Benue Flood: Those criticising Buhari are ignorant – Governor Ortom

Governor Samuel Ortom has described Nigerians who slammed President Muhammadu Buhari for failing to visit Benue State following the August 27 flood disaster in the state as ‘ignorant,” adding that they lacked basic knowledge of how government runs.

“Those people who are criticising are completely ignorant of what governance is,” Mr. Ortom told PREMIUM TIMES in an exclusive interview at his official residence in Makurdi Thursday.

Mr. Ortom said the president acted promptly after receiving news of the development, a gesture he believed was sufficient.

“Immediately after the thing happened, I instructed the Director General of National Emergency Management Agency who then informed the president,” he explained.

“As soon as the president got the message, he directed the DG to move to Benue and the next day the DG arrived with relief materials.”

The governor said the criticism was misplaced, given that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had also visited the state to identify with the victims and assured them of federal government’s support.

“Those who are criticising are not from Benue State,” he added.

Mr. Buhari was at the receiving end of some social media outrage throughout last week, after failing to visit the state days after the August 27 flood which displaced an estimated 110,000 people in 46,000 households.