Callers on a Harvest FM Makurdi live audience participation phone-in program Saturday morning eulogized Chief Dr Samuel Ortom describing him as a role model who does not blow his trumpet.
Versatile broadcaster, Simon Iwar, hosted the Minister of State, Industry, Trade and Investment on a special edition of the program, Democracy and the people.
The callers, who simply identified themselves as Isaac from Konshisha and Jacob from Gboko commended the 2015 governorship aspirant in Benue State for what they described as his show of maturity during consultations and urged him to remain focused.
Jacob described Chief Dr Ortom who aspires on PDP platform as his role model saying the life story of the Minister challenged him to strive to achieve great things for himself and society.
Another caller whose name was not audible recounted the contributions of Chief Dr Ortom to the development of Benue State through his Oracle business outfit and its foundation.
He said he was a beneficiary of the snake bite treatment scheme and also knew numerous other people whose lives have also been positively affected by the education and employment initiatives of the foundation.
The caller said the figure of 400 people which the minister had said were in the employment of outfits was conservative saying he thought they were about 2000.
Others sought to know why Chief Ortom was leaving his position as minister to contest election and he answered that he had completed his assignment at that post and was leaving it with the approval of major stakeholders in the state.
He stressed that although he was no longer a tout he kept repeating his humble beginning so as to inspire those in similar positions not to follow wayward paths but rather seek to lift themselves through faith in God and determination in order to improve their lives.
On how he would power the industries which he said he would initiate as governor Chief Dr Ortom said he hoped the power sector would improve with the current privatization exercise otherwise he would seek for investors who would turn the challenge into an opportunity like several other states had done.
ORTOM KUMA INJAR By Orahii Smith To all non-Tiv speaking tribes and ethnicities, the above caption is not Swahili, Japanese nor German. It is an age-long Tiv adage that acknowledges the importance of reward for hardwork. Indeed the culture of the Tiv people of Benue state like most African cultures has been undergoing serious value discrepancies at the turn of the 21st Century due to the popular global culture occasioned by Western idiosyncrasy especially among the youths. Regardless of the sharp changes in Tiv cultural values , the reward system still hold sway among them. Hardwork has remained an invaluable virtue which its appreciation is being measured on the scale of reward in order to attract emulation. In the democratic system, this virtue of hardwork has over the years been complemented by more work. In other words, excellent performances on public assignments has been awarded and rewarded by re-election, endorsement, nomination and public recommendation which entail more responsibility on the trusted fellow. On the other hand, those who have danced faster than the public drum are punished out through elections, recall, impeachment and at extreme instances, revolt. In a related political instance, the 2015 Governorship race in Benue state which has been saturated with smilling faces of contestants postured on billboards and littering posters across the streets of towns and villages, and interestingly, most of whom had at one point or another been saddled with public responsibility(ies), public reward system will measure performances and decide who deserves our allocation control office come May 29, 2015. One does not have to spell us his accountability, humility, transparency and trustworthiness for us to decide. Moreover, people are never dubious according to them. Antecedence speak beyond posters! We shall be watchful and warry of overzealous contestants based on their campaign utterances, mannerisms, the calibre of their supporters and groups. Of course, we the masses should be worried about who to fairly represent our interest and not the contestant deciding for us. We shall evaluate candidates including those whose posters have reached the grassroots where they have never being to. How have they affected us? These will be our criteria for the necessary reward come 2015. So far, I recommend the pedigree, charisma, enterpreneurship know-how, employment profile, public sensitivity and Godfearing nature of Chief Dr. Samuel Ortom. Besides politics, I am optimistic that only his kind would catapult Benue to the fortune land. ORTOM KUMA INJAR!