24032021 - Insecurity threatens 2023 elections, Ortom tells Buhari

vanguardnews
@vanguardnews
@vanguardnews
NEWS HOTLINES
018773962,
08052867058
Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24,2021 — 5
POCKET CARTOON
SPECIAL CONSULTATION —President Muhammadu Buhari with Chief of
Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, during a special consultation at the
State House, Abuja, yesterday. Photo: NAN.
Insecurity threatens 2023
elections, Ortom tells Buhari
•Adds Nigeria sitting on keg of gunpowder•Reps condemn
attack on Ortom, say offenders must face justice•Afenifere
blasts FG to failing to restore security, punish perpetrators
of Agatu massacre•Attack on Ortom: Military deploys
troops to Tyo-Mu forests in Benue
By Peter Duru,
Johnbosco
Agbakwuru &
Tordue Salem
ABUJA —
Governor
Samuel Ortom of
Benue State, yesterday,
met President
Muhammadu Buhari at
the Presidential Villa,
Abuja, and told newsmen
after the meeting that the
2023 elections may not
hold, if insecurity in the
country persists.
Meanwhile, the
military, yesterday,
deployed troops to Tyo-
Mu, the community
Governor Samuel Ortom
of Benue State, was
attacked in his farm last
Saturday.
Commander of the joint
military security outfit in
Benue State, Operation
Whirl Stroke, OPWS,
Major-General Adeyinka
Yekini, disclosed this
while conducting
newsmen round the
scene of the attack where
five bullet shells were
recovered.
This is even as the
House of Representatives,
yesterday, condemned in
very strong terms the
attack on the governor,
saying the perpetrators
must be fished out and
dealt with.
Similarly, the Pan-
Yoruba socio-cultural and
political organisation,
Afenifere, berated the
Federal Government for
its inability to resolve the
insecurity in the country
and for failing to fish out
perpetrators of Agatu
massacre in Benue State
which claimed scores of
lives.
Military deploys
troops in Tyo-Mu
On military deployment
in Tyo-Mu, Major-
General Yekini said the
troops were deployed to
the community to intensify
patrol and surveillance of
the general area.
General Yekini,
accompanied by Security
Adviser to the Governor,
retired Col. Paul Hemba,
noted that his troops had
immediately moved in to
patrol, comb and clear the
area.
He noted that the patrol
will help check activities
of the militia herdsmen
and other criminal
elements emerging from
the forest across River
Benue to unleash
mayhem on people.
His words: “We are here
to show you that the
general area is clear of
any bandits. The incident
was quite unfortunate.
When we were alerted,
we immediately combed
the area. We should not
be judged by this
singular assignment; we
have accepted it was a
security breach and we
will take action.”
He disclosed that in the
course of patrol, the
troops discovered a
makeshift camp of the
armed herders which it
destroyed and set ablaze.
On his part, the
governor’s security
adviser, Col Paul Hembe,
retd, who disclosed that
five empty shells of
bullets were recovered
from the scene of the
attack, said no arrests had
been made but noted that
three persons who reside
in the area were only
invited for questioning
after which they were
allowed to go home.
Hemba, who
commended the swift
response of troops of
OPWS to the area, said as
soon as they were
alerted, they moved in to
comb the area but noted
that the bandits had fled
by the time the troops
arrived.
“We are at the scene of
the unfortunate incident
of the attack on Governor
Samuel Ortom. He came
into his farm and while
touring the farm, he went
to a small market and on
his way back, the gunmen
who were hiding in the
bushes opened fire on
him.
“We quickly alerted the
OPWS and they
immediately responded
and gave them a hot chase
and they have been
combing the bushes since
then. We commend OPWS
for their prompt response.
“The troops combed the
bushes and found some
makeshift hideouts and
burnt them. We could not
make any arrest because
the bandits ran away as
soon as the troops
arrived,” Hemba said.
2023 elections
may not hold
over insecurity
— Ortom
Also yesterday, Benue
State governor, Samuel
Ortom, said if the
insecurity challenges in
the country persisted,
2023 elections would not
hold.
Governor Ortom stated
this when he visited
President Muhammadu
Buhari at the Presidential
Villa in Abuja.
The governor, who
arrived at the Villa
unaccompanied, met with
the President over issues
of insecurity in the
country.
He thanked the
President for condemning
the attack on his farm but
said “that there will be no
2023 elections in Nigeria
if insecurity persists.”
Briefing journalists after
meeting with the
President, Governor
Ortom disclosed that the
nation was sitting on a keg
of gun powder without
meaningful progress
being made on the issue
of security.
He said: “It’s not just
enough to say that one
criticises the policies of the
President, but when he
does a good thing, it is our
responsibility to team up
with him to ensure that it’s
done because it is when
we are peaceful, when we
have security that we can
talk about tomorrow.
“I want to also appeal to
Nigerians, 2023, yes to a
politician is not far, but it’s
still a long way. If we
secure our country and
everything is working
fine, then we can talk
about 2023, but with the
way things are going, if
we don’t secure the
country, there is no way
we can talk about 2023,
that is why I always
dismiss people who come
to me to say we will
Continues on Page 35
By Cynthia Alo
On FG's approval of $1.5bn for rehabilitation of PH refinery (4)
Shell sold a 149,000bpd
capacity refinery in the
US for $1.2m. We can’t expect
to make economic progress if
we continue to fund
inefficiency. We’re fast moving
into a debt trap, from ¦ 12
trillion in 2015 to over ¦ 32
trillion today because some
people are enriching
themselves with every policy.
Let this refinery be sold to coreinvestors
with proven capacity
to repair it with their own funds.
—Anyanwu Celestine,
Asst. brand manager
That amount is
enough to build two
new refineries with
optimum performance.
$1.5b is too high, the
contractors and FG should
be probed per dollar spent
if they go ahead with the
project. This is a wrong
advice to the FG with the
present state of the
economy. Every spending
should be focused on
improving our standard of
living.
—Maximums Ohio,
Businessman
As for me, the FG
cannot be trusted.
The money will not be
utilised in rehabilitating
the refinery, it will be
looted! All we need is
accountability and
transparency to grow this
nation. It is not a question
of bringing out this money
but can we say it has been
used and how it was used?
—Maryjane Raphael,
Entrepreneur
I
see this as a way to
appease the South-
East. Why is this coming at
this point in time? It’s a total
waste. We should think of
diverting the money into
something that will generate
income for the South-East
and South-South. I will
advise they invest the money
in Agriculture. With the rate
at which corruption is
disturbing us, some officials
may even mismanage the
money.
—Richards Ayobami,
Teacher
Being a nation that
consumes what she
does not produce has
always been an
economical landmine for
us.
So, spending $1.5b to
rehabilitate the Port
Harcourt this is a step in
the right economical
direction to consume
what we produce which
would reduce inflation.
—Jesse Ugwunwa,
Debt Manager
In my opinion, the
approval of $1.5bn by
the FG for rehabilitation
of Port Harcourt refinery
is goodnews to Nigeria
as it will not only reduce
the prices of petroleum
products, but also create
jobs for both graduates
and non-graduates.
—Uchechi Wonderful,
Digital Marketer