.0 million barrels per day level. “Further, the FGN may well return to the Eurobond market this year. The heavily-oversubscribed Iraqi sovereign issue last month

Image
23-September-2021

LCCI Urges Better Blockchain Adaptation in Nigeria

By Sodeinde Temidayo David The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has reinforced the need to position Nigeria strategically to leverage blockchain technology for rapid economic growth, safer digital transactions, and improved cross border trade. Blockchain is an encrypted list of records distributed across multiple computer systems and stored in groups called blocks that are chronologically ordered and linked together. Mrs Toki Mabogunje, President, LCCI, gave the advice at a webinar themed Unlocking the Opportunities of Blockchain Technology on Wednesday in Lagos. She noted that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) proposed digital currency, e-Naira, built on blockchain, would

Image
18-September-2018

2018 GTBank Fashion Weekend Holds November

By Dipo Olowookere The third edition of the GTBank Fashion Weekend will hold from Saturday, November 10 to Sunday, November 11, 2018, organisers of the much-anticipated event have said. During the two-day programme, fashion enthusiasts all over the world will be treated to an unparalleled exposé of Africa’s finest in fashion. Holding in Lagos, one of Africa’s largest and most cosmopolitan cities, the GTBank Fashion Weekend will bring together renowned fashion personalities from around the world and budding small businesses in the local fashion industry to create the biggest fashion experience in Africa. The event has become the premier consumer-focused

Ad
Ad
Recent Stories
Image
11-December-2023

AI, Bandwidth Capping, Others Influencing Africa’s Creative Space—Opeoluwa Filani

In a captivating dialogue at the annual conference tagged Art of Technology Lagos 5.0, held at Landmark Event Centre Lagos, on Thursday, 7 December 2023, Opeoluwa Filani, General Manager, Showmax Nigeria, took the stage to offer insights into the rapidly evolving landscape of Africa’s creative economy. The annual tech conference, curated by the Eko Innovation Centre and sponsored by the Lagos State Government, explored the symbiotic relationship between creativity and technology. As the lead discussant of the first plenary session themed Monetization of the Creative Economy Leveraging Technology, Filani noted that the combination of creativity and technology presents a vision

Image
11-December-2023

Airtel Nigeria Gets Recognition for Empowering Women in Technology

By Modupe Gbadeyanka An award has been presented to Airtel Nigeria by the Women’s Technology Empowerment Centre (W.TEC) for its significant contribution towards fostering opportunities for women and girls in the tech sector. WTEC, a notable beneficiary of Airtel’s corporate social responsibility initiative, Touching Lives Season 6, honoured the leading telecommunications firm in Nigeria at its 15th anniversary dinner on Sunday, December 3, 2023, at La Chaumiere Restaurant in Lagos. The organisation said it was impressed with Airtel Nigeria’s dedication towards the advancement of technology in the country. Highlighting the positive influence of Airtel Nigeria’s intervention, the chief executive of

Image
11-December-2023

LASTMA Fires Five Officials for Unethical Practices

By Bliss Okperan No fewer than five officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) have been dismissed for unethical practices. The affected traffic controllers were fired after they were found guilty of the allegations of corrupt practices levied against them. A panel was established to look into the allegations against seven members of the agency, but the five were recommended to the Lagos State Civil Service Commission for dismissal, while the two others were reprimanded. Confirming the development, the Director for Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of LASTMA, Mr Adebayo Taofiq, said in a statement that, “While five

Image
11-December-2023

CBN Suspends Processing Fees on Cash Deposits

By Bliss Okperan The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has directed all deposit money banks (DMBs), other financial institutions and non-bank financial institutions to suspend taking the processing fees from customers for large cash deposits. The central bank gave this directive via a circular dated Monday, December 11, 2023, signed by its Acting Director of Banking Supervision, Adetona Adedeji. The CBN, under its former chief, Mr Godwin Emefiele, introduced charges on large cash deposits in a bid to discourage the use of cash and embrace cashless through digital money transfers. But the current Governor of the central bank, Mr Yemi

Image
11-December-2023

UN Wants $46.7bn to Assist 180 million People in 2024

By Bliss Okperan The United Nations (UN) has said it needs about $46.4 billion next year to bring life-saving help to around 180 million people in desperate circumstances around the world. The UN on Monday said the wider Middle East, Sudan and Afghanistan were among the hotspots that also needed major international aid operations. The global humanitarian outlook for 2024 was “bleak”, with conflicts, climate emergencies and collapsing economies “wreaking havoc” on the most vulnerable, adding that the size of the annual appeal and the number of people it aims to reach were scaled back compared to 2023, recorded a

Image
11-December-2023

5 Ways to Win Big In Access Bank 12 Days of December Promo

It’s that time of year again! The season of giving is here and Access Bank is dialing up the festive cheer with the much-anticipated AccessMore 12 Days of December campaign. Brace yourself for an extraordinary opportunity as 100 fortunate customers stand a chance to pocket N10,000 shopping vouchers daily, from December 1 to December 12, 2023. Prepare to unwrap joy as Access Bank transforms the spirit of giving into a twelve-day celebration unlike any other! Now, picture yourself as one of the lucky individuals to benefit from the 12 Days of December campaign. Here are five ways you can join

Image
11-December-2023

Tinubu Leaves Abuja for Maiduguri

By Bliss Okperan President Bola Tinubu on Monday morning departed Abuja for Maiduguri, the Borno State capital the Nigerian Army Annual Conference as a special guest of honour. Mr Tinubu left the seat of power from the presidential wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. It is his first visit to the North-Eastern region of the country since assuming office on May 29, 2023, from former president Muhammadu Buhari. The event will include an address to the troops of Joint Task Force North East Operation HADIN KAI, an inspection of the ongoing Nigerian Army Reference Hospital in Maiduguri, and

Image
11-December-2023

CBN Says Nigerian Banks Remain Resilient Amid Rumours of Failing CAR

By Adedapo Adesanya The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has assured stakeholders in the country that Nigerian banks remain resilient following widespread media reports that commercial banks in the country had failed the bank’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) for international authorisation. CAR compares the risk-weighted assets of a bank with the available capital that Nigerian banks possess. For instance, when faced with challenging financial conditions, the ratio offers a quick and easy way to determine whether or not a bank has sufficient money to cover losses and continue to keep its solvent status. In a statement on Monday, the apex

Image
11-December-2023

27 Pro-Wike Rivers Assembly Lawmakers Defect to APC

By Modupe Gbadeyanka The 27 lawmakers of the Rivers State House of Assembly loyal to the Minister of FCT, Mr Nyesom Wike, have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC). The legislators won elections into the state parliament in 2023 through the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). However, following a political crisis between Governor Sim Fubara and his predecessor, Mr Wike, the 27 lawmakers attempted to impeach the Governor, which was botched. President Bola Tinubu had to intervene in the matter and asked Mr Wike and Mr Fubara to maintain peace. Last week, a video of the Minister singing the popular

Image
11-December-2023

EXCLUSIVE: Touch and Pay Targets Contactless Payments for Danfos, Others

By Adedapo Adesanya Nigeria-based fintech, Touch and Pay (TAP), which processes microtransactions across Africa, such as paying for bus journeys, is planning on making it easier for users of public transportation popularly called Danfo to begin paying fares using its near-field technology (NFC) products. This was disclosed by Mr Micheal Oluwole, the co-founder and chief growth officer of the company, who noted that the $50,000 prize money it won at the Ecobank Fintech Challenge in 2022 has helped the company focus on its core target of helping Africans process cash-based transactions digitally as well as advancing the country’s cashless policy