TRIBUNAL JUDGMENT IS VICTORY FOR BENUE – ORTOM
<<< By Tahav Agerzua >>>
Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has requested the support of the federal government, organizations, and individuals to tackle devastations which floods, erosions and herdsmen’s attacks have caused across the state.
He made the request today when a delegation of the Indices and Disbursement Committee of the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission, paid him a courtesy call at the Benue Peoples House.
Alhaji Aliyu Muhammad Sokoto, chairman of the committee led the delegation.
He said the impact of the devastation caused by the 2012 flooding across the state, erosion in several parts particularly the Benue North West and South senatorial districts as well as herdsmen’s attacks in 10 local government areas were so massive and far beyond the capacity of the State to tackle.
According to him the committee required at least one week to go round the affected places in order to fully appreciate the magnitude of the devastation.
He said the state required financial assistance and projects that would facilitate the resettlement of those affected, reclamation and prevention of further occurrence as the case may be.
The Governor stated that the state had reduced the menace of herdsmen and farmers incessant clashes through intervention by security agencies and encouragement of dialogue between the parties but added that the permanent solution remained ranching.
He said the State House of Assembly would pass a bill prohibiting free grazing but its implementation would be different from that of a South West Governor.
Earlier, Sokoto had stated that the committee was visiting the state in response to several letters from the state government requesting the augmentation of the state’s statutory allocation from the stabilization fund.
The assistance is “for the construction of flood and erosion control measures in the floods prone areas of the State as well as resettle the internally displaced persons who were victims of the herdsmen’s and farmer’s clashes,” Alhaji Sokoto stated.
“Consequent to the above a team from the commission comprising members and technical staff are in the state to ascertain the claims as contained in the state’s submission.”
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