Ortom, You Owe Us By Iorliam'Amo Shija

Iorliam Shija has written another wonderful piece ,this time it's for Gov Elect,Chief Samuel Ortom,he wrote last week that we owe Tarzoor this time around he is letting Ortom know that he owes us,Benue people so much....please read the wonderful piece carefully and leave your comments.

Chief Dr Samuel Ortom, Governor-elect, Benue State, unlike Prince Terhemen Tarzoor who you defeated in the recently held gubernatorial polls, you owe us.

I averred  that we owed Tarzoor, in an article, last week.

For some of us who supported you during the campaigns, came close to you and played some form of role in your emergence as governor, we are not in doubt of your capacity and willingness to pay this debt.


However, as you settle down and prepare to take off, remember the Talibans that emerged sometime in Pakistan and Afghanistan and learn a lesson from their modus.

In December 1979, an act of diplomatic impunity was committed by Russia. She moved in and occupied Afghanistan.

Between 1979 and 1989, young Arabs, who were motivated by the likes of a fiery Palestinian scholar, Dr Abdul Azzam, came from all over the region to defend Afghanistan.

These Arabs, known as Mujahideen, provided with military tactics and weapons by USA, Saudi Arabia and  Pakistan, came in to defend the territorial integrity of Afghanistan. In February 1989, the Russian Red army was defeated by these Mujahideens.

With Russia now out of the picture, a leadership vacuum was created and every Mujahideen wanted to occupy it. The years that followed, saw series of wars led by ambitious ex-mujahideens like Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.

These wars continued  until the Afghan people became weary of the reign of terror and became desperate for any other form of leadership.   

This was when the Taliban, a collection of students in Pakistani Madrassas(schools), ceased power.

Afghans, weary of the mujahideen's excesses and infighting after the Soviets were driven out, generally welcomed the Taliban when they first appeared on the scene without setting agenda for them or knowingly clearly what the Taliban would bring to the table.

Governor-Elect, Benue have welcomed you, too. Unlike some of us who know that you will help Benue because we believe you have  the required temperaments and right disposition to do that, others have welcomed you simply because, they too, like the Afghan, had become weary of the status quo; the 16 years of PDP.

For example, as Governor Suswam is leaving and you shall take over, he is  leaving  behind a huge debt profile for the state; backlog of salaries, uncompleted projects, pensions of old and sick men, shoddy land deals and the  likes.

Suswam turned the proud Benue people into poor  beggars. Young graduates who left school had no jobs. Those still in school, could not have scholarships or go through a regular school programme because of incessant strikes.

Our rural farmers were exposed to all kinds of security challenges. That was after the government  failed to provide modern day agricultural equipment and fertilizer for them.

These were some of the things that made the people weary: So, on that day of election, when I saw Baba Karshima Ulaka at Shangev-ya, Kwande Local government,  one of the oldest man who voted for you, struggling to cast his ballot,  I knew that the pensioner,  like many others  scattered through the state, were not voting for you, but against the PDP system.

When the voting was done and counting began and I saw that poor trader in Adikpo giving out her akpukpa free, to everyman who came by, I knew she believed you wouldn't fail.

As I stayed at ACC Adikpo collation centre a heard gory tales of young men from Ikyogen, Ikyurav-ya, who suffered knives and guns wounds to ensure that your votes reached the collation centre, I saw their desire for a better Benue.

In the late 1990s , a few years into their administration, The Taliban that Afghan people had hoped were a better option,  had  not only become worst leaders but emerged as modern day destroyers of civilization, reminiscent of the Mongols of yore- The Taliban also became notorious worldwide for hosting  terrorists .

The Taliban gave cover to Usama Bin   Ladin and his friends like Dr. Ayman Al Zawahari , Khaled Sheikh Mohammed and Abu Jandal as they planned terrorist attacks around the world.

That was why the  attention of the world was drawn to them in Afghanistan following the attacks on the World Trade Centre in September 2001.

So, I plead that you should not become like the Talibans who betrayed the trust of the people- in your  first four constitutional years as governor, you owe us good governance. This is a debt which you must pay to ease the  pains of Benue people and make us your ferocious supporters proud .

As governor of Benue state, there are four imperfect templates for you: Aper Aku's, Moses Adasu's, George Akume's and Suswam's; all former democratically elected governors before you.

Through hindsight, although all of the above are imperfect, the generality of the people are sympathetic with Aku and Adasu's.


Today, very unfortunate for you, due to the level of poverty and disillusionment in the state, occasioned by the PDP years, the people will want you to be more than everyone that ruled Benue before you.

After four years, it is my belief that you will not only have done better than Aku, Adasu, Akume and  Suswam;for that is why Benue rejected Tarzoo,  but you must not follow the example of the Taliban.

Yes, you shall have critics-some very constructive and others, just  to distract you; in handling them, always remember what Pope Francis said;

"Every man, every woman who has to take up the service of government, must ask themselves two questions: 'Do I love my people in order to serve them better? Am I humble and do I listen to everybody, to diverse opinions in order to choose the best path?' If you don't ask those questions, your governance will not be good."

I wish you success, my oga at the top.

Iorliam  Shija

iorliamshija@gmail.com
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