The Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has asked those calling for President Muhammadu Buhari, to resign to carry out a medical checkup to ascertain their states of health.
Mr. Ortom, who was coming into the country after a business trip to China, said there was nothing special about Mr. Buhari’s sickness, arguing that every human being is prone to sickness.
“Those calling for Buhari ‘s resignation should do medical checkup because everybody is sick. An average person above 40 years is living on drugs,” Mr. Ortom said.
“There is nothing special about his sickness because we are humans and we can be sick. What I know is that the Bible said we should pray for our leaders.
“One good thing is that God has answered our prayers because I know the passion of our people. We thank God for answering prayers and for his return. We pray for good health for him to take Nigeria out of where it is to where it ought to be.”
Asked whether he will recontest election in 2019, he simply said, “I have not heard from God. When I do, I will let you know.”
On the murder of his Principal Special Assistant on Knowledge Economy and Investment, Tavershima Adyorough, the governor said he has contacted security agencies and urged them to fish out the perpetrators of the crime.
He said the slain aide was an intelligent person whose experience could have helped his government pull through the difficult times and vowed not to take the killing lightly.
“While I was away, I received the sad news about the brutal assassination of my personal aide, someone who is very close to me, Dr. Tavershima Adyorough,” Mr. Ortom said.
“He worked with me while I served the National Assembly and when I was the minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He was my assistant and then I found him worthy when I won the election. He became my principal special assistant on knowledge economy and investment.
“He was knowledgeable and well learned and for him to have been assassinated now in the history of our state and country where we need people with broad knowledge to support us to succeed in our hard times, makes me feel very sad.
“This is something I am not going to take lightly. I have already spoken with security agencies as a law-abiding man. But they should go and fish out the killers because this cannot be allowed to continue. I feel it is something that we are going to fight to make sure it does not continue and I believe security men are going to do justice to this brutal killing.”
Mr. Ortom described his trip to China as a “huge success” adding that he went to interact with Chairman Wu, the core investor in the Benue State-owned Ngamale Cement Factory.
He maintained that the project is viable and was initiated by former Governor George Akume and followed up by Former Governor Gabriel Suswam.
On his assumption of office, he said he decided to continue from where the two former leaders stopped, adding that he is committed to the completion of the project and has done everything expected of the state government.
“We inherited the project. It started around 2004 during Senator George Akume’s tenure and continued during the tenure of Governor Gabriel Suswam. When I came in and discovered it was a very viable project. We have done everything needed on the part of the government to ensure the project takes off.
Mr. Ortom assured that the core investor will soon ship in the remaining components of the cement plant before October.
He also spoke about his visit to an investor willing to provide improved and high-yielding rice seedlings to farmers in Benue State.
According to him, instead of the meagre two tonnes per hectare of land, the new seedlings, when introduced in the state, will yield over 15 tonnes per hectare.
Mr. Ortom said the state government discussed with a potential investor who will maximise cassava production and creation of value chains around the crop.
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