Former Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, has responded to allegations concerning the ownership and whereabouts of a state aircraft, stating clearly that he neither inherited such an asset from his predecessor nor purchased one during his tenure.
The clarification came after Governor Hyacinth Alia hinted at the existence of a state-owned aircraft during a recent Zoom meeting with the Benue diaspora community, organized by the Mutual Union of Tiv in America (MUTA) and the Idoma Association in the United States.
The Governor’s comments, as reported by his Chief Press Secretary, Terso Kula, indicated that while air transportation was underutilized in the state, the specifics regarding the aircraft were still unclear.
Ortom, reacting to these statements on Monday through a press release issued by his Media Aide, Terver Akase, described the allegations as “too weighty to be swept under the carpet.”
He vehemently denied any involvement with a state aircraft and challenged Governor Alia to substantiate his claims.
In his statement, Ortom urged Governor Alia to provide evidence of the allegations to clarify the situation for the people of Benue State.
The statement read: “We read a statement today by the Chief Press Secretary to the Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia who alleged among other things that “…he understands the state has an airplane but its whereabouts is still being looked into”.
“Governor Alia was quoted by his media aide to have made the allegation during a zoom meeting with the Benue diaspora community organized by the Mutual Union of Tiv in America MUTA and the Idoma Association in the United States.
“We want to state categorically that if the Benue State Government purchased an aircraft before Chief Samuel Ortom became Governor in 2015, such a transaction was not part of the handover notes that he received from his predecessor, and no aircraft was handed to the State Government under Ortom.
“Similarly, throughout his two tenures (2015 – 2023), the Ortom administration did not buy an airplane.
“When he was leaving office, the handover notes he presented to his successor, Governor Alia, also did not indicate that the state purchased or owned an aircraft.
“An allegation of this nature is too weighty to be swept under the carpet, and only its proof will enable Benue people to know the truth.
“We therefore challenge Governor Alia to show evidence that the Benue State Government owned an aircraft before he became Governor. He should do this with proof of the date and amount paid for the plane, model/manufacturer of the aircraft, as well as the particular administration that purchased it.
“On the Governor’s frequent statements that all his predecessors performed badly and Makurdi, the state capital, was a glorified village before he was elected, we will not bother to comment on that. If a Governor who is supposed to be the chief image-maker of his state decides to brand it as backward and poorly developed, so be it.”
