Benue State Governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, has reacted to a claim by a group known as ‘Defenders of Democracy’ alleging the incumbent governor of plans to cripple the investment of former governor Samuel Ortom in the state.
Our correspondent gathered that the former governor founded an Oracle enterprise with chains of business in Benue State.
The president of the group, Amos Uchiv, had in a statement issued and made available to newsmen in Makurdi on Sunday, alleged that the administration of Governor Alia of planning to raid and shut down all companies under Oracle Business Limited by raising spurious allegations.
According to Uchiv, the Alia-led government was planning to use security men to accompany the people to forcefully raid Oracle Businesses and shut down the companies.
The statement read in parts, “The reason is that they have taken Chief Ortom to EFCC and ICPC by writing several petitions against him on frivolous and baseless issues, so the last option is to seal his companies and render him ineffective.
“The government targets to not just shut down the Oracle businesses but also take away vehicles parked within the company premises and any other valuables they may find.”
But the governor, in a swift response through his Technical Adviser on Media Publicity and Strategic Communication, Solomon Iorpev, said that his administration was already encouraging small-scale enterprises to thrive to boost the economy of the state and will not cripple businesses that are adding value to the state economy.
Iorpev however stated that the present administration will not condone the situation where the past governor would use his business to siphon government money and vowed that he would chase and recover such money if traced to anyone’s business accounts.
According to the governor’s media aide, “If they say that governor is trying to cripple the business of ex-governor, let them bring evidence and documents because the government doesn’t work with declaration but papers.
“They are only throwing stones from every angle there’s no truth. The governor is trying to encourage small-scale enterprises to spring up and existing ones to thrive to boost the economy of the state.
“Why will it want to cripple another business that is already adding value to the economy.
“But if peradventure the governor discovers that there were misappropriation of funds and discrepancies in the cause of governance, he can call for questions.
“Governor doesn’t go after personal things, he cares about the administration of the state.
“If you are a past governor or past administration and you misappropriated funds, the governor will definitely ask you where those funds are because we must hold everyone accountable, the country is even asking for accountability.
“If for instance the former governor is using part of his business to siphon money from government to that area (his business) and money was traced to those accounts, of course, we will chase it to those accounts.”
Also, Terver Akase who is the media aide to the former governor Ortom, in his reaction, said that the harrasment and intimidation of Ortom by the present administration tilted towards the group’s claim.
Akase told our correspondent on the phone that “it is difficult to dismiss the story making the rounds that the government plans to descend on the Oracle Business Ltd.
“This is because since the new administration came on board, it has made Chief Ortom a target of vilification and has put him on media trial, levelling all manner of accusations against him.
Ortom’s aide called on security agencies to move swiftly and investigate the report of a planned raid on companies under the Oracle Conglomerate.
“Even if for nothing else, those investments have given hundreds of jobs to Benue people and are doing even more. Benue State is a lawful society, and those in power ought to allow the rule of law and due process to prevail.
“Chief Ortom has often said that he has nothing to hide because the records of his stewardship in government, as well as his private investments, are open for all to see.
“It is public notice that Oracle Business Ltd accessed loans from the Central Bank of Nigeria, Bank of Industry, the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) and other financial institutions to expand its subsidiaries.
“His Excellency Ortom has repeatedly challenged the present government and anyone else who alleges that he diverted government funds to step forward with the evidence.
“Embarking on a vendetta mission to bring the former Governor down for political purposes is unacceptable,” he stated.