By Sunday Iduh
Former Chief Press Secretary to the Benue State Governor, Terver Akase has joined the call on the Presidency to urgently address the worsening security challenges in the state. He said Benue State has been abandoned and it is being treated like an orphan.
Akase, who bared his mind in a chat with journalists in Makurdi on Wednesday lamented that the actions of the Presidency clearly shows that the presidency does not care about the state.
“Just this morning we read a statement from the presidency sympathizing with the people of Plateau State, which is very correct and the right thing to do. That is what a government should do for one of its components. We also sympathize with the people of Plateau State.
“But we are shocked that two days after coordinated attacks in Benue, affecting three local governments: Guma, Logo and Tarka, the presidency has not deemed it necessary to sympathize with the people of Benue State, and we are wondering, is Benue no longer part of this country? Why has the Federal Government chosen to abandon the people of the state? Not even a word or a statement from the presidency to identify with the victims or families of those who have been massacred,” he stated.
He described as appalling the attitude of the Presidency. “Ordinarily you would expect that the presidency should not be selective in its sympathy messages. But here are we, feeling like orphans in Benue State. Not even a word of sympathy from the people we elected into government at the federal level.
“I represent the feelings and views of majority of Benue people, in solidarity with the government of Benue State on its call for proactive actions by the Federal Government. It is the government at the centre that controls security. So, when we have attacks of this nature, we have no other person to fall back on than the Federal Government. It is the President that is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.”
The former spokesperson pointed out that “over the years, more than five (5) years now, Benue people have been asking for greater actions. The herdsmen are in the forest and they come and attack innocent people and kill dozens at night. The security operatives know exactly where the herdsmen are. We are wondering. When this happens, nobody at the centre says anything.
“Mr President owes us an explanation. Benue voted for him in 2019. The margin of defeat he suffered in Benue was not so much. That means in Benue, people love Mr President. They deserve to be protected too and if anything is happening here and the Federal Government looks the other way then we feel like orphans.”
According to him, “we have a government at the centre. So, I am here to call on Mr President, the Federal Government to look into the Benue situations. Stop the killings in Benue State. We have had too much blood shed. We are supposed to be protected because Benue people are also citizens of this country.
“I am so angry at what is happening. The people who were killed in their sleep in Tarka, Logo and Guma do not deserve to die the way they died. I am here to tell the government that more needs to be done.”
On the resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the state, he has this to say: “it is an unfortunate aspect of the whole situation. We thought that the Federal Government will show honour by fulfilling its promise. In 2018, precisely May when the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbanjo visited Benue and went to the IDPs at the various camps and made a promise that the presidency was releasing 10 billion naira which Benue State will benefit to resettle the IDPs.
“It is almost four years now and nothing has been done. The government of the state has reminded and ordinary people have even reminded the Federal Government to live up to its promise, fulfill that promise of resettling the victims. Nothing has been done.”
Continuing he said, “we did not know that we elected a government that does not keep its promises. It is a surprise to all of us that a whole Vice President will make a promise on behalf of the Federal Government and almost four years after, that promise has not been kept.
“I want to repeat on behalf of victims of these attacks, that the Federal Government should fulfill that promise. We have seen what has been done in the North East. We have no problems with that. Off course, every part of this country that is affected by crisis deserves to be rehabilitated. We have no problems with what has happened, the efforts that are being made to rebuild the North East, especially Borno State.
“We also feel that the people of the North Central, particularly Benue State deserve to be part of that rehabilitation. Farm lands, homes and other properties have been destroyed in Benue State worth billions of naira.
“These people are left homeless. Their means of livelihoods have been destroyed. That goes back to the same thing I said earlier that we have been left like orphans. It’s unfortunate. Mr President won election massively in 2015 in Benue State and lost narrowly in 2019. The margin was just about nine or ten thousand. That shows that he is loved by Benue people.”
Akase maintained that, “even if he has issues with the government, he should remember that the people love him here. He should show that humanity in him and look at Benue people like a people who are part of this country.
“The rehabilitation efforts that are going round in other states, particularly the North East should reach our people. Our people do not deserve to die like animals in the bush. It is very unfortunate and I hope that something will be done urgently to address these situations.”