Minister for Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Senator George Akume, has lamented the continuous killings and bloodshed in Benue state saying his people are being butchered on daily basis like animals.
Senator Akume spoke at a political event in Igbor, Gwer-East Local Government Area, LGA, of the state, when Ambassador Yonov Agah, joined the state All Progressives Congress, APC.
Agah, a former Ambassador at the World Trade Organisation, WTO, is the Director General/Chief Negotiator, Nigeria Office Trade Negotiation Council.
Akume, who spoke in Tiv language regretted that the only conspicuous thing that is visible in Benue state at the moment was bloodshed, adding “Of a truth, the Tiv people are in a dilemma. Benue state is in a dilemma.”
“There is nothing in Benue but bloodshed; there’s a lot of bloodshed; the blood of human beings and it was for the same reason of this bloodshed that we sent Suswam, Senator Gabriel Suswam, packing and see what’s happening now; it’s more fearful than before.
“Each day we wakeup, people are being butchered like wild animals. There is nothing in Benue; there are no roads. The road from Adoka through Naka to Makurdi are being constructed by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“If you take off from Abuja on your way to Makurdi, you see the level of road work that’s going on; it’s the hand work of President Buhari and I believe that by the end of the year, some of the roads will be completed.
“We in Benue are talking the work, we are not working the work but go to other states and see, they are working the work.”
The Minister while stating that the only way to bring about change in the state was through the ballot said, “The only thing you need to do to change all these is to ensure you are registered in the ongoing Voters’ Registration Exercise being embarked upon by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.”
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Describing Agah as a major asset, a blessing to the people and one who would develop the state for the benefit of the people, Akume assured Agah and his supporters that they were now bona fide members of the APC and are entitled to the same privileges as those that joined the party before now.
Earlier, Ambassador Agah, Director General/Chief Negotiator, Nigeria Office, Trade Negotiation Council, said, “I’m not joining the party to contest any elective position. I’m joining in order to assist our leader, Akume, to develop our state.
He said, “We have sought people that would help develop our land but so far that has eluded us. So, let’s elect people that have the people at heart, those that would develop people and not think about themselves alone.”