Benue Gov's Adviser Blasts BENGONET For Tarnishing The Image Of The Government.

The Special Adviser to the Benue state govt on Media and Pubic Affairs has blasted BENGONET for tarnishing the image and reputation of Benue
state government, specifically, the person and office of the governor for political reasons.

In a statement made available to
correspondents and signed by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Public Affairs, Dr Cletus Akwaya, he debunked
allegations of misappropriation of fund raised against the state government by the NGO.
Akwaya accused the BENGONET as highly partisan organisation masquerading as an NGO, whose mission was to tarnish the image
and reputation of the state government.
“The attention of the Benue state Governor, Rt.Hon Gabriel Suswam, has been drawn to the
mischief and veiled propaganda of a Makurdi based non-governmental organisation, Benue Non-governmental Organisations Network,
BENGONET on the matter of the N13 billion development bond floated by the state government for the provision of infrastructural projects.”
“At a press conference last week, as reported in a section of the media, the group accused the state government of failure to account for the N13 billion bonds floated in 2011 and queried
the rationale for the state’s quest to float another N11billion bond this year, which proposal has been approved by the Benue state
House of Assembly.
“The wide and unsubstantiated allegations raised by the so called NGO and the deliberate
misrepresentation of facts regarding the two bond transactions have led us to the inevitable conclusion that the group is a highly partisan
organisation.”
According to the statement, “The Benue state government in 2011 floated a N13 billion bonds
at the Nigeria Stock Exchange for the purpose of using the proceeds to finance the provision of critical infrastructural projects in line with the development policy of Governor Suswam.”

It stated that the key capital projects
earmarked for part- funding from the bonds include major road projects across the state,the Benue state University Hospital, New Makurdi International Market.