Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom has ordered the removal of his name
inscribed on the wheelbarrows and hoes reportedly given to youths in
Benue State.
Ortom, while distance himself from the branded wheelbarrows, said he did not order anybody to write his name of the materials.
A statement issued by his CPS, Tever Akase, said his principal is pained over the development.
The statement reads in full below..
The attention of Benue State Governor,
Samuel Ortom has been drawn to pictures of wheelbarrows bearing his name
and posted on social media suggesting that he plans to empower youths
of the state with the carts.We wish to make it clear that the
consent of the Governor was not sought and he did not give approval for
anyone to inscribe his name on the said wheelbarrows.Governor
Ortom is aware that the wheelbarrows in possession of the State
Emergency Management Agency, SEMA were recently donated to the state by
the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced
Persons, NCFRMI, for victims of crisis in parts of the state so he
couldn’t have claimed credit for the gesture.The Ortom
administration has numerous laudable empowerment schemes for youths of
Benue but the donation of wheelbarrows to the youths is not one of such
schemes.Consequently, the Governor has directed Secretary to the
State Government to issue a query to the Executive Secretary of SEMA to
explain why the said action was taken by his office.Governor Ortom has also directed the agency to immediately remove the inscription from all the affected wheelbarrows.